By the early 1930s Pan American Airways (Pan Am) was providing airline travel to Central and South America. But its owner, Juan Trippe, dreamed of crossing the oceans with his fleet of flying boats. Unfortunately, at that time there were no aircraft with the range. By the mid-30s Sikorsky and Martin had produced longer range flying boats but they were limited in passenger capacity. Along came Boeing’s Model 314 which not only met but exceeded Trippe’s specifications. It was a state of the art, high performance, luxurious ocean-spanning airliner which was popular with passengers and crew alike. It truly provided “Luxury Over the Oceans” taking travelers to exotic places they had never before visited. Because of WWII, only twelve Model 314’s were built and none remain today.
In this talk by Museum of Flight Docent Bill McCutcheon he will discuss early flying boats, Pan Am surveys for ocean routes, design and building of the Model 314, its luxurious interiors, its military service, dignitaries who flew on it and why it had such a short lifespan. Registration is not required to join this virtual member exclusive event!
For information on how to watch this presentation, please see our bi-weekly member e-newsletter sent every other Friday.
To learn more about becoming a member of the Museum of Flight, please visit our membership benefits page.
