t has come to symbolize a time when the romance of air travel was a grand adven-ture. Even its name, “Clipper,” evokes images of tall ships crossing the seas. This majestic giant, the Boeing 314 Clipper, skimmed over the waters of Elliot Bay and took to the skies above Seattle on its first flight 75 years ago next month. At the time it was the world’s largest production commercial airplane, and would become the ultimate in transoceanic elegance. Like its descendant, the 747, the Clipper was crowned “Queen of the Skies.” The Clipper story begins with Boeing engineer Wellwood Beall, who was asked about trans-Pacific air travel while on a trip to China in 1935 to finalize a contract for the sale of 10 Boeing P-26 fighters. “It will be 10 to 15 years before that sort of thing is commercially practical,” he was quoted as saying. Later, on the long boat trip back from China, Beall began to regret that statement. Upon his return to Boeing, Beall saw the work being done on the giant wing for an experimental airplane, later known as the XB-15. It was the largest plane in the United States at the time, and that wing became the spark of inspiration for an ocean-spanning flying boat. Beall drew up the design for the flying boat at home, working at his dining room table. His efforts paid off. In July 1936, Pan American Airways presented Boeing with a formal order for six and an option for six more of the airplanes known as the Model 314 Clipper. Two years later, on June 7, 1938, Boeing test pilot Eddie Allen took the Clipper up from Seattle’s Elliott Bay on its first flight. During the 38-minute trip the Clipper flew north to Everett, where Boeing would later build the 747 and its other twin-aisle jet-liners, before landing in Lake Washington on the east side of Seattle, where Boeing had set up a flight-test facility. Early in the flight-test program, Eddie Allen determined that the 314 did not have enough lateral control and the airplane’s single tail was replaced with a new, triple-tail design. Following certification, and after a shake-down flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the Clipper entered service flying passengers PHOTO: The “California Clipper,” operated by Pan American Airways, arrives over San Francisco Bay. PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS COLLECTION, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LIBRARIES BOEING FRONTIERS / MAY 2013 11
Frontiers May 2013 Issue
To see the actual publication please follow the link above