Tex Johnson and the Boeing 707 Slow Roll

Gunther is this you harbor where Tex flew the famous barrel Roll over Seattle in a Boeing 707?
few showers, partially clearing during the afternoon.
High about 52, Low 40-45
Seattle To Get Gold Cup Today, this is the annual "Seafair" celebration held during the first week of August - culminating with the Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane race on the first Sunday in August. The original "Thunderboats" back then were very different than those of today. Powered by V-12 Rolls-Allison and "Merlin" piston engines, the open cockpit hydroplanes roared around the Lake Washington course just north of Seattle's famous Seward Park. The races could be heard for miles back then as these "Thunderboats" roared around the course in competition! Today, the quieter jet-turbine, catamaran and enclosed "cab-over" designs rule the course. Nevertheless, (and for show), the old piston-pounders I remember ply the waters every year in remembrance of the hydroplane pioneers like Oly Bardahl, and the hydros named "Slo-Motion", the "Miss Bardahl" and the "Miss Exide".
As a historical note, it was during the 1955 Seafair hydroplane race that Boeing executives wanted to showcase the new 707 commercial airliner. Boeing officials arranged to take prospective airline officials to view the hydroplane races. During the event, a new 707 would make a fly-by over the course to show off the new airplane. Everything went off as scheduled, but with a twist. Boeing test pilot, "Tex" Johnson was instructed to simply fly the new 707 over the race course to impress the airline officials and hopefully land some orders for the new airplane. Instead, and much to the horror of the Boeing executives, Tex executed a slow barrel-roll of the 707 commercial airliner over the race course - much to the amazement and awe of thousands of spectators, top Boeing executives and visiting airline officials.
Tex Johnson claimed it was an inspired moment and felt very confident that such a maneuver could be successfully done. Needless to say, nobody to this date has ever done anything like this in ANY commercial airliner!