None of us would argue that long-haul flying today looks very different than it did some 80 or 90 years ago. Today, we fly thousands of miles at altitudes five miles high and at speeds approaching 600 miles per hour, often on large jets like Boeing’s 777, 787 or the Airbus A350 or A380 aircraft. And for travelers more savvy with their points and miles in frequent flyer programs, perhaps even enjoying a lie-flat seat in Business Class. So, it’s actually hard to fathom that air travel from one continent to another was even possible in the 1930s, just a few decades after the Wright Brothers made history with their first flight from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. But it was.
In the industry’s early decades there weren’t many runways (or airports for that matter) as national aviation systems were still in their infancy. And yet, by the 1930s, a unique type of aircraft with the capability to land anywhere on water flew between continents. In the years before World War II, amphibious aircraft known as "flying boats" frequented the skies, carrying passengers in fairly luxurious cabins, offering service meant to compete with the highest-end steam ships as a means of travel. In the late 1930s, Pan American World Airways was first to open air travel from the United States across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Earlier, the legendary airline of Juan Trippe blazed new routes from the US throughout Latin America. With Charles Lindbergh as his friend and technical advisor, Trippe developed a series of magnificent flying ocean liners from Sikorsky, Consolidated, Martin, and Boeing. These graceful flying boats connected the globe, flying air mail, businessmen, and the extremely wealthy to romantic spots around the world.
Pan Am’s Sikorsky S-42s first plied the airways around the coast of South America.. They connected Miami with cities like Caracas, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires. The S-42 incorporated several important technological innovations over its predecessor the S-40. The plane’s all-metal construction, using the new aluminum alloy known as duralumin, provided the strength and structural integrity to lift a remarkable payload of fuel, passengers, and cargo. This commercial flying boat was designed and built to meet exacting requirements for a long-range aircraft laid out by Pan American in 1931. Its innovative design included wing flaps, variable-pitch propellers, and a tail-carrying full-length hull. With a normal cruising range of 1,200 miles, the S-42 accommodated 32 passengers for daytime flights in four separate compartments with eight seats each. Flying back then was nothing like flying today. In March of 1939 a Pan Am S-42 was scheduled to leave Miami at 07:30, make overnight stops in San Juan, Port of Spain, Belem and Recife, before arriving in Rio de Janeiro at 15:30 on the fifth day.
The airline’s “China Clipper” was the first of three Martin M-130 four-engine flying boats built for Pan American and was used to inaugurate the first commercial transpacific airmail service from San Francisco to Manila. On November 22, 1935, Pan American’s China Clipper began its inaugural trans-Pacific airmail flight. Company executives investigated many routes before settling on the six-day, 60-hour flight from San Francisco Bay to the Philippines. In preparation for launching the route commercially to passengers, they transported pre-fabricated “villages” to the mid-Pacific islands, building air bases and overnight passenger lodgings. China Clipper began passenger service to the Far East the following year, opening Hawaii, the Philippines, and Hong Kong to adventurous travelers.
The “Flying Clippers” opened commercial air routes, with luxurious accommodations and maritime references, defining the way civilians viewed air travel. By establishing a transpacific route, Pan Am overcame the greatest geographic, technological and navigational challenges of the day. Its fleet of flying boats captured the world’s imagination as it ushered in the age of global air travel. Today, people cross oceans in airplanes without even a second thought, but in 1936, that very first transoceanic commercial airline flight was a mammoth undertaking without equal. Passengers were used to traveling by ship — they liked to get up and walk around, to dine at tables in a special salon, to sleep in fold-down bunks, and to have a stand up cocktail at a proper bar — and these enormous flying boats were designed with that in mind. Every customer was a First Class customer and everyone felt special indeed.
Pan Am president Juan Trippe ordered the Boeing 314 flying boat in 1936 specifically for his airline’s planned transatlantic route. The aircraft had a maximum range of 3,500 miles and on shorter flights, it could accommodate up to 74 passengers and a crew of ten. So, what was it like to be inside one of these magnificent airplanes? Constructed for extravagance, seats on those Pan Am Clippers could convert into beds for comfortable overnight accommodations. Almost exclusively marketed to the wealthy, a flight from New York to Southampton, England, in the early 1940s, cost upwards of $675 dollars, equivalent to nearly $15,000 dollars today. Those who could afford the cost of traveling via Pan Am Clipper, could look forward to a 14-seat dining room, crystal glassware and full waiter service. Each passenger had a bed to sleep in. Those looking for an even more luxurious experience could book their own private sleeping and dining compartment. Some Clippers even included a bridal suite. Most people who elected to travel via Clipper prioritized the luxurious or unique experience over efficient travel. They enjoyed the ride. Compared to modern air travel, the Pan Am Clippers were quite slow, with a cruising speed of 188 miles per hour. The modern Boeing 777, by contrast, flies at a speed of 560 miles per hour. Not only were the Boeing Clippers used to transport and entertain the elite, they also carried mail across the Atlantic.
As most of the world’s major cities lie along coastlines and have port facilities, expensive conventional airfields weren't necessary. But, the Second World War changed everything. The nation needed to move people, materiel, and supplies around the world as fast as possible in order to confront the Axis powers and reinforce our Allies. Wherever America’s forces went, hard runways of concrete and asphalt followed. In the US, the military built hundreds of new airports while the government upgraded and paved existing municipal airfields. And flying boats were soon forgotten. With adequate runways the world over, there was little need for the bulky, inefficient flying boat with its high-drag fuselage. Sadly, the age of the flying boat was over.
Until next time...safe travels.
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