Post by Bookman on Feb 11, 2007 22:02:54 GMT -5
Ok, so I'm going to try and get this topic idea moving again.
This week, I'd like to discuss and share information on one of my favorite flying boats of the Golden Age -- The Martin M-130.
Designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, the M-130 first flew on 30 December, 1934. Designed to meet Pan American Airways's President Juan Trippe's requirements for a trans-Pacific aircraft, the M-130 was an all-metal flying boat which employed streamlined aerodynamics and powerful engines to achieve Pan Am's specifications for range and payload. Only three were built and all were sold to Pan American Airways at $417,000 each. The aircraft were given appropriate sounding names -- China Clipper, Philippine Clipper and Hawaii Clipper.
Officially, the airplanes were known as Martin Ocean Transports but to the public they China Clippers, a name which evolved into a generic term applying to Pan Am's entire fleet of large flying boats - the Martin M-130, Sikorsky S-42 as well as the Boeing 314 Clipper.
Few enthusiasts know that Martin manufactured one additional flying boat -- for the Soviet Union. The even larger "Russian Clipper" (M-156) was constructed much like the M-130 but had twin vertical stabilizers. Reportedly, this corrected the airplane's rough-air oscillations. Powered by four 1,000 hp Wright Cyclone engines, it could accommodate 33-53 passengers (compared with a maximum of 52 in the M-130) and had a gross weight of 63,000 lb (28,576 kg).
This week, I'd like to discuss and share information on one of my favorite flying boats of the Golden Age -- The Martin M-130.
Designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, the M-130 first flew on 30 December, 1934. Designed to meet Pan American Airways's President Juan Trippe's requirements for a trans-Pacific aircraft, the M-130 was an all-metal flying boat which employed streamlined aerodynamics and powerful engines to achieve Pan Am's specifications for range and payload. Only three were built and all were sold to Pan American Airways at $417,000 each. The aircraft were given appropriate sounding names -- China Clipper, Philippine Clipper and Hawaii Clipper.
Officially, the airplanes were known as Martin Ocean Transports but to the public they China Clippers, a name which evolved into a generic term applying to Pan Am's entire fleet of large flying boats - the Martin M-130, Sikorsky S-42 as well as the Boeing 314 Clipper.
Few enthusiasts know that Martin manufactured one additional flying boat -- for the Soviet Union. The even larger "Russian Clipper" (M-156) was constructed much like the M-130 but had twin vertical stabilizers. Reportedly, this corrected the airplane's rough-air oscillations. Powered by four 1,000 hp Wright Cyclone engines, it could accommodate 33-53 passengers (compared with a maximum of 52 in the M-130) and had a gross weight of 63,000 lb (28,576 kg).
