Strato Clipper Pan Am: Price And History

The Boeing 307 Strato Clipper was a pressurised derivative of the B-17 Flying Fortress, with a cruising speed of 220 mph at 20,000 ft. It was the first airliner with a pressurised cabin, and was operated by Pan American Airways, who dubbed it the Stratoclipper. The Stratoclipper was not a commercial success, lacking the range to cross the Atlantic or fly non-stop across the US. The first Boeing 307 was delivered to Pan Am in Brownsville in April 1940.

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner was the first pressurised airliner

The Stratoliner was developed by Boeing and first flew in late 1938. It was based on the wings, tail, and engines of the Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress bomber. The pressurised cabin allowed the Stratoliner to fly above most bad weather, providing a faster and smoother ride. The cabin could maintain a pressure equivalent to 8,000 ft (2,400 m) when flying at 16,000 ft (4,900 m) altitude, and a 12,000 ft (3,700 m) cabin pressure when at 20,000 ft (6,100 m). The pressurisation system required extensive testing, which was carried out over many months.

The Stratoliner could carry 33 passengers in great comfort, with sleeper berths and reclining seats. The aircraft had a crew of five to six, including two pilots, a flight engineer, two flight attendants, and an optional navigator. The cruising speed was 220 mph (350 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m).

Ten Stratoliners were built. The prototype was lost in an accident, but five were delivered to TWA and three were purchased by Pan American Airways. The first TWA Stratoliner entered service on May 6, 1940, and the first Pan Am Stratoliner entered service on July 4, 1940. TWA owner Howard Hughes purchased a heavily modified version for his personal use.

The Stratoliner was derived from the B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner, also known as the Strato-Clipper in Pan American service, was an American stressed-skin, four-engine, low-wing tailwheel monoplane airliner. It was derived from the B-17 Flying Fortress, a fast and high-flying American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).

The Stratoliner's design was based on the Model 299 B-17 bomber but featured an expanded cabin, some 12 feet wide. It was the first commercial "high-altitude" (20,000 feet) pressurised aircraft, allowing it to cruise above the weather. The Stratoliner's maiden flight took place on December 31, 1938, but on March 18, 1939, the same aircraft crashed while demonstrating its capacity to fly with only some of its engines, resulting in the deaths of all ten people on board.

Following this crash, Boeing made several design modifications, including an extended dorsal fin and an enlarged vertical tail, and the aircraft re-entered commercial service in July 1940. The first customer delivery was to Howard Hughes, who prepared the aircraft for an around-the-world flight attempt, which was cancelled when Hitler invaded Poland. The Stratoliner was dubbed "The Flying Whale" and orders were placed by TWA and Pan American. Ten were produced before the outbreak of World War II.

During the war, the Stratoliner was adapted for military transport, flying officials to and from Europe. Many features of the Stratoliner were incorporated into the WWII version of the B-17 Flying Fortress. TWA used their Stratoliners to fly the New York-Los Angeles route for about 18 months before they were purchased by the Army Air Force, while Pan American Airlines continued to fly between Miami and Latin America.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was used primarily in the European Theatre of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. It was a relatively fast, high-flying, long-range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bomb load. It was also employed as a transport, antisubmarine aircraft, drone controller, and search-and-rescue aircraft. The B-17 saw early action in the Pacific War and was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight component of the Allied strategic bombing campaign over Europe.

The Stratoliner was the first high-altitude commercial transport

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner (or Strato-Clipper in Pan American service) was the first high-altitude commercial transport. It was an American stressed-skin, four-engine, low-wing tailwheel monoplane airliner derived from the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. It entered commercial service in July 1940 and was the first airliner in revenue service with a pressurised cabin, which, along with supercharged engines, allowed it to cruise above the weather.

The Stratoliner was a significant advance over its contemporaries, with a cruising speed of 220 mph at 20,000 ft compared to the Douglas DC-3's 160 mph at 8,000 ft. The Stratoliner's pressurisation system required extensive testing, and the fuselage was coated with soapy water to check for leaks. The aircraft was flown by a pilot and co-pilot, and carried a flight engineer to monitor the engines and other aircraft systems, as well as two flight attendants and an optional navigator.

The first Boeing 307 Stratoliner, registration NX19901, crashed on March 18, 1939, during a test flight, killing all ten occupants. The crash was caused by a stall and spin, which resulted in a high-speed dive. The aircraft was extensively redesigned following the crash, with an extended dorsal fin and enlarged vertical tail added to prevent rudder stall.

The first commercial flight of the Stratoliner was on July 4, 1940, with Pan American Airways, between Miami, Brownsville, Texas, and Los Angeles. The aircraft was used for Latin American routes and ranged from Miami and Los Angeles to Brazil.

The Stratoliner was the first aircraft with a flight engineer

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner, also known as the Strato-Clipper in Pan American service, was the first aircraft to have a flight engineer as part of its crew. The Stratoliner was a four-engine airliner that entered commercial service in July 1940. It was the first airliner in revenue service with a pressurised cabin, which, along with supercharged engines, allowed it to cruise above the weather.

The Stratoliner's crew of five to six included two pilots, a flight engineer, two flight attendants, and an optional navigator. The flight engineer was responsible for maintaining power settings, pressurisation, and other subsystems, allowing the pilot to focus on other aspects of flying the aircraft.

The Stratoliner's circular fuselage provided maximum space for its crew and 33 passengers. The cabin was nearly 12 feet wide and could fit comfortable berths for overnight travellers. The pressurised cabin allowed the Stratoliner to soar above rough weather at an altitude of 20,000 feet, higher than any other transport of its time.

The Stratoliner was a groundbreaking aircraft, introducing a new era in commercial aviation. It was the first four-engine airliner in scheduled domestic service and the first high-altitude commercial transport. With a cruising speed of 220 mph at 20,000 feet, it was significantly faster than its contemporaries, such as the Douglas DC-3, which had a cruising speed of 160 mph at 8,000 feet.

The Stratoliner's impact extended beyond its time, as it introduced pressurisation to commercial aviation, a feature that has become a mainstay in the industry.

The Stratoliner was the first with a pressurised cabin to enter revenue service

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner (or Strato-Clipper in Pan American service) was the first pressurised cabin aircraft to enter revenue service. It entered commercial service in July 1940, and was derived from the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

The Stratoliner was a significant advancement over its contemporaries, with a cruising speed of 220 mph at 20,000 ft, compared to the Douglas DC-3's 160 mph at 8,000 ft. The pressurised cabin, along with supercharged engines, allowed the Stratoliner to cruise above the weather and turbulence, and fly at higher altitudes.

The pressurisation system underwent extensive testing over several months, with the fuselage coated in soapy water to detect leaks. The Stratoliner's fuselage was designed to maintain a cabin pressure equivalent to 8,000 ft when flying at 16,000 ft, and 12,000 ft when at 20,000 ft. The pressurisation system allowed the aircraft to fly at a maximum altitude of 23,800 ft, and cruise at 15,000-20,000 ft.

The Stratoliner was also the first of several Boeing aircraft to use the 'strato' prefix in its name, derived from the stratosphere, the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The pressurisation technology developed for the Stratoliner was later used in the B-29 Superfortress, the first mass-produced pressurised aircraft.

The Stratoliner was very successful in airline service, with one still carrying passengers in 1986. It offered unmatched comfort, speed, and range advantages over its contemporaries, the Douglas DC-3 and Lockheed Electra. The Stratoliner's cabin was pressurised, air-conditioned, and heated, with sleeping berths, reclining seats, large windows, and separate men's and women's lavatories.

The Stratoliner was arguably the most advanced operational aircraft in the early 1940s, with power-boosted control surfaces and geared two-speed engine superchargers. It was also the first four-engine landplane airliner in US scheduled long-range service.

During World War II, the Stratoliner was taken into service by the Army Air Force as the C-75, and all eight aircraft survived their wartime service. Post-war airline service resumed in late 1945, with TWA and Pan Am operating the aircraft until 1951.

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