 William Boeing, who had been an aircraft enthusiast since 1909, purchased a Martin "Birdcage" seaplane that he and Martin pilot James Floyd Smith assembled on the shore of Lake Union in Seattle, in 1915.After it was damaged in an accident during testing, and dissatisfied with the timeframe for receiving repair parts from Martin, Boeing decided he could build his own airplanes with the expertise of George Conrad Westervelt and wooden parts fabricated at the Heath facility.After two "B&W" seaplanes were completed in 1916, Boeing decided to go into business manufacturing airplanes and incorporated the Pacific Aero Products Company on July 15, 1916.