<Begin Segment 31>

MU: Now, you had some outstanding achievements while you were in Boeing. Would you talk about one or two of them?

HW: Well, I don't know that they're outstanding, but -- I started out as a mechanic's helper. And then, we were working on the B-50 bombers at that time. Then we got into the B-52 program, so started working that. Then they made me a lead mechanic.

MU: Lead mechanic.

HW: Yeah. For a team of mechanics, I'd be the lead. Then after that I became a, the head of the planning group for the mock-up shop. And then when the B-52 was going into production, I was assigned the job of troubleshooting -- taking care of little problems -- not engine problems or things like that, but things having to do with systems installation. So, about three of us roamed the factory and I was the leader of the band. And we had close relationship with engineering and quality control, so we don't do anything wrong and keep the airplane moving down the line.

MU: Now, these were bombers?

HW: B-52? Yes, that's the big bomber, yeah.

MU: Did you get in also on the passenger side?

HW: Yes. And then after that, we went over -- I was transferred over to Renton and we got into the KC-135 program, which was a military version of what is now the 707. KC-135 was a refueling airplane. It carried loads of fuel and refueled in-flight airplanes, other airplanes while they're flying.

MU: That was a first, wasn't it? First time?

HW: Yeah, that was a real early ones. And, in that numbers, yeah. So they would go up and meet a flight airplane flight and re-fuel all of those that are in flight -- keep 'em going to their destination.

MU: Or they didn't have to touch down at the airport then.

HW: Yeah.

MU: The 707 -- was that a commercial plane?

HW: Commercial plane, yes. It was based on the KC-135, excepting that it was, the body was fatter to accommodate passengers better. And then from there we went into the 727. And by time we got into the 727, why, I was in the planning group was having other responsibilities -- coordinating out in the factory, things that related to what we did that might be a problem to the production line. Coordinated -- took care of that. At that time I was taking care of all of the soft insulation development and electrical development -- wiring, how to get the wiring into the airplane.

MU: About how many Nikkeis or Niseis worked for Boeing, you recall?

HW: While I was there? Probably several hundred, easily.

MU: Oh really?

HW: Yeah, because there were a lot of people who were in more administrative jobs in headquarters, and things like that.

MU: Now, you know I read in your earlier transcript that early in your life you always wanted to be into aeronautics, but the way things were you didn't think you'd have the chance.

HW: Yeah.

MU: What made that big change in atmosphere that you can work for Boeing for such a long and successful years?

HW: You mean my attitude?

MU: Yes.

HW: Well, number one, the last farm where our family was involved was not one in supplying labor, but in supplying labor for a farm. And they were owned by a family that owned the farm that my father supplied labor on when I was born. And they wanted me back, because the superintendent of the farm had fired me unjustly. They wanted me back to be the superintendent of the farm. It was 600 acres or something like that. But I just didn't want to go back to farm life. [Laughs] I mean, I got several messages saying, "Come home because they want you. They want you to be the superintendent." But I didn't want to. When I saw a chance -- after the war and things were looking better for minorities, particularly Nisei, why I wanted to, I thought Boeing was a chance to get into something that I liked, yeah.

MU: So, all of a sudden blue skies, and you're in, into a business that you wanted to get into in the first place.

HW: [Laughs] Yeah. I think that I enjoyed it much because one of those things that -- in working with wiring they were using the archaic military system for identifying wires. When the wire was used for another function you had to change the identification on the wire, which was tremendous task. I was always trying to figure a way to get around that. Finally, in the 727 program, found a leader in engineering that agreed with me and we went and changed it. Then I got holy heck from the factory because they said, "You're making it harder for us to troubleshoot things." [Laughs] It turns out to be easier to troubleshoot.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.