Pan American Trans-Atlantic Return trip: Bathurst, Gambia to Natal, Brazil, 1942.
Early wartime flights connected the "Bulge of Africa to the Bulge of South America", (Bathurst, Gambia to Natal Brazil.)
Note: This flight took place less than one month after the US entered the war. This cover was postmarked in Gambia on Dec 14th and waited for a Pan Am Boeing 314 Clipper to pick it up. It waited for the better part of 17 days while the first Boeing flight left without mail on a wartime assignment.
After waiting 17 days, another Pan Am Flight picked up this mail and flew west to Natal, Brazil, then eventually reaching Miami on January 8, 1942.
Further information:
Pan Am inaugurated its first scheduled transatlantic airmail service on May 20, 1939. Operating the mail-only flights via its Boeing 314 flying boats, the airline transported nearly a ton of mail from Port Washington, New York, to Marseilles, France, via the Azores and Lisbon.
Following the initial southern mail route, the northern transatlantic route to Southampton, UK, commenced on June 24, 1939, carrying 112,574 pieces of mail. Just days later, the airline expanded this route into the first scheduled transatlantic passenger flight, which departed on June 28, 1939.
More routes such as this one to Africa from Brazil were just opening up. That ended as the war required Pan American to fly for the US Military. The planes were never armed, but carried important passengers and cargo to various points around the globe. They avoided trouble with careful route planning.
The photographs shown in the listing are included. The post card size item has the photographs on the front and back.
The photographs: The Boeing 314 Flying Boat, considered to be the best of Pan American's Clipper fleet at the time.
The second photograph is actually of the original 1935 crew after landing in Honolulu on the first Trans Pacific flight in 1935. It's just the best picture of a Clipper crew that I could find and use. Many of these men went on to Fly in the Boeing 314's.
The Boeing 314 Clipper was an opulent, long-range flying boat produced between 1938 and 1941. As one of the largest aircraft of its era, it pioneered transoceanic commercial flights with a range of 3,500 miles. Only 12 were ever built, offering passenger comfort comparable to luxury ocean liners before being pressed into military service during World War II.
Key Specifications & Features
- Dimensions: It featured a massive wingspan of 152 feet (46.36 meters) and an overall length of 106 feet (32.33 meters).
- Weight & Capacity: With a maximum loaded weight of 84,000 lbs (38,000 kg), it could accommodate up to 74 passengers during the day and 36 in sleeping configurations, along with a crew of 11.
- Powerplant: Powered by 4 Wright R-2600-3 radial engines, each providing 1,600 horsepower.
- Engineering: Because the wing was so thick (adapted from the XB-15 bomber prototype), flight engineers could actually crawl inside and service the engines during flight.
The interior was designed to rival high-end hotels, acting as a true "ocean liner that happened to fly". Amenities included:
- A 14-seat dining room serving multi-course meals with linen tablecloths and crystal glasses.
- Five separate passenger lounges, a galley, dressing rooms, and a bridal suite.
- Steward conversions of seats into comfortable berths at night.
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