Flight Deck

CCLV

At 152 feet the wingspan of the Boeing 314 was monstrous for the time. The chord (thickness) of the wing was also astounding. At the root of the wing it was more than 29 inches thick. The designers also allowed for crawlspaces (“catwalks”) within the wing that permitted mechanics to access the engine nacelles internally while in flight to effect repairs on the engines. Between 1939 and 1941, mechanics were to make 431 such repairs, most without the passengers even being aware of them.   

The wing catwalk of the Boeing 314

Though the whale-like fuselage of the big plane had none of the aesthetic grace of Glenn Martin’s designs, it could carry up to 74 passengers (40 overnight) and a crew of ten. For comparison, the Martin M-130 could carry 36 day passengers and 18 night; the M-156 could carry 53 day passengers and 26 night; and the Sikorsky S-44 (later VS-44) could carry up to 45 passengers depending on its internal configuration. With a 3,500 mile range, the 314 could outfly anything but the VS-44; Sikorsky’s newest flying boat had a range of 4,000 miles. The 314A bested the Russian’s design, by another 1,200 miles.

 

The vast wing of the Boeing 314. Note the American flag atop the wing surface

The Boeing 314 Clippers were designed to be the ultimate in transoceanic flying. The aircraft had two decks. The crew spaces, cargo, and flight deck or bridge occupied the upper deck.

A sponson of the Boeing 314. The sponsons acted as auxiliary gas tanks, and provided the ship with additional lift and buoyancy. Note the American flag on the underside of the sponson. In flight it would be visible from the ground or sea. The fuel capacity of the Boeing 314A was 5,446 gallons

The nose of the aircraft was taken up by the mooring and docking station. Accessible through a trapdoor in the flight deck, anyone accessing this area would proceed down a short stairwell to find the hawsers and tackle used by the flying boat when mooring. A nose hatch gave access to the moor. The remainder of this space was filled with emergency equipment, including at least two weeks of canned food for all the passengers, stored water, life rafts, and fishing and hunting tackle.

The mooring hatches and lines are clearly visible in this photo, probably taken in Hawaii. Note the M-130 in the immediate background

The flight deck was far larger than any commercial cockpit today, stretching 21 feet back from the large wraparound windscreens that gave the pilots a thoroughly unobstructed view. The flight deck was nine feet wide, and had full headroom. No one had to hunch. The pilots’ seats were outfitted in fully-upholstered red leather.

Cockpit controls of the Boeing 314

Heavy maroon curtains could be closed at night to maintain the pilots’ night vision, blocking the light from the Navigation and Radio Room which was immediately aft. Just behind the Navigation and Radio Room was a cargo hold. It was adjacent to the forward half of the big wing through which the mechanics could access the catwalks to the engines. 

The Navigation Room. Note the high overhead and the beam of the fuselage

The size of the Flight Deck is more obvious, sans crew

The Flight Engineer’s station

The radio operator’s station

The crew’s accommodations were spartan

Adjacent to the aft half of the wing were the crew accommodations. Just beyond was the baggage hold. The upper deck ended at that point due to the narrowing of the fuselage toward the tail.

Four Twin Cyclone engines kept the Boeing Clippers aloft

The Boeing 314 was outfitted with four Wright GR-2600 Twin Cyclone, 14 cylinder radial engines that could develop a maximum of 1,600 horsepower each.  The 6,400 horses could drive the plane at a maximum speed of 199 miles per hour and a cruising speed of 183 m.p.h.

A propeller on the full-sized mock-up of the Yankee Clipper at Foynes, Ireland

Pulling the plane along were four Hamilton-Standard 3-blade, full-feathering constant speed (variable pitch), 14′ diameter tractor propellers.

This triptych of letters was carried around the world during a series of Pan American / Imperial Airways flights between June June 24^th and July 28^th 1939

The load-to-tare ratio of the Boeing 314was an impressive 41:59. Nearly 60% of the aircraft’s maximum gross weight was reserved for payload. And the payload had a high rate of return. After the loss of the Hawaii Clipper and the reduction of transpacific flights to two a month, Pan Am had applied for and been granted an increase in the mail rate from $2.00 per mile to $3.00 a mile across the board to offset its losses. The new clippers also charged a lot to carry passengers. In 1939, a fare from Port Washington to Southampton was $375.00 ($6,467.00 2017 dollars) one way, and $675.00 ($11,640.50 in 2017 dollars) round trip. A fare from Treasure Island through to Hong Kong was $950.00 ($16,383.00 2017 dollars), more than the cost of an average American home.

The “Clipper Craze” continued as the Saturday Evening Post heralded the arrival of the new Clippers by superimposing them on an American eagle in flight. Note the name of the new serial beginning that week