Martin M-130, M-156 Flying Boat or "Clipper"
Beginning of the flight to Nepal, Raiders of the Lost Arc, 1981.
From a Bygone Travel Era
Nothing shouts “Indiana Jones” like the Martin M-130 “China Clipper” and the later model M-156 “Super Clipper.” The planes took off from and landed on water. They were known as flying boats.
The China Clipper was the first aircraft to operate commercially across the Pacific for scheduled passenger flights. Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) advertising made the planes iconic symbols of international travel, first-class amenities and the mystery of the Pacific Ocean and countries surrounding the Rim of Fire. The plane carried 10 passengers in luxury on long flights of up to 3,200 miles including sleeping quarters. For shorter runs, the aircraft was outfitted to carry 48 passengers.
Three Clippers were made, the China Clipper, the Phillipines Clipper and the Hawaii Clipper. Other manufacturers, including Boeing, made similar aircraft. Pan Am eventually owned three Boeing 314 Clippers.
Cutaway drawing of Pan American World Airways “China Clipper”
The later and larger Martin model M-156 Super Clipper was built specifically for Pan Am. One was purchased. However, a version of that M-156 was designed for Soviet military use in 1938, but Stalin was eventually not in favor of buying from America. Several Russian military officers involved in the project were executed.
War in the Pacific beginning in 1941 brought an abrupt end to the era of these magnificent passenger airplanes. They were, however, retasked during World War II to ferry military personnel, often flown by Pan Am crews who knew how to handle the sometimes dangerous water landings and takeoffs.
“(Pan Am) advertising made the planes iconic symbols of international travel, first-class amenities and the mystery of the Pacific Ocean and countries surrounding the Rim of Fire.”
By 1946, the last of the flying boats were retired as Pan Am and other airlines converted to land-based designs following construction of hundreds of airfields across the world capable of servicing long-range, heavy bombers during the war. Aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4 replaced the era of the water-based clippers.
China Clipper Flight from Raiders of the Lost Arc
1981, The Flight to Nepal, Raiders of the Lost Ark Movie.
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