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| Martin 130 China
Clipper |
Martin's
three "China Clipper" flying boats were the first true
intercontinental airliners. They originated in a request made in
1931 by Pan American Airways for seagoing airliners to fly the Atlantic.
In 1933 Martin and Sikorsky were selected to build six airliners for new
North and South Atlantic routes. But the British government blocked Pan
Am's use of intermediate bases in Newfoundland and Bermuda until a
British competitor was ready - and there were none.
Pan Am decided to use the Sikorsky planes in
its Latin American Division and the Martin ones to blaze a trail across
the Pacific. In the Pacific, this meant lifting enough fuel to carry
payloads of mail and passengers over the longest overwater air route in
the world - the 2,410 miles from California to Hawaii. Beyond Honolulu
way stations were developed at Midway, Wake, and Guam, with the terminus
at Manila, 8,200 air miles from San Francisco.
The three Martin clippers were named for Pan
Am's principal Pacific destinations: Hawaii, Philippines, and China. As
it turned out, both the first mail and first passenger runs to Manila
were made by Clipper NC-14716, "China" - thereby giving her
name to the whole class of planes, as well as all the items, from
oriental restaurants to postage stamps, that recall them. After another
wrangle with the British, the China Clipper lived up to her name in
April 1937 by making the first scheduled through-flight to Hong
Kong. All three Martin clippers were eventually involved in fatal
crashes. |
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Martin M-130 China
Clipper
From our Standard Series. 1/72nd scale. 21" wingspan x
15" long.
No. AAG1D-ST. Only $159.95 |
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