 Born in 1898 on a farm in Connecticut, Boardman flew as a stunt pilot for the Howard Hughes film "Hell's Angels".He met John Polando at a "Wall of Death" motorcycle event in Revere where Boardman was a rider.Polando decided that Boardman would make a good co-pilot due to his aviation maintenance skills, and the two teamed up and began to pursue a dream of breaking a world record.