And important safety feature which would be incorporated in virtually all subsequent variable-pitch propellers, the full-feathering props also allowed mechanics to take advantage of the B-314’s unparalleled in-flight engine access made possible by the wing’s thick chord. Range: 3,500 miles B-314, 5,200 miles B-314Aī-314 wing catwalk, allowing access to the engines during flight.Īmong the technical innovations pioneered by the B-314 were the fully-feathering propellers insisted upon by Pan Am Chief Engineer Andre Priester.Propellers: Hamilton-Standard 3-blade, full-feathering constant speed (variable pitch), 14′ diameter.Engines: Four Wright GR-2600 Twin Cyclone, 14 cylinder radial engines (1,500 hp B-314, 1,600 hp B-314A).B-214 Passenger Deck Plan (click to enlarge)īoeing 314 Dining Room Boeing B-314 Technical DetailsĪ giant aircraft for its day, the B-314 weighed over 40 tons and had a wingspan 3/4 that of a Boeing 747-100. The B-314 could carry 74 passengers and 10 crew, although in overnight sleeper configuration, the ship accommodated 40 passengers in seven luxurious compartments, including a 14-seat dining room and a private “honeymoon suite” at the tail end of the plane. On June 31, 1936, Pan Am signed a contract for six of the Boeing 314 clippers, with an option for six more. But under the leadership of a relatively young engineer named Wellwood Beall, Boeing eventually constructed a ship widely recognized as the apex of flying boat design. The winner of Pan Am’s competition was the Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle, Washington, which was initially reluctant even to submit a proposal. Martin had taken a loss on such a small production run, which he expected to make up with future business for the airline. Pan Am had purchased only three of the M-130 aircraft. Martin, which made the M-130 China Clipper, proposed a model known as the M-156, but it was also rejected by Pam Am, leaving Glenn Martin furious despite owing much of its success to the China Clipper. (Three S-44’s would later be used by American Export Airlines, which competed with Pan Am across the Atlantic from 1945-1950.) Consolidated Aircraft proposed a four-engine ship based on its PB-Y Catalina flying boat (which would later gain fame as an anti-submarine and search-and-rescue aircraft during World War II), but the Consolidated design was also rejected as too small. Sikorsky responded with a design that would eventually be developed as the S-44, which met Pan Am’s requirements for speed and range but was rejected because it carried too few passengers. Boeing 314 Dixie Clipper The development of the B-314Įarly in 1936, Pan American solicited proposals for the next generation airliner for Atlantic service, and to stimulate interest among aircraft manufacturers, Pan Am offered a $50,000 cash prize for the winning design. Large, luxurious, and reliable - and with an astounding range of 3,500 statute miles - the B-314 made intercontinental passenger airline service a practical reality. It inaugurated the world’s first transatlantic heavier-than-air service, and carried passengers and cargo around the globe in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The Boeing clipper is widely regarded at the summit of flying boat technology.
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