IN 1948 and Part of 1949, World Airways Operated Five Model 314 Flying Boats on Cargo and Charter Flights Along Eastern Seacoast
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a T IN 1948 and part of 1949,World Airways operated five Model 314 flying boats on cargo and charter flights along eastern seacoastand Caribbean routes. In 1950,when the companywas reorganizedunder new management, the flying boats were no longer in its inventory. World Airways President Edward J. Daly said recently, "The B314swere not in operationat the time I becameassociated with World and I am able to provide no cluesas to what becameof them." Sightingsb)' Boeing personnelon businessor pleasuretrips in 1950placed as many as three B3l4s in San Diego, at least one in Baltimore and another in New York. In 1951,Boeing News, the company's employee newspaper, reported that a man calling himself Master X was preparing to dive in Baltimore Harbor in an effort to raise a 8314 sunk in 20 feet of water during a squall. Master X had purchasedthe plane at a sheriff's sale a few days before it sank. His plans were to raise and repair the plane and then fly to Moscow for some personalpeace tall<s with Stalin. There was no follow-up story in the Boeing Neus. As late as two summersago a gambling casinoin Lake Tahoe was reported 3 to be using a 8314 to haul cus- she wrote of flying boats, "people 18603), Atlnntic Ctipper (NC18- I tomers in from San Diego. The will look back upon a Clipper 604), Dixie Clipper (NC18605), story is about as likely as Master flight of today as the most ro- American Clipper (NC18606), Ber- X's mission to Moscow. mantic voyage of history." ajc& (NC18607 and G-AGCA), Then what did happen to these Boeing built 12 of the big planes Bangor (NC18608 and G-AGCB), airplanes and why should anybody for Pan American Airways. The Pacific Clipper (NC18609) , Bristol care? Aviation historians care just first six were delivered between (NC18610 and G-AGBZ), Anzac because they are aviation historians. January and June, 1939; the sec- Clipper (NC18611) and. Capetown M. D. Klaas of Chatsworth, Cali- ond six were delivered between Clipper (NC18612). All saw war April and August, 1941-three to fornia, cares because he has spent duty; none was lost to enemy fire. much of the past 17 years collecting Pan American and three, by spe- The Honolulu, which had been information on the B314s in prep- cial amangement with Pan Am and serving Pacific ports of call for Pan aration for a book. International the U. S. government, to British American Airways, was in airline travelers should care be- Overseas Airways Corporation. San cause the 8314 introduced luxuri- Their names and registration Francisco for overhaul when Amer- ous, transocean air travel to all numbers were Honolulu Clipper ica entered the war in 1941. Many parts of the world. (NC18601) , California Clipper commercial aircraft, including the (NC18602) Yanhee Clipper (NC Clippers, were ordered into Even by today's standards the , military Model 314 was (is) a big plane: wingspan of 152 feet (compared with 131 feet for the Model 707- 120), Iength of 109 feet (compared with the 707's 145 feet). The plane offered passengers unequaled com- fort in quarters fashioned after the accommodations aboard ocean liners including a separate dining salon adorned with the best of linens and chinaware. The 8314 was the largest and last of the commercial flying boats to see service. Land planes, .:l=:tr|-d.'*te able to take advantage of the air- ports built around the world during -:r.=i-iD: and after World War 2. were more efficient and eventually put the B314s out of competition. Flying boats were a compromise between a boat and an airplane. A shape ideal for water is not ideal for flying. In fact, the 8314's massive hull pushed so much air out of the way Port wing of demolished Yankee Clip- per uas recouered Tagus Riuer. as it flew that the tail rudder on from the first plane built and tested in Clipper accommodations uere pat- 1938 had little effect on turning the terned after those of ocean uessels. airplane. A second tail was added and later a third tail to get Adm. W. D. Leahy helped President the Rooseuelt celebraie his' 6I st birthdav desired directional control. Such in the dining salon of Dixie Clippei. design difficulties and a generally depressed market caused Boeing to lose money on the Model 314. But the plane added immeasurably to the company's reputation for build- ing large dependable aircraft. The 8314, in fact, was the superlative in international air travel during the late 1930s and early'40s. In 1941 Claire Booth Luce. who had just returned from a trans- pacific flight aboard Model 314 fly- ing boats, did an article for Life magazine. "Fifty years from now," 4 d surui"". The Honolulu wassoonfly- the side of the San Pablo. The Clip- her Pan Am career in 1946 when, as ing the Pacific with a Pan Am crew per's starboard wingtip was sheared government property and with other but as a Navy transport. and her bow crushed. The Navy de- retired Clippers, she was put up for On November 3, 1945, on a flight clared the Honolulu a hazard to sale at San Diego, California, even- from Honolulu, Territory of Ha- navigation and ordered her sunk. tually purchased by World Airways waii, to San Francisco, California, It took 1,300 rounds of 20 mm gun- and scrapped for parts. the Honolulu made a forced land- fire to carry out the order. The Third Boeing flying boat was ing in the Pacific. She was undam- The second Clipper, the Califor- christened Yankee Clipper by Mrs. aged but helpless with engine trou- nia, was ordered into the U. S. Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 3, ble. The U. S. Navy came to her Army on December 18, 1941. As an 1939. On May 22, the Yanhee de- aid and the 23 passengers and crew Army C-98, she flew war materials livered 200,000 letters and some were transferred to the aircraft car- and mail across the Atlantic. In cargo to Marseilles-the first regu- rier Manila Boy without incident. 1943 she returned to the Pacific, fly- larly scheduled U. S.-to-Europe air- The seaplane tender San Pablo was ing for the Naval Air Transport mail by heavier-than-air craft. ordered later to take the Honolulu Service. As both soldier and sailor When America enteredWorld War in tow. During the five-day ordeal, she carried Pan American Airways 2, Pan Am sold the Yanhee and the the big flying boat rode the crest of crews as did all the other Clippers other Clippers to the U. S. govern- a wave and was smashed against during the war. California ended ment. Yankee was assisned to the Dama.gedin an attempted tow, tlze Honolulu was sunh by gunfire. 5 Navv ancl allowed to continr-re pas- Baltimore, Maryland. When the American. She served Pan Ameri- senger service between the U. S., war in Europe ended, the Navy re- can passengerson Atlantic cross- Portugal ancl (ireat Britain. On turned the Atlantic and other 8314s ings until the war. Within 24 hours Irebruary 22, 1943, after completing in transatlantic service to civilian after the attack on Pearl Harbor in a transatlantic flight, the Yankee duty. She was retired to San Diego 1941,the American was in the Army Clipper circled for a landinfl over in 1946 and later scrapped. as a C-98. In the following months the Tagus River near Lisbon. Her The Dixie Clipper offered the both Navy and Army 83l4s rushed polt wing-tip skir.r'rrr"redthe water, first schedr.rled passenger airplane blood plasma and medical supJllies drrg in and the Clipper slammed service over the Atlantic. The date to the fighting fronts of Europe and into the rivcr, Lrreaking in several was June 28. 1939. Likc the Ynn- the Far East. On return trips the pieces. She sank in l0 minutes. Itee and lhe Atlanlic. the l)lrle was big Clippers' holclswere filled witl'r Twenty-four personsdied; 15 sur- allowed to contintre l)assenger serv- vital m:rterials such as crude nlb- vived. Anrong the survivors: singer ice to Europe cven after she was lrcr,l:ervllium nnd mica. Jane Frot-nan, who was heacling a purchasecl blv thc government in F'rom 1943to 1945,the Anteriutrt scven-member entertainment troupe 1941. Occasionall.v, however, she flew lrir-sr.rpplystrpport for the Navv for Camp Shows Inc. Althotrgh se- was detached for special duty. On in the Pacific war effort. After the verel:y injured in the accidcnt, Miss one such assignment, the Dixie be- war she was sold as wtir surplus, Froman rc'c:overed and continued crame A presidential airpl:rne. In becoming,in 1948, a part of the her carecr. Among those who clied .Ianuary, 1943, Prosident Roosevelt Worlcl Airwavs fleet. She is one of were Tatn:rra Dnrsin. singcr and flew aboard the Dixie CliTtper <tn those Il314s, then, wl.rich mav be Broadwav actress who had intro- the major part of his trip to anrl alive nncl well s<lmewherein the cluccd Jerorne Kern's "Smoke Gets from the Casablanca Conference. It world. Rut whcre? in Your Eyes," ancl llen Robertson, was the first trans-ocean flieht for This is presently all we krtow Jr., novelist and, at the time, a for- a U. S. president. FDR celebrated abotrt tlrc final disposition of the eign corrcspondent for the New first six R3l4s: one strnk by gtrn- York Herald Tribune. The f:rteful his 61st birthday in the Dixie's fire, <lnc crashed, thre'e scrappecl flight hacl been thc Yanhee Clip- s:rlon.