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Pan Am Boeing 314 California Clipper NC18602
Flying Boat Original Vintage Photo
First Boeing 314 Delivered to Pan Am, Jan 27, 1939DESCRIPTIONThis is a small original vintage photographic print of Pan American Airways Boeing 314 flying boat California Clipper, registration NC18602, measuring approximately 4.6 x 2.75 inches. The airplane sits moored beside a floating dock with wooded hills rising behind it. The Pan Am lettering and emblem, a flag on the bow, the name California Clipper in script beside it, and NC 18602 on the tail are all visible, and the back carries 18602 in pencil. The print is undated.NC18602 was the first Boeing 314 delivered to Pan American. The new flying boat was certified for commercial service on January 26, 1939, and accepted by Pan Am the next day, January 27, 1939, in Oregon rather than Washington, where it was built, a move made to avoid a Washington state tax. The prototype Honolulu Clipper was held back for testing until after NC18602 was delivered. Named California Clipper, it left San Francisco Bay on February 23, 1939 on a shakedown flight across the Pacific, reached Hong Kong on March 3 after stops at Hawaii, Midway, Wake, Guam, Manila and Macao, and began regular passenger and mail service on that 18,000 mile round trip on March 29.The Boeing 314 was Pan Am\'s largest and most luxurious flying boat, with a 152 foot wingspan borrowed from the cancelled XB-15 bomber, a range of about 4,000 miles with 40 passengers, and crawlways inside the wings that let flight engineers reach the engines in flight.After Pearl Harbor the 314 fleet was requisitioned on December 14, 1941 and flown for the Army and Navy in Navy camouflage, still with Pan Am crews at the controls. After the war the California Clipper was stored in California and later at San Diego, and it was scrapped around 1950 or 1951. Images were scanned at 600dpi for the buyer\'s records.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you\'re unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I\'ll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONOriginal vintage black and white photographic print measuring approximately 4.6 x 2.75 inches, with good contrast and a clear image of the airplane, its lettering, and the tail registration. Light age and handling wear is present, including slight bends at both upper corners, a faint crease at the upper right, a small nick or dark mark along the left edge, and a few tiny specks in the sky area. The back carries a pencil notation reading 18602 and a slightly darker line along the top edge, with no tape or residue. Please see all photos for the exact condition.
