Boeing 314 AKA the Pan Am Clipper Ships
I have always had a fascination with the Pan Am clippers. Maybe I watched too many episodes of "Tales of the Golden Monkey" and Indiana Jones movies, but I have always loved flying boats. The PBY and the Grumman Goose are other favorites, mostly because of being a WWII buff and Buffett's Hemisphere Dancer. If I had access to a time machine, I'd take the LA - Singapore trip with Pan Am on a clipper.
An impressive machine, to be sure.
Local air museum has a Grumman Duck. Every time I look at it I expect to see a one eyed dog run out.
Is that show available anywhere? I've been watching Talespin on Disney+, I'd love to find TOTGM
Also a Buffett fan, and love those old birds. I'd love to fly on one one day.
Trivia: tge 314 wing is the exact same wing as the XB-15.
To bad they all either crashed or were scrapped. There is a book about the history of these planes from development to they final operation and dimize.
IF you want to see an even bigger plane you should seek out one of the Martin Mars flying boats. They became operational in early 1944 and were used to ferry high value personal and equipment from the west coast to various Pacific combat zones. They ended up in Canada as water bombers where they were just retired a couple of years ago. They were to go on display at a couple of air museums but I can't remember where or if that's happened yet?
In reply to pinchvalve :
A couple of times last year a Grumman Mallard landed and took off from my lake. My wife thought I was having a fit I was so excited.
With a little over 1000 hours flying a Grumman S2E it's really a thrill to see. The
Oops! Yes I too love those China Clippers.
mad_machine said:
Thanks for today's lunch break entertainment!
ultraclyde said:Local air museum has a Grumman Duck. Every time I look at it I expect to see a one eyed dog run out.
Is that show available anywhere? I've been watching Talespin on Disney+, I'd love to find TOTGM
Also a Buffett fan, and love those old birds. I'd love to fly on one one day.
aw dude! Dont tell me Tail Spin is on Disney! I've been resisting the Disney+ and this might be the show that signs me up.
mad_machine said:
Holy E36 M3. That's amazing.
In reply to ultraclyde :
A couple of years ago I bought myself the TOTGM DVD box set. I love watching it as much now as I did when I was 8 or whatever! My wife watched 1/2 of 1 episode and flat refused to watch any more!
I love the 314s too. My maternal grandfather worked for PanAm starting from the early 30s to the 70s, and did some of those amazing Trans Atlantic flights, as well as some of the pacific routes. It was cool time to explore the world, and I wish I had been old enough to ask him to tell stories about those trips before he passed.
Ken Follet wrote a novel called "Night Over Water" that was a mystery/triller set on a West-bound 314 flight from England to NY.
In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :
I remember Tails of the Gold Monkey and one other ( not clipper related) Adventures in Paradise. Oops sorry about the bold. Are either one available?
I used to deliver pizzas to Navy ships docked right next to where those took off from (Alameda NAS, where Indy would have boarded). It's public accessible and the USS Hornet museum is there now.
The launch ramps for the planes are still there, you can see them at the top of this Google maps picture:
mad_machine said:
And the History Guy's version of that same story- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GbkM6n90o
Looks like I'll be buying "The Long Way Home". That was a darn good read!
Very cool story.
In reply to Hungary Bill :
Sure is!
In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :
...and now it's in my amazon cart....
I just read all three parts of that story and then looked up the Boeing 314 and feel kind of heartbroken to learn that none survived. I feel like I fell in love and then found out they died decades ago.
In reply to mad_machine :
Great read, thank you!
In reply to pinchvalve :
I arrived at Navy North Island for my squadron training just as the last one of the Mars flying boats was being converted to fire bomber. What a big magnificent plane.
Though the Navy had just retired the P5M's two were still around and remained until I transferred from VS 41 the training squadron to VS 38 my assigned squadron.
After I returned from my first tour of duty in Vietnam the ready supply was still trying to get rid of the remnants of both planes. The beaching gear for the Mars flying boats were two giant size tires and tubes. Playfully I asked if the squadron could have one of the tubes as a gimmick for the squadrons upcoming golf tournament.
They fell all over themselves saying yes, even promising to deliver it to the required first hole of the golf club suitably inflated. Assuring us the we could safely stand on it in golf shoes and attempt to hit a teed up golf ball.
Imagine how the player would bounce up and down as he bent over on top of a under inflated 4 foot high inner tube. Trying to just knock the damn ball off the T. 10-20 swings were normal. Only one managed to hit it off in a single swing and we eventually decided to have mercy at 25 strokes and kick it for the player.
Interestingly, the Japanese still build and operate a big flying boat, the ShinMaywa US-2. Apparently it's quite advanced, and the STOL performance is impressive.
iansane said:mad_machine said:Holy E36 M3. That's amazing.
Only a few months ago, I read a brief summary of the California Clipper's round the world journey, but it didn't do justice to this amazing achievement.
Thanks for the link. I read it aloud to my wife and son (something our family does when we find a story we just have to share).
That would make a fantastic movie.
Floating Doc said:That would make a fantastic movie.
This might have been true 50 years ago, but I'm afraid that now it would be tortured by the addition of ahistorical plot elements, fake conflicts, and relentless abuse of CGI. Witness the original Flight of the Phoenix and the rather awful remake.
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