Pan American Clipper Flying Boats built by The Boeing Company
Courtesy The Boeing Company; the Pan Am Historical Foundation; and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Edited by David Barth 26 February 2014.
 |
| Pan American Clipper Flying Boat advertisement. |
The Model 314's nickname "Clipper" came from an especially fast type of sailing ship used in the 19th century, and illustrated in this
Pan American World Airways advertisement. The ship analogy was appropriate because the Clipper landed on the water, not runways.
During the late 1930s, when those with the money to afford a trans-oceanic flight, they often flew on the Boeing Clippers.
 |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), the 32nd President of the United States, celebrated his 61st birthday
on board a Clipper.
Between 1938 and 1941, Boeing built 12 of the jumbo planes for Pan American World Airways.
The 314 offered a range of 3,500 miles, enough to cross either the Atlantic or Pacific oceans, with room for a crew of 10 and 74 passengers.
Of course, modern aviation offers an amazing first class experience, but nothing in the air today matches the romanticism of crossing
the ocean in the famed Clipper.
The Clipper made its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage on June 28, 1939. When the US entered World War II in 1941, the Clippers were pressed
into service to transport materials and personnel.
 |
| H-4_Hercules "Spruce Goose". |
The Boeing 314 Clipper shouldn't be confused with Howard Hughes' H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" by the media at the time.
Although the Hughes H-4 and Boeing 314 share design characteristics, the H-4 was built as a cargo plane, made only one short,
low-level flight on November 2, 1947, and never proved its design specifications. On the other hand, the Boeing 314's first flight
occurred on June 7, 1938, nine years before Hughes' Spruce Goose flew. The 314 was one of the largest aircraft at the time and was was very
successful.
Thanks to the Pan Am Historical Foundation for sharing its photos. The foundation did a documentary about Pan
American World Airways and the adventure of the flying boat age.
 |
| Pan American Clipper. |
 |
| Pan American Clipper. |
 |
| Passengers had access to dressing rooms. |
On Pan Am flights, passengers had access to dressing rooms and a dining salon that could be converted into a lounge or bridal suite.
 |
Clipper passengers took their meals at
real tables, not at their seats. |
 |
| The galley served up meals catered from four-star hotels. |
 |
| Passengers could sit at a table to eat. |
If you want to sit at a table to eat with other people these days, you have to fly in a private jet.
 |
| Pan American Clipper. |
 |
| Pan American Clipper cockpit. |
Unlike some modern jets that come with joysticks, the Clipper had controls that resembled car steering wheels.
 |
Pan American Clipper Navigation and Radio area,
right behind the cockpit. |
 |
| Pan American Clipper men's lavatory. |
The lavatory wasn't too fancy, but it did have a urinal.
 |
| Pan American Clipper ladies' lounge. |
The ladies lounge had stools where female passengers could sit and do their makeup.
 |
| Clipper seats could be turned into bunks. |
On overnight flights, the 74 seats could be turned into 40 bunks for comfortable sleeping.
 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt on board a Clipper. |
In 1943, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), the 32nd President of the United States (second from the left), celebrated his 61st birthday
on board a Clipper.