China Clipper

China Clipper (NC14716) was the first of three Martin M-130 four-engine flying boats built for Pan American Airways and was used to inaugurate the first commercial transpacific airmail service from San Francisco to Manila on November 22, 1935.[1] Built at a cost of $417,000 by the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, it was delivered to Pan Am on October 9, 1935.[2] It was one of the largest airplanes of its time.

For other uses, see China Clipper (disambiguation).
China Clipper
Martin M-130 NC14716 China Clipper
Type Martin M-130
Manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company
Registration NC14716
First flight December 1934
Owners and operators Pan American Airways
Last flight 8 January 1945
Fate Crashed on approach due to excessive speed and rate of descent (CFIT)

On November 22, 1935, it took off from Alameda, California in an attempt to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean.[3] Although its inaugural flight plan called for the China Clipper to fly over the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (still under construction at the time), upon take-off the pilot realized the plane would not clear the structure, and was forced to fly narrowly under instead. On November 29, the airplane reached its destination, Manila, after traveling via Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Sumay, Guam, and delivered over 110,000 pieces of mail. The crew for this flight included Edwin C. Musick as pilot and Fred Noonan as navigator.[4] The inauguration of ocean airmail service and commercial air flight across the Pacific was a significant event for both California and the world. Its departure point is California Historical Landmark #968 and can be found in Naval Air Station Alameda.[5]

Aircraft
Sikorsky S-42 Clipper at Sumay, Guam

Although each clipper that joined the Pan American fleet to serve on their Trans-Pacific routes was given an individual name, collectively they were known as the China Clippers.

Air Mail Across the Pacific ad

Although a Sikorsky S-42 flying boat was used on the initial proving flights, it had insufficient range to carry passengers along the route. Consequently, the passenger service was started with Martin M-130 flying boats:[6]

Crew-signed airmail cover carried on the Pan American Airways China Clipper for the first contract trans-Pacific flight, postmarked at San Francisco on November 22, 1935, signed in fountain pen by Captain Ed Musick, First Officer R. O. D. Sullivan, Fred Noonan (later Amelia Earhart's navigator), C. D. Wright, Victor Wright, George King, and William Jarboe. In fine condition.The China Clipper took off from Alameda, California, on November 22, 1935, making its way to Manila via Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Guam over the course of one week. Carrying over 110,000 pieces of mail, this was a significant and successful attempt to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean.
Airmail Envelope carried on the Pan American Airways China Clipper for the first contract trans-Pacific flight

Later the larger Boeing 314 Clipper flying boats were assigned to the route:

Additional clippers were assigned to the Trans-Atlantic and South American routes operated by Pan-American.

Considerable effort was put into preparing for the inauguration of the first Trans-Pacific route. The relatively short range of the aircraft meant that hotel, catering, docking, repair, road and radio facilities had to be put in place at the intermediate stops along the route, particularly on the virtually uninhabited islands of Wake and Midway. Nearly a half a million miles were flown along the route before any paying passengers were carried.[7]

The clippers were, for all practical purposes, luxury flying hotels, with sleeping accommodation, dining rooms and leisure facilities in addition to the usual aircraft seating. On early flights, the crew outnumbered the passengers. As a result, the price of a return air ticket say San Francisco to Honolulu was $1700[8] (equivalent to $35,000 in 2022)[9]. In comparison, a brand-new Plymouth automobile cost about $600 in the late 1930s.

World War II

The China Clipper was painted olive drab with a large American flag painted below the cockpit.[10] The China Clipper was referred to as "Sweet Sixteen"[11] by Pan American personnel.[12] The "Sixteen" is a reference to the aircraft's registration number NC14716.

Crash
China Clipper

The China Clipper remained in Pan Am service until January 8, 1945, when it was destroyed in a crash in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Flight 161 had started at Miami bound for Leopoldville in the Belgian Congo, making its first stop to refuel at Puerto Rico before flying on to Port-of-Spain. After one missed approach, on the second approach to land it came down too low and hit the water at a high speed and nose-down a mile-and-a-quarter short of its intended landing area. The impact broke the hull in two which quickly flooded and sank. Twenty-three passengers and crew were killed; there were seven survivors including Captain C.A. Goyette, Pilot-in-Command for the flight, and Captain L.W. Cramer, First Officer, who was flying the plane from the left seat when it crashed.[13]

On April 24, 1946, the Civil Aeronautics Board released its accident investigation report with the following findings "upon the basis of all available evidence":

  1. The carrier, aircraft and pilots had proper certificates.
  2. Captain Cramer, having very limited flight time in the aircraft, was at the controls with Captain Goyette acting in a supervisory capacity.
  3. Conditions of weather and water surface within the vicinity of Port-of-Spain were satisfactory for a safe approach and landing.
  4. The plane first contacted the water at a higher-than-normal landing speed, and in a nose-low attitude.
  5. The crash occurred at a point one-and-a-quarter miles short of the intended landing area.
  6. Forces created by the speeds of the plane on its contact with the water and the excessive nose-down-attitude caused failure of the hull bottom and its structure resulting in rapid submersion of the aircraft.
  7. Landing of the aircraft in the attitude indicated, under the then-existing conditions of water surface and weather, was due to Cramer's having misjudged his true altitude and his failure to correct his attitude for a normal landing.
  8. At the time of the accident, Captain Cramer was not wearing eyeglasses as required by his pilot certificate.
  9. Captain Goyette, in command of the aircraft and with full knowledge of Cramer's limited experience in the Martin M-130, failed to exercise sufficient supervision of the landing.
  • Probable cause: On the basis of the above findings, the board determined that the probable cause of this accident was: (1) First Officer Cramer's failure to realize his proximity to the water and to correct his attitude for a normal landing and, (2) the lack of adequate supervision by the captain during the landing resulting in the inadvertent flight into the water in excess of normal landing speed and in a nose-down attitude.[14]

Legacy
Timmy Rides the China Clipper book

Both the United States and Philippine Islands issued stamps for air mail carried on the first flights in each direction of PAA's Transpacific China Clipper service between San Francisco and Manila (November 22 – December 6, 1935)

China Clipper Air Mail stamps (left to right): Red: "Ft. Santiago" (1935, 10 centavos, Philippines Islands); Blue: "China Clipper" (1935, 25 cents, US); Orange: "Blood Compact" (1935, 30 Centavos, Philippines Islands). Both Philippines Islands stamps are overprinted in gold with "P.I. – U.S. Initial Flight December – 1935" and a silhouette of a Martin M-130.

First National Pictures released the movie China Clipper in 1936. It told a thinly disguised bio of the life of Juan Trippe during the founding of PanAm. The film made use of much documentary footage of the actual airplane, as well as aerial photography created specifically for the production. It was also one of Humphrey Bogart's early roles.[15][16]

Footage of the China Clipper, and/or possibly other M-130s loading and taking off from Alameda, is included in the 1937 comedy film Fly-Away Baby and the 1939 adventure film Secret Service of the Air.

The China Clipper is also a significant setting in the contemporaneous radio serial Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police (1937–1939). More recently, it was referenced in the Monkees song "Zilch" from their 1967 album Headquarters. Davy Jones can be heard repeating "China Clipper calling Alameda" in that track.

The flying boats and Treasure Island, San Francisco were featured by Huell Howser in California's Gold Episode 906.[17]

China Clipper II
Pan Am Boeing 747-212B "China Clipper II" in 1985

In 1985 Pan Am rebirth its "China Clipper" aircraft name into its new Boeing 747-212B registered N723PA and was named "China Clipper II" to commemorate the 50 years anniversary of the China Clipper Flight. On November 22, 1985, the China Clipper II began its flight trip across the Pacific to celebrate the 50 years anniversary of China Clipper Flight.[18][19] The flight departed from San Francisco on November 22, 1985, and made several stop flight following the original China Clipper flight route, such as Honolulu, Wake Island, Guam and all the way to Manila with its final destination to Bali, which was a new route that was not include in the original flight for additional pacific route. Pan Am also made several advertisement and TV Commercial to promote the new China Clipper II plane which shows the original China Clipper Martin M-130 plane and also the new China Clipper II Boeing 747-212B aircraft and was aired in several countries as part of Pan Am promotion to commemorate China Clipper 50th Anniversary Flight.[19][18]

See also

References

Notes

  1. Video: California, 1959/04/30 (1959). Universal Newsreel. 1959. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  2. Volny, Peter China Clipper 75th Anniversary Commemorative Flight Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine The Airport Journal, April, 2008
  3. "China Clipper's Inaugural Flight from San Francisco to Manila" San Francisco Examiner, November 26, 1935
  4. along with First Officer R. O. D. Sullivan, C. D. Wright, Victor Wright, George King, and William Jarboe. Musick was a famous pilot of the time. Fred Noonan went on to work with Amelia Earhart and disappeared along with her over the western Pacific Ocean in 1937.
  5. flyingclippers.com M130
  6. clipperflyingboats.com china clipper
  7. "Flying the China Clippers". Popular Mechanics. April 1938. pp. 500–503.
  8. "Pan American Airways wins Collier Trophy for Pacific Plane Service" Life. August 23, 1937. pp. 35–41.
  9. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. Howard Waldorf (March 1944). "China Clipper". Flying: 25.
  11. Gandt, Robert L.: China Clipper, the Age of the Flying Boats, page 96. Naval Institute Press, 1991.
  12. Taylor, Barry: Pan American's Ocean Clippers, page 112. Aero, an imprint of Tab Books, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991.
  13. Aviation Safety Network Accident description entry for Pan American Airways "China Clipper" NC14716 January 8, 1945 Aviation Safety Foundation
  14. CAB Accident Investigation Report (Pan American Flight 161) Docket No. SA-99, File No. 98-45, Adopted April 19, 1945, Released April 24, 1945 (PDF) (Report). Civil Aeronautics Board. 1946-04-24. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  15. China Clipper
  16. "China Clipper" (1936) film footage from movie
  17. "China Clipper – California's Gold (906) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".
  18. "AirHistory.net - "China Clipper II" named aircraft photos". www.airhistory.net. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  19. Baldwin, James Patrick (2021). Pan American World Airways - Images of a Great Airline Second Edition (2nd ed.). English: Independently published. ISBN 979-8752615184.

Bibliography

  • "Alameda". California Historical Landmarks. Office of Historical Preservation. Retrieved 2005-08-25.
  • Cohen, Stan Wings to the Orient, Pan-Am Clipper Planes 1935–1945 Pictorial Histories.
  • "Transpacific" Time, December 2, 1935
  • Accident description at Air Safety Network
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