On August 20 ,1935, Boeing test pilot Les Tower flew the Model 299 nonstop from Seattle to Dayton and established an unofficial record of flying 2,100 miles at an average speed of 232 miles per hour. After landing, he credited the newly designed automatic pilot with flying the bomber "most of the way." Tower also piloted the aircraft almost a month before, on July 28, 1935 on its maiden flight.