Tahiti Clippers,
by
Stan Stokes
Juan Trippe left Yale University in 1917 to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
Trippe became a Naval Aviator on June 17, 1918. With the War nearing its
end Trippe returned to Yale where he founded the Yale Flying Club.
Writing in the May 1919 edition of The Yale Graphic, Juan speculated
that the new Navy NC flying boats being introduced might be the first to
successfully cross the Atlantic, and that eventually commercial flights
across the Atlantic would be, "a perfectly sane commercial proposition."
Several years later Trippe was in control of Pan American Airways. Pan
Am had a contract to fly mail to Havana utilizing Fokker triplanes.
Trippe believed that flying boats possessed advantages in serving South
America where rivers, harbors, or lagoons could make suitable airfields
in locations where no adequate facilities existed. In 1927 Pan Am
acquired its first flying boat, the twin-engine Sikorsky S-36. Five such
aircraft were utilized to expand service to additional South American
cities. A few years later Pan Am acquired the large four-engine Sikorsky
S-40, which was piloted on its maiden flight from Miami to Panama by
Charles Lindbergh. The S-40 was not capable of providing transoceanic
service, but a later variant, the S-42, was. An S-42 was utilized to
survey the San Francisco to Manila route, but the first commercial
service was provided utilizing a Martin M-130, a significantly improved
aircraft. The biggest and most luxurious of the Pan Am flying boats was
the Boeing 314. This huge aircraft was 28 feet high, 106 feet long, and
had a wingspan of 152 feet. Six of these aircraft were delivered to Pan
Am in 1939, and they were utilized to provide the first transatlantic
commercial service. Two of Pan Am's flying boats, or "Clippers" as they
were more popularly referred to, are depicted in a beautiful south seas
setting by aviation artist Stan Stokes. In the foreground taxing to the
floating dock is the Dixie Clipper, a Boeing 314. The Dixie Clipper
inaugurated the first regular transatlantic passenger service in June of
1939, and was utilized by President Roosevelt to attend the Casablanca
Conference in 1943. In the background, having just lifted off, is the
China Clipper, a Martin M-130. This is the aircraft which departed San
Francisco for Manila in 1935, and became the first commercial passenger
aircraft to cross the Pacific. In 1968 when Juan Trippe stepped down,
Pan American Airways had developed an 80,000 mile international route
structure which served 85 countries. Juan Trippe was a driving force
behind the development of international air travel, and his marvelous
flying boats played a major role in making the man's ambitions a
reality. These Clippers were truly some of the classics of America's
great aviation heritage.
Overall Print Size: 16" x 11 1/2"
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Collector Sized Lithograph:
$40
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225 Signature Series
Lithograph: $100
Co-signed by
Captain
STURE SIGFRED - Pan Am Clipper Pilot.
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