Travel was very different in the decades before the Second World War. Flying boats offered luxuries and facilities that have not been seen since. The Boeing 314 was one of the most capable and successful flying boats of the era. With new aircraft and runways after the war, it was not in service for long.

The era of the flying boat

What is a flying boat? Put simply, it's an aircraft that lands and takes off from the water on its fuselage. This is different from a modern-day seaplane, which uses floats to land on water rather than being supported by the fuselage.

Flying boats developed in the early days of aviation. Airports were not widespread, and being able to land or take off from any large body of water opened up many possibilities.

Early experiments with flying boats began before the First World War, with American manufacturer Curtiss leading developments with its Model H flying boat. Improvements in the hull and performance led to the Felixstowe series of boats, well used during the war.

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Passenger services began in the 1920s, firstly from the UK to France and the Channel Islands, and later to British overseas territories with Imperial Airways. British manufacturers Supermarine and Short Brothers launched several models through the 1920s and 1930s (the Short Calcutta is pictured below). Short developed flying boats later than many others - the Short SA.6, for example, entered service only in 1948.

Short launched the S23 or Empire flying boat in 1936. These first served with Imperial Airways but soon went on to serve with joint venture Qantas Empire Airways on the Sydney to Southampton route - a nine-day route highlighting this age of pioneering travel.

A Qantas Empire Airways advertisement for a flight on the imperial flying boat from Sydney to London via Singapore.
Photo: Qantas

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Launching the Boeing 314 in 1939

Over in the US, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) also developed its early international flights around flying boats. Its first aircraft came from Consolidated Aircraft, The Martin Company, and Sikorsky. These headed first to the Caribbean and South America and across the Atlantic to the UK from 1937.

We use the term 'flying boat' for all these aircraft, but note that there are differences. The Sikorsky aircraft were amphibious (with a landing gear for ground use), whereas the Martin (and Boeing) aircraft were floatplanes, with fuselage-mounted sponsons providing stability (compare that to the different design of the wingtip float in the Short Calcutta image above).

Pan Am introduced the term 'Clipper' for these aircraft. The first Sikorsky S-40 aircraft became the American, Caribbean, and Southern Clippers. And the Martin M-130s (pictured below) were the China, Hawaii, and Philippine Clippers.

And 10 Silorksy S-42 Clippers (pictured below) were flown. All these three aircraft were only ever produced for Pan Am.

Pan Am's president, Juan Trippe, wanted to take things further. He approached Boeing to discuss developing a larger flying boat with an improved range for a transatlantic crossing. Boeing had already succeeded with the all-metal Monomail for airmail services and the passenger Boeing 247 that followed it. It moved away from these designs to work with Pan Am on flying boats.

The result was the Boeing 314. A key feature from Boeing was using the wing design from its XB-15 bomber project. This led to a larger, longer-range flying boat with a passenger capacity of around 70 (double Pan Am's previous models).

12 aircraft were built - mainly serving Pan Am

The Boeing 314 first flew in June 1938, entering service with Pan Am in 1939. Boeing went on to build 12 aircraft. Pan Am purchased nine of these and BOAC three (these were initially ordered by Pan Am and transferred before completion).

Pan Am carried on its tradition of naming the aircraft 'Clippers' - after the 19th Century merchant sailing ships. The first six Clippers - Honolulu, California, Yankee, Atlantic, Dixie, and American were all delivered between January and June 1939.

The following aircraft - Pacific, Anzac, and Cape Town - were designated as 314A and had larger fuel tanks and upgraded engines. As some of the names suggest, these quickly went on with Pan Am to offer global service from the US. BOAC's three model 314A aircraft were delivered starting in 1941, mainly for military service. They likewise were given names - Berwick, Bristol, and Bangor.

Traveling in style

Pan Am's Clippers were noteworthy not just for their size and range but also for their facilities and luxury. Flying boats had developed into luxurious forms of travel, based more on the ocean liners they replaced than the cramped cabins we know well today.

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Cabins offered armchair-style seating and tables across a series of separate compartments (six standard compartments and one deluxe). Nighttime use was limited to 40 passengers instead of 70, with the compartments converted to provide full-length sleeping berths.

There was a separate dining room with fixed tables and seating. Food is described as being from four-star hotels, served in style by white-coated waiters. Bathrooms featured stools and makeup areas for the ladies and a separate urinal for the gentlemen.

This video from Pan Am gives a great look inside the 314 and some glimpses of the luxurious onboard service.

Wartime service

Soon after the launch of the 314, the Second World War began. With passenger travel on hold, the aircraft switched to transporting military personnel and cargo. They saw service to both the European and Pacific battlefronts, including transporting supplies to the Soviet Union (where its range was beneficial). Ownership of the Pan Am Clippers transferred to the military, but they continued to be operated by Pan Am's civilian airline crews.

Wartime service also saw one of the most famous Boeing 314 uses - as the first Air Force One presidential transport (although it predated the use of the callsign). In 1943, Dixie Clipper took President Franklin Roosevelt to the Casablanca conference. One of BOAC's aircraft, Berwick, also made history. It carried Winston Churchill back to the UK in 1942 after a US stay.

Aircraft out of service by 1951

Despite their romantic appeal today, the flying boats had their problems. Speed was a significant limitation. They could cross oceans, but only at around 155 miles per hour - almost four times slower than a Boeing 777 today.

The Second World War brought major changes to aviation. New airports removed the need for water landings, and new aircraft, such as the Douglas DC-3, were ready for service.

Some 314s had a short post-war life - but none survived long. Pan Am and BOAC retired them, and they saw limited service with other airlines. By 1952, they had all been scrapped.

  • Honolulu, Yankee, and Atlantic Clippers never made it back into service.
  • Pacific Clipper was sold to Univeral Airlines and used for parts.
  • Cape Town Clipper was sold to American International Airways in 1947. It was recommissioned as Bermuda Sky Queen but sank the same year after ditching on a flight from the UK to the US.
  • Startup airline World Airways bought four Pan Am Clippers (California, Dixie, American, and Anzac) and the BOAC Clippers. They saw use for cargo around the Americas but were all scrapped by 1952. World Airways retired them all in 1951, with just Bristol sold on, but it sank moored in Baltimore before it re-entered service.

Today, the best chance to see a Boeing 314 is with a reconstruction of Yankee Clipper at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in Ireland. In recent years, there have been plans to recover the remains of two sunken 314s - Honolulu and Cape Town Clipper (which became Bermuda Sky Queen).

The Boeing 314 is a remarkable historic aircraft - reminiscent of the stylish and adventurous flying days and a significant technical achievement for Boeing. While seaplanes and some amphibious aircraft remain well in use today, they differ greatly from these giants. Feel free to discuss this further in the comments section below.