The Bismarck tribune., 1935-04-13
Flight to Orient Will
Mark Aviation Chabter
Millions Of Dollars Spent on
Preparation and Equipment
For Venture
By SHERMAN NG0NTRosE
(NEA Service WYiter)

San francisco. April l3.-Heralding
% new epoch In mans conquest Of the
air.. q giant Pan American Clipper
flying boat will soon be lifting itself
from the famous bay here and head
ing out through the Golden Gate to-
ward Chiha-more than $500 miles
away.
Back Of this effort to regain the
prestige Of the old Yankee clippers
which were the marvel Of the China
trade 100 years ago are millions Of
dollars spent on development and
equipment, two years intensive train
ing Of personnel with one goal In
mind, and . triumph Of American
enterprise over great obstacles.
After several experimental flights
over the sS00-mile route, the first
regular schedule passenger cargo
flight win come late In the summer.
Then passengers and important
light cargo will 60 aboard ct Ala
media or San Diego. Calf. and reach
Canton, China, In about three days.
Today the fastest ocean ships take
three weeks for the trip.
Five s9tsps On Roate =
The epic journey-which even In .
flying age seems incredible-wtll BE-
made In l9-ton flying boats. powered
|by four motors that pull the huge
clippers ct better than $50 miles IN
hour.
Five stops will be made en- route:
|ak Hawaii. Eastern Islaud In the Mid
way group, wilkes Island In the
Wake group. Guam and the Philip
pines.
At the end Of the flight lie the great
open trGde areas Of the Far East. al-
ready being reached BY government
subsid:xed airlines Of other powers.
Pan American, only American ope-
|rator Of international airmail lines.
serves 3 countries In the Western
| Hemisphere and operates 4 system In
China and Alaska. Its planes carry
passengers. mail. and cargo over
5000 miles Of routes, easily the long
ct airway In the world.
Heavy obstacles beset the Pacific
project. No plane had been made
could ever Be built, said the Skeptics-
capable Of flying such long distances
over water on schedule regardless OF
weather conditions.
Conquer Great Obstacles
A technical staff. headed by Col.
| Charles A. Lindbergh, collaborated
with aircraft builders to produce the
giant clipper" type ships With their
| 90O0o-mile range under heavy load "a
virtually any weather.
Many routes, over and around the
Pacific, were surveyed under all con-
ditious to find the safest and fastest,
RADIO engipeers worked tor years
10 develop an airways radio system
with. . range far SURPRISING anything
ever devel0ped. The result is Q Shogt
wave radio direction finder With Z
range Of 2.000 miles. 9 compared e
tho ordinary land radio d1rect1ou
finders with their 300-mile radius.
With tha neW apparatus. Miami
has followed the progress Of Fan
American planes flying thu Amason
river. 2.lo0 miles distant. I
Training r 1igereus
Eoe two years . marine peroonnel
has been trained IN the laboratory o.
the Caribbean and tho Arctic. 0ul
lover the Atlantic between the main
land and Puerto Rico, moro than S0c
miles Of training flights were com
pleted.
Crews flev 'hlind" over the entire
400 miles of water. They made the
entire flight by dad reckoning au6
lceloatial' laAvieation Wialle radio -.
par1tslse checked their route.
While marine personnel waS being
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