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Antoine Couëtte you wrote:  I certainly enjoyed a lot Boeing Aircraft which look like being designed by Pilots for Pilots, while Airbus definitely look like being designed by ground Engineers for Flying Engineers. I know I am joking here, but there is still a bit of truth ... Anybody Agree ?

Antoine

It’s not really celestial, but if you can find it, you must read “The Road to the 707 – The Inside Story of Designing the 707” by William H. Cook, TYC Publishing ISBN 0-9629605-0-0, 274pp, soft-back, $17.95.  It took me several years searching to find my copy, but it answers all those questions you thought were probably true, but needed confirmation of.

William H Cook was employed in Boeing Engineering 1938-1974.  He was in charge of the High Speed Wind Tunnel design, B29 Assistant Project Engineer, XB47 Aerodynamics Unit Chief, and eventually Chief of Technical Staff in the Transport Division. 

He traces the inevitability of the design right through from the Wright Brothers, though the development of the swept wing, podded engines, the B47 (an interesting aircraft flexibility wise leading to the development of spoilers), Dutch Roll and Yaw Damping solutions (so it is indirectly celestial), high speed pitch changes, inboard landing gear, and the B52 to the 707.  It’s well worth searching for.  DaveP