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pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/8/20 8:00 a.m.

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.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/8/20 8:07 a.m.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/8/20 9:05 a.m.
1988RedT2
1988RedT2 MegaDork
1/8/20 9:48 a.m.

An impressive machine, to be sure.

ultraclyde
ultraclyde PowerDork
1/8/20 10:09 a.m.

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.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
1/8/20 11:15 a.m.

Trivia: tge 314 wing is the exact same wing as the XB-15.

jimbbski
jimbbski SuperDork
1/8/20 11:21 a.m.

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?

frenchyd
frenchyd PowerDork
1/8/20 11:55 a.m.

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. 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
1/8/20 12:15 p.m.
mad_machine said:

The Pan Am Clipper that accidentally flew around the world

Thanks for today's lunch break entertainment!

 

Hungary Bill
Hungary Bill GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
1/8/20 12:16 p.m.
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.

iansane
iansane GRM+ Memberand New Reader
1/8/20 12:37 p.m.
mad_machine said:

The Pan Am Clipper that accidentally flew around the world

Holy E36 M3. That's amazing.

ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual)
ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) HalfDork
1/8/20 12:45 p.m.

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.

frenchyd
frenchyd PowerDork
1/8/20 1:00 p.m.

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?  

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
1/8/20 1:03 p.m.

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:

 

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
1/8/20 1:10 p.m.
mad_machine said:

The Pan Am Clipper that accidentally flew around the world

And the History Guy's version of that same story- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GbkM6n90o

Hungary Bill
Hungary Bill GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
1/8/20 1:13 p.m.

Looks like I'll be buying "The Long Way Home".  That was a darn good read!

Paul_VR6
Paul_VR6 Dork
1/8/20 6:17 p.m.

Very cool story.

ultraclyde
ultraclyde PowerDork
1/8/20 6:51 p.m.

In reply to Hungary Bill :

Sure is! 

ultraclyde
ultraclyde PowerDork
1/8/20 7:02 p.m.

In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :

...and now it's in my amazon cart....

dculberson
dculberson MegaDork
1/8/20 7:14 p.m.

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. 

bgkast
bgkast GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
1/8/20 7:35 p.m.

In reply to mad_machine :

Great read, thank you!

frenchyd
frenchyd PowerDork
1/8/20 8:03 p.m.

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. 

02Pilot
02Pilot SuperDork
1/8/20 8:23 p.m.

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.

 

Floating Doc
Floating Doc GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
1/8/20 9:44 p.m.
iansane said:
mad_machine said:

The Pan Am Clipper that accidentally flew around the world

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.

02Pilot
02Pilot SuperDork
1/9/20 6:45 a.m.
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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