The Boeing 314 Clipper was an American long-range

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

produced by

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

from 1938 to 1941. One of the largest aircraft of its time, it had the range to cross the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

oceans. For its wing, Boeing re-used the design from the earlier XB-15 bomber prototype. Twelve Clippers were built, nine of which served with

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...

Design and development

Pan American had requested a truly trans-Pacific flying boat with unprecedented range and double the passenger payload of the airline's

Martin M-130 The Martin M-130 was a commercial flying boat designed and built in 1935 by the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, for Pan American Airways. Three were built: the '' China Clipper'', the ''Philippine Clipper'' and the '' Hawaii Cli ...

. Boeing's bid was successful and on July 21, 1936, Pan American signed a contract for six. Boeing engineers adapted the cancelled XB-15's wing, and replaced the

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...

Twin Wasp

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

s with the

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

Twin Cyclone. Pan Am ordered six more aircraft with increased engine power and capacity for 77 daytime passengers as the Boeing 314A. The huge flying boat was assembled at Boeing's Plant 1 on the

Duwamish River

Specifications (314A Clipper)

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * Dover, Ed
''The Long Way Home: A Journey into History with Captain Robert Ford.''
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Amazon POD, Revised Edition 2010, First edition 2008. . * * * * * * * *

External links

Boeing: Historical Snapshot: Model 314 Clipper Flying Boat

Boeing 314

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150608161310/http://images.google.com/hosted/life/2fdcf3d8c5a7579e.html LIFE photo essay (comprehensive)'Pan American Clipper Ship' includes NC18605 in a glass doored hangar 1940]
LIFE photo Pan Am skipper flying the 314

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160413034901/http://images.google.com/hosted/life/c8402a848462cc5d.htm

LIFE photos NC18602 in Singapore Harbour 1941
China Clipper 75th Anniversary Commemorative Flight (November 2010 – San Francisco Aeronautical Society)

"Two Day Turn Around", February 1941 article

"Three Deck Clipper Has Aisle In Wings", ''Popular Mechanics'', August 1937, early article on Pan American Airways new airliner for trans-ocean flight

"New York To Europe By Clipper", ''Popular Mechanics''May 1939, large article with cutaway drawing of interior

"Sailors of the Sky", ''Popular Mechanics'', December 1940, detailed article with photos on flight deck operations of the Boeing 314
{{Authority control

314 __NOTOC__ Year 314 ( CCCXIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Annianus (or, less frequently, year 1067 ''Ab ...