M-130

CXXXVII

S-42 Samoan Clipper

Nobody looking at any of the Sikorsky flying boats could mistake them for anything but what they were, transitional aircraft halfway between planes and ships. It was in the eye of the beholder whether a Sikorsky was an airborne seacraft or a seaborne aircraft. Every model, even the very successful S-42, had the same utilitarian appearance:  a hull slung beneath the gantry of the wing being held in place by a busy array of spars and struts and wires. As a counterweight to the borderline aesthetics of the exteriors, the interiors were lavish with teak and creature comforts. 

Martin M-130

Blueprints of the M-130

Glenn Martin, who loved flying boats, was determined to give Pan American an entirely different kind of flying boat. Although Martin had badly underbudgeted himself on the development of what he came to call his “Martin Ocean Transport” --- Model M-130 --- he spared no expense in developing the ship. He counted, as he said, on the fact that, “Great  new markets will open up all over the world --- especially the Orient.”  

He shared that dream with Juan Trippe. It was a dream that was a long time coming. The emergence of the M-130 on Martin’s drafting tables began in November 1932. The prototype would not fly until 1934, and the ship would not enter regular service until 1935. In part, this was due to Glenn Martin’s obsessive micromanagement of the project, and in part it was because Martin had to halt and restart production as his Research and Development money was spent and replenished (chiefly by bank loans). Due to a dearth of large government and airline contracts Martin Aircraft was in poor financial shape to begin with, and the M-130 essentially bankrupted it. 

The complex cockpit of an M-130. Pan American pilots were required to wear their crew hats in all promotional photographs. Normally, in flight, the men went bareheaded. Note the panoramic view afforded to the pilots

 

Glenn Martin took every one of Pan American’s specifications for the M-130, and bested it. He cured the electrolysis problem of seawater interacting with dissimilar metals by using new alloys and differently galvanized metals. He devised engine cowlings whose flaps were individually adjustable. The plane had backup electrical and hydraulic systems built into it --- standard practice today, but revolutionary then. 

“First Flight” stamps of the M-130

She was the largest flying boat built in the Americas when she was rolled out, a giant for her day. Her 90’ 11” fuselage rose 24’ 7” from her keel. Her wingspan was an impressive 130 feet even (giving rise to her model number). Her maximum liftoff weight was 52,252 pounds, and her load-to-tare ration was an almost perfect 52:48.  

The China Clipper aka Sweet Sixteen being serviced by a Pan Am ground crew

The M-130 was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S2A5G Twin Wasp 14-cylinder twin row air-cooled radial engines, the mightiest powerplants of her day, delivering 950 horsepower each.  Instead of outrigger pontoons she had seawings (sponsons) that acted both as flotation devices and fuel tanks. Her maximum range was a groundbreaking 3,200 miles, enough to make the long California-to-Hawaii hop with ease, and her ceiling was 10,000 feet.  Her cruising speed was 136 miles per hour and her top speed 180.

The Philippine Clipper at Wake Island

Hawaii Clipper with passengers

A smiling passenger on the bows of the Hawaii Clipper. Note the coconut and the lei

The M-130 could carry a maximum of 36 short-haul passengers or 18 long-range passengers. She had a maximum crew of nine --- the Captain, the First Officer, the Junior Flight Officer, the Engineering Officer, the Assistant Engineering Officer, the Radio Operator, the Navigation Officer, and two Stewards.  Crew accommodations were in the tail section. 

The passenger lounge of the Martin M-130

M-130 arranged for sleeping

The passenger accommodations were soundproofed. Martin even personally oversaw the selection of wall coverings and upholstery on the plane. The fuselage / hull was divided into a Flight Deck, a spacious lounge area, and three passenger cabins that were convertible to sleepers. She also had a fully equipped in-flight galley (a first on a flying boat).  

Fine dining on the M-130

 

This menu, from a Boeing 314 Clipper, reflects the fare passengers were served aboard the “Flying Clipper Ships”

Aesthetically, the M-130 was as different from the various Sikorskys as a flying boat could be. She was beautifully streamlined, a graceful craft, that looked as at home in the air as shed did on the water. There was no question in the minds of those who saw her where she belonged --- she belonged to the sky and the sea both.

Pan Am advertising for the M-130

Pan American had its plane. And it had its ocean. Almost.

In 1989, Delta Air Lines sponsored a ride, “Dreamflight” at Walt Disney World in Orlando. It included a tour of the Martin M-130

When the three sisters --- registration numbers NC14714, NC14715, and NC14716 --- were finally launched, they captured everyone’s imagination. Juan Trippe named the first two, 14 and 15, the Hawaii Clipper and the Philippine Clipper respectively. Of the last one --- called “Sweet Sixteen” by her adoring crews --- he said, “This flying boat will be named after her famous predecessor that carried the American flag across the Pacific a century ago.”  He called her the China Clipper.

 

The China Clipper at the passenger dock