Boeing 314
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| Boeing 314 Clipper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Role | Civil air transport | ||
| Crew | 10 | ||
| First Flight | June 7, 1938 | ||
| Manufacturer | Boeing | ||
| Dimensions | |||
| Length | 106 ft | 32.3 m | |
| Wingspan | 152 ft | 46.3 m | |
| Weights | |||
| Gross | 84,000 lb | 38,100 kg | |
| Capacity | 74 passengers | ||
| Powerplant | |||
| Engines | Four Wright Twin Cyclone radial piston engines | ||
| Power | 6,400 hp | 4,772 kW | |
| Performance | |||
| Cruising speed | 184 mph | 296 km/h | |
| Maximum speed | 199 mph | 320 | |
| Range | 3,500 miles | 5,600 km | |
| Service ceiling | 19,600 ft | 5,975 m | |
The Boeing 314 Clipper was a long-range flying boat produced by Boeing from 1938 to 1941. It was one of the largest aircraft of the era. Twelve were built for Pan American World Airways (three of which were diverted to BOAC under the Lend-Lease Act), which used their fleet for flights across the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
Pan Am's Clippers were built for luxury, a necessity given the long duration of transoceanic flights. The seats could be converted into 40 bunks for overnight travel. The aircraft had a lounge/dining area, and galleys were staffed with chefs from four-star hotels. Men and women were provided with separate dressing rooms. Although the transatlantic flights were only operated for three months in 1939, their standard of luxury has arguably not been matched since then: they were a form of travel for the super-rich, at $675 return from New York to Southampton (about $7,000 USD in year 2000 dollars ).
The Clipper fleet was impressed into service during World War II, and the aircraft were used for ferrying personnel and equipment to the European and Pacific fronts. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to the Casablanca Conference in a Boeing 314. Winston Churchill also flew on the aircraft several times, adding to its fame during the war era.
After the war, several Clippers were returned to Pan Am, but the type had been made obsolete by new long-range land planes such as the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Constellation. The 314 was removed from scheduled service in 1946 and grounded permanently in 1950.
The most distinguishing feature of the 314 is its triple tail, which Boeing designed after finding that single and double tails did not afford the aircraft enough stability to fly safely.
The Boeing 314 "Pan Am Clipper" is featured in the novel Night Over Water, written by British author Ken Follett.
Specifications
- Boeing 314A Yankee Clipper
- Dimensions:
- Wing span: 152 ft 0 in (46.33 m)
- Length: 106 ft 0 in (32.31 m)
- Height: 27 ft 7 in (8.41 m)
- Wing area: 2,867 ft² (266.34 m²)
- Weights:
- Empty: 50,268 lb (22,801 kg)
- Gross T/O: 82,500 lb (37,422 kg)
- Performance:
- Maximum level speed: 199 mph (320 km/h)
- Cruising speed: 183 mph (294 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 13,400 ft (4,085 m)
- Normal range: 3,500 miles (5,633 km)
- Powerplant: Four Wright GR-2600 Twin Cyclone, 1,600 hp (1,192 kW), 14 cylinder, air-cooled, radial engines.
Boeing 314 Aircraft Operated by Pan American World Airways
| Number | Type | Name | Date | Info |
| NC18601 | Boeing 314 | Honolulu Clipper | 1939-1945 | Sank by US Navy |
| NC18602 | Boeing 314 | California Clipper | 1939-1950 | Later renamed Pacific Clipper Sold to World Airways. Scrapped 1950. |
| NC18603 | Boeing 314 | Yankee Clipper | 1939-1943 | Started Transatlantic mail service. Crashed February 22, 1943 in Lisbon, Portugal. |
| NC18604 | Boeing 314 | Atlantic Clipper | 1939-1946 | Salvaged for parts. |
| NC18605 | Boeing 314 | Dixie Clipper | 1939-1950 | Started transatlantic passenger service. Sold to World Airways. Scrapped 1950. |
| NC18606 | Boeing 314 | American Clipper | 1939-1946 | Sold to World Airways. Scrapped 1950. |
| NC18609 | Boeing 314A | Pacific Clipper | 1941-1946 | Sold to Universal Airlines. Damaged by storm and salvaged for parts. |
| NC18611 | Boeing 314A | Anzac Clipper | 1941-1951 | Sold to Universal Airlines 1946, American International Airways 1947, World Airways 1948. Sold privately 1951, destroyed at Baltimore, Maryland 1951. |
| NC18612 | Boeing 314A | Capetown Clipper | 1941-1946 | Sold to: U.S. Navy - 1942, Sold to: American International Airways - 1947, Sunk at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard on October 14, 1947 |
External links
- Boeing 314 (http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/boeing314.html)
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Similar Aircraft | Martin M-130 - Saunders-Roe Princess |
| Designation Series | B-221A - B-247 - B-314 - B-377 - B-707 |
| Related Lists | List of airliners |
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