Boeing 314 Clipper (C-98)

History

The Boeing 314 "Clipper" is an airship developed by Boeing Aircraft Company to meet the requirements of Pan American long-haul passenger airship transportation. Only 12 examples were seen of the system, two variants were produced and could comfortably carry up to 68 passengers in the late 1930s/early 1940s.

The Clippers served in a military capacity when the war in the United States was in full swing, and gradually returned to civilian flight in the postwar world -- overtaken, of course, by a new generation of long-range aircraft that were unusable.

The 314 Clipper followed the design of other airship aircraft of the time, with a sturdy monocoque fuselage and high-mounted engines on monoplane wing assemblies. The crew sits high on the flight deck and consists of a crew of 11, including flight attendants. Passenger accommodation is variable, with a capacity of 68 people on the day route, while seats on the night route are limited to 36 - in which case the seats can be fully converted to bunks, reducing the total amount of passenger space in this regard.

A clearly distinguishable design aspect of the Clipper was the use of a tri-tail arrangement, which was used when testing of single and twin tails proved insufficient to add additional control to the fuselage.

There is no doubt that these aircraft were made for specific customers. Professional chefs have been hired to provide quality meals from the kitchen. A separate dining area and dressing room are also included in the design. Essentially, the Boeing 314 series was the airship of choice for wealthy Americans in this era.

Transatlantic flying has now undergone a rich development, providing an onboard playground for passengers who are ready for a long overseas voyage.

The 314 Clipper is available in two variants, the 314 has 4 Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engines rated at 1,500 hp each, and the 314A uses a more powerful Wright Twin Cyclone engine rated at 1,600 hp. Six of each variant are used for a total of 12 complete operational examples.

The Clippers operated under the unique name from 1939 to 1951, represented by the Honolulu Clippers, Cape Town Clippers, Anzac Clippers, Pacific Clippers, American Clippers, Yankees Clippers, California Clippers and Atlantic Clippers Boats - all operated by Pan Am. The remaining three Clippers are flown by British Overseas Airways, represented by Bristol, Bangor and Berwick.

Unfortunately, there are no complete examples of Clipper today, as previous models were either vandalized, disassembled, or lost in accidents (in this case, three such accidents).

Specification

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