A salute to the forerunner of the world’s most famous bomber. Most of the photos taken of the 299 are well known, but here at Jivebomber’s you not only get to see them again, but in many cases, they are original 1935 photographs from long-discarded Boeing archives. Enjoy.

The Seattle Star of July 17, 1935, tells us that Boeing’s “Mystery Bomber” had rolled out the factory door only the day before.

The 299 being ogled by appreciative onlookers at Boeing Field. Another famous product of that company can be seen in the hangar – the P-26.

The 299 takes to the skies.

Artist’s conception of the Model 299 over Wright Field, Ohio.

Furry-hooded Carl Ben Eielson earned his wings during World War I with the Army Air Service, became a post-war barnstormer, then headed north to Alaska and began making a name for himself. He flew the mail to remote towns where only dog sleds had gone before, started an airline, became a polar explorer, and made the first flight over the North Pole from Alaska to Norway. He died on a rescue mission in 1929, but his legacy lives on (Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, is named in his honor).

Eielson’s aircraft of choice during his bush pilot days in Alaska was a Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny”, seen here. Weathered and beaten with the faded name “Fairbanks” emblazoned on its olive-drab fuselage, this aircraft (AS 47358) managed to survive and is now on display at Fairbanks Airport in Alaska.

On a side note, Eielson’s passenger is Mrs. Ladessa Nordale, wife of Fairbanks newsman Hjalmer Nordale. An adventuresome and interesting woman, Mrs. Nordale later became a prominent Alaska judge where, among her more interesting cases, was one that involved whether an automobile constituted a brothel.

In days gone by, prostitution was legal in Alaska, but, somewhat strangely, brothels were not. Any Alaska woman could partake in the world’s oldest profession, just not in a facility where one could offer (or attain) the services typically associated with such establishments. One day, a local young lady (of easy virtue) found herself in court. Her crime? Plying her “trade” in a car. As far as the police were concerned, that car was now a brothel on wheels and thus illegal.

Finding herself in front of Judge Nordale, the young lady’s legal strategy revolved around a defense that insisted a motor vehicle did not constitute a house of assignation. Judge Nordale thought otherwise by ruling that a Cadillac could indeed be considered a den of ill-repute and put the motorized entrepreneur out of business.

The Cadillac-as-bordello case accidentally created some comedy gold when it was later discovered that Judge Nordale was the proud owner of (you guessed it) a Cadillac.