Meet Boeing’s Longest-Serving Employee

Company commemorates Charlie Tapper’s 75th year with flight aboard P-8A Poseidon.

Jack Daleo

Friday, September 11, 2026 at 11:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Charlie Tapper, Boeing’s longest-serving employee, stands beside a P-8A Poseidon at the finishing center in Tukwila, Washington, in July 2026. [Credit: Marian Lockhart/Boeing]

Key Takeaways:

96-year-old Charlie Tapper became Boeing's longest-serving employee, marking 75 years with the company since joining as a mechanical engineer in 1951.
His extensive career involved contributions to significant projects, including the LGM-30 Minuteman missile, X-20 Dyna-Soar, and testing escape slides for the 747.
Beyond his Boeing tenure, Tapper is a former U.S. Naval aviator who served during the Cold War and is an avid horseshoe pitcher.
Boeing celebrated his milestone with a special flight on a P-8A Poseidon and a recognition dinner, highlighting his commitment to engineering and teamwork.

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Last month, 96-year-old Charlie Tapper became the longest-serving employee in Boeing’s history, and CEO Kelly Ortberg said he has “no plans of retiring anytime soon.”

Tapper marked 75 years with the company in June. He joined Boeing a week after receiving a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University (then Oregon State College) in 1951. At the time, the company was still developing the B-52 Stratofortress and had yet to build the 707, which is widely credited with catapulting civil aviation into the Jet Age.