November 1935

"Martin M-130's Debut"

Events Leading up to the China Clipper Journey Across the Pacific Ocean

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On October 9, 1935, the world was introduced to a new ocean transport —Pan Am’s impressive M-130 China Clipper. In that historic moment, Pan American Airways accepted the first of three powerful M-130 flying boats from Glenn L. Martin’s factory at Middle River, Maryland. During the month of October, crowds looked to the sky as the giant Clipper flew demonstrations over Washington, D.C. and above the skyline of New York City. From there, Captain Ed Musick piloted the ship southward to Dinner Key where he and the M-130 crew spent ten days testing the aircraft on PAA’s Caribbean routes against familiar winds and weather. On November 8, they set their course west  via Mexico, to Alameda, California where the China Clipper would embark on its history-making journey crossing the Pacific. Remarkably, at that time the China Clipper was on its ferry flight to California, M-130 Philippine Clipper was being launched from the Martin plant in Middle River.

November 22, 1935, Captain Ed Musick and his crew soared into history aboard the China Clipper. Amid crowds of cheering onlookers, they lifted off from San Francisco Bay and followed the horizon across the Pacific to island havens constructed by Pan Am. They landed in Manila in six days and just under 60 hours of flight time. 

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