The Flying Clippers

Their time on the scene was brief and their numbers few, but the Pan American Flying Boats of the late 1930's had a significant impact on commercial aviation, and are still among history's most recognizable aircraft. Anyone interested in these first steps toward the transoceanic travel that we take for granted today can find a fitting tribute to "Aviation's Golden Age" at The Flying Clippers .

The visual design of the site nicely complements the vintage of the subject matter. Despite what appear to be some decidedly non-period (but visually, if not historically, appropriate) text styles, The Flying Clippers sets the mood with a faux newsreel splash page. Then it uses such elements as watercolor paintings, period advertisements, and sepia-toned photographs to keep the feel of a late 30's National Geographic, while residing on the 21st century internet. Images also serve as the primary form of Home Page navigation - with a watercolor of Hong Kong Harbor inviting visitors to their suggested first stop in the site.

This first stop provides a brief history of the flying boats - which began commercial, transpacific service with the China Clipper (probably the best known single aircraft in commercial aviation history) in 1935, and suspended operations (permanently, as it turned out) with America's entry into war in December of 1941.

At the bottom of this introductory page are links to an essay on the Clippers' service during wartime, a Timeline placing the aircraft into a larger historical context --with such titbits as the price of that first trans-Pacific airline ticket in today's dollars (about $10,000)-- and a list of the names and fates of each of Pan Am's 28 Flying Boats. (None survived the early 50s.)

Tabs at the upper left of every page take the visitor to specific information on each of the three 'brands' of aircraft that first bore the Clipper moniker. (The "Clipper" titles were maintained after the last of the Flying Boats, and through the rest of Pan Am's existence - the last China Clipper being a Boeing 747.) Each aircraft type is accompanied by a history and specifications, as well as additional photographs and cutaway drawings of the passenger compartments. A more detailed look at the 'flying experience' of the Boeing 314 --the last of the flying boats, and the largest commercial airliner until the appearance of the jumbo jets in the 1970s-- includes cabin layout and interior photographs.

If the nostalgia takes hold, Coordinates and Sightings provides links to such external sites as an extensive online 'memorial' to Pan American World Airways, as well as private Pan Am and flying boat fan sites (with such offerings as period advertisements, and an online copy of a 1937 "Transpacific" brochure). Site suggestions not directly related to the Clippers include the official web home of the Spruce Goose, and the online presence of the recent PBS series, "Chasing the Sun".

Unless you're a fairly dedicated aerophile, chances are that this isn't a site you'll be returning to again and again. But anyone susceptible to the lure of nostalgia, or the 'romance of flight,' should find at least one visit well worth their while.

The Flying Clippers can be found at http://www.flyingclippers.com/ .