PAN AM'S 1936 EXPANSION
PAN AM IN ALASKA
This photo of Nilehuna Glacier, Alaska (now in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park) was taken by Pacific Alaska Mechanic Clyde Smith, c. 1930s (Clyde Smith Collection, courtesy Phil Smith/Pan Am Historical Foundation).
Alaska aviation in 1936 was growing fast according to PAA pilot and historian Gene Banning. “In 1929, there were only eight airplanes in Alaska; by 1936 there were 79, which flew 16,982 passengers, and 2,418,616 lb. of mail and express, over -2,130,929 total airplane-miles of service.” (Banning, "Airlines of Pan Am Since 1927," (2001) Gene Banning & Paladwar Press, p. 319).
Pan Am's Pacific Alaska division NC-742N: Pilgrim 100s could take off & land with ski equipped landing gear (Pan Am Historical Foundation Collection).
Pan Am bought two sturdy Fairchild Pilgrim 100Bs in 1936 for its subsidiary Pacific Alaska to add to their fleet of smaller Fairchild 71s flying the tough Alaskan mail routes.
The durable Pilgrim had a single-seat cockpit over a cabin that accommodated six passengers. “Remarkably, one of the Pilgrims was still flying out of Anchorage more than half a century later.” (Banning, p. 319).
During 1936, Pan Am continued to develop procedures for engines to accommodate to extreme temperature conditions and variations. Pan Am’s reach expanded in many directions in Alaska. But in one important location — Anchorage —Pacific Alaska was unable to obtain a mail contract for a foothold there. Pan Am subsequently closed operations in the Anchorage area. With a later unsuccessful attempt to obtain a contract, this was to have a lasting impact on Pan Am’s ultimate future in Alaska.
THE FAR NORTH & ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
PAN AM 1936 RADIO INSTALLATIONS
ICELAND
In August 1936,Pan Am radio operations in Iceland were initiated by radioman Paul Oscanyan who set up transmissions of meteorological information useful for Atlantic flights heading both east and west. Oscanyan and his wife were scheduled to stay there for a year ("The New York Times," Aug. 21, 1936, p. 17).
ALASKA & CANADA
According to Gene Banning, in his book, "Airlines of Pan American Since 1927" (2001), Pan Am opened new radio installations in the interior of Alaska at Tannacross, and closer to the coast at Juneau, Taku and Burwash Landing. They also extended into Canadian wilderness at Whitehorse, Yukon where PAA subsidiary Pacific Alaska flew.
PORT WASHINGTON
The German Lufthansa Dornier Do 18E flying boat (D-ABYM "Aeolus") taking off in September 1936 ("Flightglobal," 17 September 1936, p. 290, Wikipedia Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.Attribution: The Flight magazine archive from Flightglobal).
The Pan Am Marine Base in Port Washington NY, sheltered by Mahnhasset Bay, was the primary transatlantic seaplane gateway before LaGuardia Airport's marine terminal opened in 1940. According to William Masland, Pan Am had purchased a large parcel of land there in 1933 from American Aeronautical Company. The property included two hangars -- one for storage and one that PAA rented out.
By 1936, however, in the spirit of international cooperation, Pan Am decided to establish a dedicated radio circuit in one of the hangars, with Deutsche Lufthansa in Hamburg, Germany. Its purpose was to exchange meteorological and other important information for the flights of two small Dornier DoX experimental seaplanes crossing the Atlantic in September of that year —“Zephir” (landing 9/10/36) and “Aeolus” (landing 9/13/36). They successfully flew from the Azores and docked at Port Washington.
New York to Bermuda Brochure with S-42 (top of page) and Cavalier (University of Miami Special Collections).
Later on, as aircraft furthered their reach, radio ops in Port Washington continued to increase in importance. Pan Am embarked on its own S-42 flights between New York and Bermuda along with Imperial Airways aircraft. It was the Radio Operators at the Port Washington office in Jan. 21, 1939 who attempted to contact the British Royal Mail Ship Cavalier on its way from NYC to Bermuda. It lost power and was forced to ditch. In heavy seas, 285 miles southeast of NYC, it sank, with the tragic loss of three lives.
THE TRIPPES FLY ROUND-THE-WORLD
Philippine Clipper Briefcase, Museum of Maimi Collection, gift of Pan Am Historical Foundation.
TO HONG KONG, SHANGHAI & PEKING
On October 14, 1936 Pan Am's Juan Trippe and his wife, Betty, left San Francisco aboard the Martin M-130 Philippine Clipper, accompanied by a select group of associates. They were headed for China, going beyond the established San Francisco - Hawaii - Midway - Wake - Guam - Manila route, to the destinations of Macau and Hong Kong.
The Trippes flew to Shanghai in a 6-passenger Douglas Dolphin by (Pan Am Historical Foundation Collection).
The couple then ventured way beyond Hong Kong, flying north to Shanghai aboard a Douglas Dolphin using Pan Am subsidiary China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) air routes. They changed to a CNAC Douglas DC-2 to fly over China's interior to Peking (now Beijing).
CIRCLING THE GLOBE
After returning to Hong Kong, Juan and Betty continued their journey around the world aboard various airlines and vessels, stopping at many Asian destinations, through the Indian subcontinent, on to the Middle East, and finally landing in Europe.
Hindenburg arrival at Rio. Photo by Betty Trippe (Pan Am Historical Foundation Collection).
This extraordinary excursion by Juan & Betty Trippe presaged one of Juan's long-held visions of global travel going all the way around the world by air. Eleven years later Trippe's dream would come true when Pan Am initiated its first Round-The-World services with a Pan Am Lockheed Constellation.
M-130 Hawaii Clipper, painting by Dong Kingman for Pan American World Airways, (Pan Am Historical Foundation Collection).
Meantime, on October 21, 1936, Pan Am’s paid passenger service across the Pacific was launched aboard M-130 Hawaii Clipper, just about the time the Trippes first landed in Hong Kong aboard the Philippine Clipper.
1936 PASSENGERS: WHAT TO PACK 
December 1, 1936 Pan Am Timetable Cover detail (University of Miami Special Collections).
Time tables, passenger tariffs: Havana, Nassau, Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America, Hawaii, Philippines, Alaska, China, December 1, 1936.
https://digitalcollections.library.miami.edu/digital/collection/asm0341/id/21539/rec/2
Articles which Baggage Allowances Will Permit: For the average man a lightweight aeroplane fibre bag will usually accommodate the following personal articles:“TOTAL WEIGHT, 15 KILOS OR 33 LBS.-2 suits, 4 shirts, 4 underwear, ties, socks, collars, handkerchiefs, 2 pairs of shoes, toilet articles, miscellaneous.
TOTAL WEIGHT, 20 KILOS OR 44 DBS:-3 suits (two light—one heavy), 6 shirts, 6 underwear, collars, ties, socks, handkerchiefs, 2 pairs of shoes, toilet articles, miscellaneous.
TOTAL WEIGHT, 25 KILOS OR 55 LBS: 5 suits (four light—one heavy), 8 shirts, 8 underwear, collars, ties, socks, handkerchiefs, 3 pairs of shoes, toilet articles, miscellaneous.
PACKING BAGGAGE: On trips where overnight scheduled stops are to be made, baggage should be packed so that it will be necessary to remove only one bag from plane at overnight stop. Such baggage should be tagged with a yellow tag. Other baggage not needed at overnight stops will be stowed in the "hold" and should be tagged with blue tag. Yellow and blue tags for this purpose will be supplied to passengers with their tickets and it is requested that baggage be properly marked in order to avoid any delay or inconvenience.
1936 Pan Am Ad - It's a Smaller World than Ever Now! (Pan Am Historical Foundation Collection).
