~ PAA PAA PAN AMERJCAN WOHLD AIRWAYS IN IRELAND HISTORY HE f,rst il\spirin~ c1Llph'r in .til c history of "vi<ttion in Ircland will T always h,· 11flk"L1 closcly WI' h the name o[ PUll Anlerlcan \Vorld Airways. U n Ihe afternoon oi July (;th, 19.17, while cmwds lin(:J the mads leading to the Co. Limerick village of F ('ynes ann ncw,pal"'rmr:-n lllSTOHY representing the press of th" Wo rld were there to retell the story, the giant Pan Anwrican Airways Sikor',ky Clippcr III hlawn in acco;s the Atlantic ,~nd landed the quiet waters of th,. Shannon amid gn-"t. ORGANJZATION II" chN:r!; fmrn til(' crowds. This was ;hc f,rst cornm"ccial aircraft ever 10 arrive in lrchnn from the l lnil<'oi St.ates ,)f .'\mericCl. Not onl" was th:, PEIISONNEL achi"vern('llt of this Clipper hif: news ill lr('\a nd, hnt it ranI( ';). nl1le pf prid" in the h eart o f e\'ITV Trish n"me in the United States. The crllwd haJ every rcason to cheCI. fnr Captain lIarold Cra),. Pilot of thc Clippcl. han lJriclg..d the Atlantic in what was then thc remarkable tillle of 11 hou r" ane! 40 Illinutcs. 'filat was" memorablc <lay at Foynt';. fnr only the previous cvcning the Imperial Airways Flying Boat' 'Caledonia" look ,) fl on the lirst westbound lIight to BotwO()[I. N"wfoundlantl, tyill/-: th(: kllot in mid-Atlantic wh~n C;ll'lain \Vilcockson and Captaill Cray of ihp. (lip!'('r gr,' c\cd tach other by radio Io'\P.l'hone ut a I\t'ight of ;limost 'J .ooo fCd. All th"t was nine years ago and SO "~gan Pan Am,-rican Airways histo'y in frdann. One Org:1niz.llion·~ After thest' pirlOe~ring efforts. thr-f(' was a period which to th~ Contribution to th" Gmwth 0 : olltsid~r scemed a lull . Tn r~ulit y it w;,,; .lviaLion gaining its s~I ' ol,,1 wind . Ex r ~l't for a f~w colourful appt'arancl's of tilt' famolls Mayo-Mercllry Civil Aviation in Ir"l3nd cOl:l I,inatiC'n. Foynes scldOlll was hpard of. Dming this p"riod €'xI,t'rls were worl'ing alit f.h~ Illilltitude of plans and details that wer~ tw e; Y( 'ars later In culminate in ~,"olhH trillmph wlt"n on the mornilll( oj AT,ril the 11th. I C).ll). Pan American Airways were again vis tors to tl", Sh.lr"I(ln Estuary. This tilllO> it w"s a r ~lItrn v isit fo r Captain Tlan)ld Gray "n,~ th~ initial Visit for Ihe falllolls " Yank,"" Clipper." lir,I' nf tl,p ncw hlxuri"", 50-p.18senKcr Boeing se;tplanc Clippns which ..... "'.. to p"wt­ Ih,~ satety and I'r;;ct.icalitr (If over-oeran comlHNc ial ;lir ,prvicc. Thes<' huge '1'l-ton C1lppe" were ,1esign~d cspecb.lly foc Pan American Airways. whose' ~ngilleers workt-" in the factory all dllring tht' devt-Iopmr·nt and con~trllC1i(ln pt'riu<.\ . TI' rse same Cli ppers Iud al"'<lLly ,,,tai>lish,,d th,. Tran~ · P at" irl (, :lir !;t"rvice. • PAN ilHER/CAN WORLD A/RWAt Y' ~ S;s/~m of1j,{'(--7fr1Ilf CZJJt'rs Generdl Agent. anJ Sal•• Off,ce: UNITED STATES l 115, GRAFTON STREET, DUBLIN. AJrninisrr;trive anJ OpHation.>1 ORic •.s : SHANNON AIRI co- CLARE _ ,1 August, 1946. "Yankee" Qippet"-First commercial nan.atlantic air aervice. f · iT ;;-- ,. .­ - PAA PAA HISTORY HISTORY But two mOllth, latf'r th,· li"t I"al mil(·"t,,",· was (' .. cri ed ill Ireland 's traffic . Th..y W '''-(; right. Quoting all Irish daily ''''IV'p.'llcr datdill~d history 01 aviation wh(;n 'ln the 28th of June tl,,· P,," ..\llIericall i\irways SUI"lay , Sq'tl'llll>t' r 10th . J!J4.'i , th~ h(',,,llill"s n ·ad , " I' i"t COllllnercial .. Yankf'c Clipper" arrived cilrn' llll; the first Air "'hil and passengers Lal,,1 Plan~ i\t \{ill('anna, " " I'all Americall 01'1' ''' Atlant;" Trallir. " "ver to he tak('n hy ,li r from tl", Unitt,,! Stat!'s tl' (n·lalld . It was t he Alldthl'r Irish daily 1\('\\':-;p;q>t.' 1' IH: gan its III ' W ::; slory .. Ail' Tr<J.Il S[HH l lirst reglliar c"mmf'rrial /light h~twe,'n .he two count ri"s. An Taolseach, llis tory W:..1S Ill .. "d(' IhTl' u l-d:.ty (Hint'anflil ) Wilt."Il Pan Arnerical":-, l'liJljl:' r Mr. Eamonll Dc and 10 (,ln\)('" of the lrish (; ..verllll1(,llt travelh'd V,\I..,,, , ttlt' D p ugbs SI<y lll i. \ ~ttT 1)(' ... \", Ull(-'. i ll t h ro ugh tht, drizzle that 11IIIlg O\'l":" d own from !lllhiin t .. " .. YIlPS tn w..!coml' tht ~ Clipp(·r . Crectings alld th£' Shallllol.. rlH ' fHst l2:0Inllll'TCiitl land plarH' . a ... distincl fro ll1 l ht~ : "1'<.1 good wishe-s [nun til(' ~att· Prcsi\i{'lIt H()u ~:j('v dl \V~ · rt· conveyed to the pb!It·. i. \(.: ro~ : s till' Allan ti<:." This gn:at a c hil'vl·JlU ,·\t was t uld t o tilt: Taoismch hy the old",t pass('llg"r "" h .. a rd . th" fa ll """ Ju;lge \V"lton wudd il\ thollS:..1IHI::"' t)f w(lrds in hnndn:us of IH ' \\' s p ~q)('rs ;llld 11(1111 Ih.ll Moore, CO llncillor "f tl", W",hingt"" Stat.' ll"partll1ellt . who was 8r. <lilY" Ullward", tilt· fnl'LlS ()I lri-.;h attl'1l11(HI ha~ IHT II OIl H iJlt·;tlltl:l, " ,hid. The lirst p"rson to sU'p dowll th(' gallgway to he gn'l'tc-d hy the Taoi,<,:t<:h llt;'r;dly t akl'u frullI tilt, tdd Iris h means " I'Dillt of the ivL..lIshc~. " wa" Mr. Jllan Tripp~, I'r~sid"llt "f Pa ll Americao Ai .. ways. L ater Mr. ()(' Va\t·ra alld ~Ir. Trippe ht'ld a kngthv c,,"vn"at i,," dlllillg which time they cxChi ln~( ' d v icw ::, (Ill PiHI :\tllr ril':t ll pLins a ll(L thL' avi;l.lioJ1 future for Irela lld . Thc Pall .\lIh'ri,·a n I'....sidellt was no strallgn to Ire'land. H e had I" ~Il here two \.,',." previollsl\' ',\'1\('11, in Contl"\ll.\' with Irish Aviation and !llilitary (,llgill'Trs, h,' a lld (·,.!olu-I Ch,,,k~ A. Lilldl ... rgh-" Spirit o f ~ St. L Ollis "-who "':I, tlH'1I techllic,,1 Adviser tt) P,Il1 Alll('ric:tn Ai rways , ,urveyed the silt, for a lutun, trans-'\tianl'ic lan,1 hasr lor In'land. Th~y ~ {ollnd th(' site' anl ()llgst llle nl:1rslu's at til(' mt'q.?"l' r of the Shannon and "­ the r-ngus at a pia.. !" n"" callt-d Hi ll(':11"''', but. that is a difTrn'nt ~t" r y. Thl'n cain,' Ihl' gr.,;,t " I[ush Ilush" [)!,rlod du,ing the war when ~ tht' giant Clipptors l'onti'Iu(,d tll(·ir daily j()\lrtU'Ys on high priority work. -;; ,\11 this tilne n l\'st('riIHlsl\' and :-ol lt'lltly. ("onlj)It't('ly II111i l\OWli !o tht· gelleral ~ public, the Pa"1\ I\.tlll'ricl li Clipp('r~ ; IS w('ll , I S, ()lh~r fly/iu b hnllts wt'rc ca rr\' illg in lind n u t IIf FI)\'lIl's nallll ':-\ tll:lt w('re- frollt p.\gt Ilews if! the wori,1 press, \"illl t Il(' ('\Hi of thco war ;ul,1 th,' li ft ing td ct' 1I 50rship. lL..:­ I'llhlic onl'l~ mon° IH'gan tn k ;\["11 III tilt' ; I l' tivitit'~ at Fe),lIt'S, Octo""r 28th, 1945. Openin.: the new s~rvice, cJo~inl: tlw old, 'f hv tkvdopmt'ut of lht' aiq)nrt lna(h, rapid ~tridcs Jnlln tl!;11 t\ ;,,' [drill , <llId Oil OI..'loiJt"r .lHth Pall American Ai rways brouglit Iht'ir (,r.., l {"lllllIllt' ITi,\l IiIllrl !,blI(' CliPi't r into th t:- Sh;1I111t111 froll1 ~n' · \"I)r ~ , 11Iallgur~l\illg rq,~ul;lr !-('f\'il'(', Tht • f( ~ llowillg d ay tilt, las1 :.. t,;, p!;\lh" C1 il' j!('1 kft F Oylll'~ to J('turl! t() Nt'w York, .dHI with that , tht· t'urlilill \\' ; 1:-' nlllg down Oil F() \,I\(:~ \-XCt 'pt ((If' British Airwavs will) t.:.u ntinut·d tlH'rf· ,·u( ,,;,' vI 'r:d J1101l1i ls Jongf' r. Although servit't:s to' Foynt': ~ had ht ( ' /1 su.sp(· udt'd, tll{· !lallle of th :...· littll' vil lag(: (III tilt" Kive r Shannon has a fH ·rIllUnL:llt :IIII! i'romill~"t i'lac~ in th,' historv of :lvi"tion, lI o t alolle in Ird,,"d , bllt ill tht: ellti,,' ",orld . T o 1',,,, Alll('rican Airways the little villaK" m "ant 1 'Ie illilugllr(l.tlOll of t rans-Atlantic ;l.i r s('rvice :lnu its namt" is not f()r~ ntll" l l, particu!urly by those who j,iollf'('red a nd d(' ve l()jJ~d th~ s~rvice thele. S" g)('at alld so "uickly did I'all Am('ricall's sclwduh·s Krow aft,·,. (iii, Pir.r COIIUIlen:i.1 tran.atlantic (andptane at Shannon Airport, that it Wil~ J1t'c('~:-.;~ rv t Ll ltugnH' llt gn'atly t lll·ir ulrt'udy larg" number (J! local 1"·rs,,,,"<'1. Th..,... was little difficulty ill sd~t'lilll( 4ua\iti.-.1 ajJl'lil'allts Bv now, with th~ experienc" of \\'i\r IJchind them , ilv :<ltir:n for tach post, a ...