“OVERNIGHT TO HAWAII” 1940 PAN AM CLIPPER PROMO FILM FLYING ROUTES TO THE ORIENT XD54704
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Presented by Pan American Airways System, this pre-war promotional documentary film is titled “Overnight to Hawaii” chronicles a Pan Am Clipper Flight from San Francisco to Honolulu and eventually China. The film highlights the pre-World War II flight paths of Pan Am along the Pacific and offers the viewer a life-like experience of being on board. The film underscores the company’s “Clipper Era” from 1931-1946 characterized by the 28 Clippers carrying different nicknames that symbolized Pan Am and served Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Founded in 1927, Pan Am was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for much of the 20th century.
Pan American base of operations, Miami (0:45). Pan Am Pacific Terminal, San Francisco (0:58). Pan Am Atlantic Base, New York City (1:04). Boeing 314 Clipper Plane servicing China, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia (1:22). Pan Am 314 Dixie Clipper flying over Alaska (1:34). 4-Engine Clipper servicing Caribbean: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Trinidad and the east coast of South America (1:43). Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (2:02). 42-ton Boeing Clipper (2:11). Map displaying Pan Am’s flight paths (2:21). Pan Am Clipper Planes used in World War II (2:42). The story of the pre-war Trans-Pacific route (3:42). 1936 Pan Am Chevrolet Limousine (3:47). Shipment of baby chicks (4:13). Arrival of United States Air Mail on the tarmac (4:44). Spectacle of clipper ships’ take off (5:32). Explanation of engine technology (7:07). Interior of Clipper (7:52). San Francisco (8:06). Golden Gate Bridge (8:54). Map of flight path (9:41). In-flight meals (9:49). Plane cockpit (10:51). Passenger entertainment (12:03). Arrival in Hawaii, flower lays (13:20). Hula dancer (14:06). Honolulu (14:32). Iolani Palace (14:50). Statue of King Kamehameha (14:57). Nuuanu - Punchbowl, views of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific (15:06). Pali Lookout (15:32). Pineapple farm (15:56). US2321387A Pineapple Harvester invented by Kermit J Jackson (16:01). Sugar industry (16:21). Diamond Hen (16:57). Waikiki Beach (17:14). Outrigger canoes made by Koa Trees (18:18). Surfing (18:49). Midway Atoll (20:01). Pan Am Midway Hotel (20:34). Aquatic bird-life of the island (21:13). Gooney Birds (21:59). Gooney Gulf (23:23). Passing International Date Line (24:20). Chemical garden of Wake Island (25:13). Wake Island railroad (25:49). Big-game fishing (26:36). Wake’s Lagoon (27:53). Coral reef and aquatic life: trigger fish or humuhumunukunuku apawa, squirrel fish, butterfly fish, prisoner fish, hermit crab (28:21). Guam (30:31). Old Cathedral (31:06). Guam traditional dress (31:15). Guam houses (32:47). Fandango dance (33:14). Manila (33:35). View from sky of Island of Luzon, Manila, and Pasig River (33:49). Landing in Cavite Manila Bay (34:28). Manila Legislative Building/ National Museum of Fine Arts (34:55). Horse-drawn carriages (35:07). Business section of Manila (35:21). The Manila Cathedral (35:39). Outdoor market (35:58). Pagsanjan Falls (36:25). Rice Terraces of Banaue of High Mountains of Northern Luzon inhabited by the Igorot People (37:54). The Igorot “Head Dance” (38:18). Sulu Sea - Sultan of Sulu (39:31). Basilian houses of the Morrows (39:41). Mohammedan wedding procession (39:53). Fleet of Vinta boats (41:50). Journey across China Sea to China and Macau (42:39). View of Macau from along the Canton River (42:57). The Temple of The Goddess Amma Queen of The Heaven (43:23). Traditional festival (43:42). Trade (44:05). Junks - traditional Chinese ship (44:31). Hong Kong, Victoria Island (45:14). Aerial view of Hong Kong’s Bay (45:39). Role of women in local industry (46:30). Daily life (46:54). Traditional Chinese funeral (47:13). Commercial section of Hong Kong - statute of Queen Victoria (48:30). Building for The National City Bank of New York (48:51). A Chinese National Airways plane lands after traveling from Tibet at Kai Tak Airport (58:56).
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As a former Pan Am flight attendant from 1978-1990, this video gave me goosebumps of joy and great memories. Pan Am was not just an airline...we were a culture...and this video shows how far back that went. Incredible memories of having worked with Pan Am will last forever as will the friendships I made with other Pan Amers over the years.
Feel sorry for everyone that lost everything when they closed their doors overnight ,I worked for TWA as a mechanic showed up to work one morning and was told everyone was to clean out their lockers and were escorted off the premises everything was gone pension retirement 401 k gone without any explanation some folks had 40+ years all gone PanAm employees went in the same fashion , I hope you didn’t suffer the same fate ☠️✈️
Thanks for sharing your TWA story. I had a very good friend who was a TWA flight attendant based at JFK and it really helped that so many TWA employees were able to understand things at PanAm better than those at other airlines. Fortunately, I saw the handwriting on the wall a few months before the actual demise and left at that time so I didn't witness the kind of thing you so accurately described. Appreciate your reply.@@Cola64
I have a good friend who was a Pan Am flight attendant. Her name is Ellie Nicklewicz. By any chance did you know her?
I ran that name through my memory bank and while I can remember someone named Ellie, I can't be sure of the last name. Often, it's the first name that stays with you more readily. I was based at JFK in New York. Was your friend based there or elsewhere?@@bsmy84
My wife and I went on our Honeymoon to Paris on Pan Ams "China Clipper" that was the name of the plane and the Pilot took time to talk to me
it was 1985 great Memory
My father is the young man in the sailor cap, taking the train from Wilkes Island to Peale Island (25.51). He is also shown diving from a small sailboat (2754). He was the assistant airport manager for Pan Am on Wake Island in 1939.
That is fantastic to have him on video way back then
I grew up in the 70's in Australia and remember the Pan Am vs Qantas rivalry
Thanks for mentioning this. It really personalizes these old films. Pretty cool!
just a curious question, what were his wages as Asst. Airport Manager at that time?
I was just a baby when my father was stationed in Hawaii as an officer in the Navy. My mother bundled me up and we flew across the Pacific in a Clipper dubbed the "diaper special". It was a flight specifically for military dependents. Too bad I was too young to remember any of that.
How did you remember that then?
@@derrickwillie4449 Because maybe he was told that by his mother and father and they have pictures and diaries of the deal...how the hell else do you think he did?
@@KB-ke3fi he/she could have made up that story.
@@wulfhere83 23 likes on TH-cam
@@derrickwillie4449yours is the ridiculous comment of a smarty pants.
The true pioneers of air travel. I still marvel at all Pan Am accomplished during its existence.
Imagine the turbulence at 8,000 feet, and the noise. This onboard scenes aren't realistic.
My whole life up to 18 years ('32 - '50) was spent on the edge of Keehi Lagoon. The flying boats flew over my house so low that that it shook up the whole house. I could still hear the rattle of the dishes till this day. Keehi Lagoon was my playground on and off shore.
Fantastic thanks!
Thats a great childhood memory.
That was a Catalina base during WWII.
They were hunting for IJN subs that never showed.
@Mister Google Makes sense to me. They’re saying that they spent the entirety of their first 18 years of life there.
@@Sashazur yes it makes sense all right. Yet the slight ambiguity leaves room for humour. Saying "the entirety of my first 18 years....." would have eliminated all ambiguity. But yeah- it's fine; and Grammar Nazi is done. Carry on.
I was a flight crew member on the 777. United inherited the Pan American flying boat routes. From HNL to Tokyo you would often see Midway used for emergency diversion only. From HNL to Guam you would often see Wake, which served the same purpose. If you went Southwest from HNL you would fly over Fiji and American Samoa to Sydney or Auckland. Specks in the Ocean developed by Pan Am, the pioneers of Pacific air travel. A true privilege to stand with respect on the shoulders of giants.
There was a good, recent TV bio on Tripp.
I always thought the pioneer of air travel was Howard Hughes. Yes, I believe he was. A TWA guy.
I flew from Detroit to Narita then to Guam, we hugged the Russian Coast after flying over Alaska I believe. Narita to Guam was a trip to remember, tiny plane.
How old are you?
I think I remember seeing a Continental Airlines route-map showing routes accross the South Pacific.
I guess 'United' has those route now too.
Love it ! “Passing the Golden Gate and its *NEW* Bridge!”
That was better than nowadays. 🤚. I am an old man missing this fantastic period. Cheers from France to all the people from my generation ……
Sorry, but i dont think it was better for all people, it was good for the wealthy, at least today most people live in decent conditions compared to those old days .
We were such a civil, well mannered society back then.
I have to chuckle at the voice over -- voice over nothing. The engines back then were LOUD... their vibration very noticeable.
There was only one-class of ticket: 1st Class -- with an epic price tag to match.
It was MAIL that made the flight viable. For the times, this was Priority Mail + FedEx.
The war changed aircraft technology so fast that the post-war world was utterly different.
Sea planes couldn't compete.
Here's something neat - the nominal price of air travel has grown by less than one percent per annum since the 1940s. My family and I came out to Australia in 1969 and one of us found a site that listed the cost of air fares back then and found that it was around $900 per person, not far off the $1200 pp you might pay today off peak. What has changed is that $900 in 1969 was a LOT more than it is today.
Although you didn't need an airport for a flying boat, a flying boat supposedly had to be built heavier to be able to withstand landing on water. And anyway, you had to have the water.
Be that as it may be, I wonder whatever happened to them after they went out of service. And also, when the last commercial flying boat flew a route.
@@kennethquesenberry2610 Some of the smaller intermediate sized planes could land on water or runways... One of the advantages of flying boats, was that it is impossible to destroy their 'runways'.... Another advantage they had is they could land in the middle of the ocean in case of an emergency onboard, and no problem, a ship of repair people could be sent with parts and personnel to repair it... If it was a civilian flight, that plane could safely off-load it's passengers and their luggage onto a ship passing by, to get them to safety...Another HUGE military advantage they had , was they could land in the middle of the ocean and transfer fuel to or from another ocean vessel, and greatly extend it's range by doing that... Several of those advantages are exclusive to flying ships/boats...
@@kennethquesenberry2610 I saw some other TH-cam video documentary about the Clippers, and in the comments, someone asked what Air museum can he go to, to see one of the Boeing flying boats, and he said "none", they were all scrapped. He didn't say why. What a terrible thing to do. I think in his video, that there were other US airlines that bought these Airplanes besides Pan AM. I think one was TWA. I don't remember what the title of video was. It was like a good documentary of the Airplanes. 🙂
@@brucebillington8336 There are a few flying boats still in existence, although I don't know if any are the big Boeings. The Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia (part of the Smithsonian) has two flying boats. One is a Grumman Goose, which is a relatively small airplane. It also has a Sikorsky JRS-1, a larger airplane, but not the size of the old Boeings. But both of those are real flying boats. There are also two or three floatplanes.
I grew up in a small town in West Virginia that was at least big enough to have an airfield. Not an airport, just an airfield with a gravel runway. It was just privately owned aircraft that operated from there. One of the airplanes was a flying boat! Don't know what it was but it had a distinctive body, and a single engine behind the cabin, mounted up high. That was in the 1950s. Somewhere I have a small photo taken probably at Virginia Beach, probably around WWI, give or take a few years, based on how people are dressed. The photo is about 3x3 inches. I happened to notice that out in the water was a seaplane of some sort, I think a biplane, but the photo is poor, yet pretty interesting.
I was stationed at the Midway Islands (it is TWO islands named "Sand" and "Eastern") from 1966 to 1968. Yes, the "gooney birds" were indeed the Layson Albatross. But there were also the black footed albatross which were also on the island in lower numbers. Very similar to the Layson except for coloring. Of course, the dancing is a mating ritual. What they didn't show (as many films do) is how they can sort of crash land. This really only happens the first day or two after coming back to the island after being at sea for many months. They get accustomed to just gliding down on the water. When they do that on land, the ground trips them up. They quickly re-adjust and then almost always land successfully by going into a final stall just inches above the ground and then settling down vertically.
@@My_Fair_Lady Why do you make that charge? Midway--an atoll, actually, consisting of a barrier reef, a number of sandy islets, and the much larger Sand and Eastern Islands--was used extensively during the Vietnam War (and previously during the Korean War).
@@My_Fair_Lady You don't seem to understand that I could have lived at Midway (18 months actually) AND also seen some of the many films presented on TV and now on TH-cam over the years. I was a Naval Electronics Technician assigned to the Naval Communications Unit at Midway, and more specifically, at the transmitter site on Sand Island. In fact, that is how I know the videos of them crashing are selective because I have seen countless clean landings once they become accustomed to being on land again. You can see photos I took there of the transmitter site, transmitters, and the antenna field that I have provided to several Navy Radio and Midway Island sites. Just search for something like my name plus "navy radio". Your claim that I am a "liar" is ludicrous and unfounded. Also, I am a "he", not a "she."
@@oarsteed Thank you for noticing that the remark by "C E" was unfounded. You just get all types on "social media" (often antisocial). Yes, I was there during the Vietnam era as my first tour of duty. The USS Norton Sound AVM-1 was my second tour. There were about 3,000 military on Sand and Eastern Islands. And a small number of civilians such as schoolteachers, those who worked in the Navy Exchange (the store, supermarket, etc.) and dependents. And then there were the four antenna maintainers which were civilians and were all Hawaiin.
Thinking about Wisdom the Laysan Albatross - who is at least 71 years old and quite possibly older - it's not out of the realm of possibility that some of the baby albatrosses seen in this film (and in John Ford's documentary The Battle of Midway) may still be living today.
Do those birds migrate to/from Sam Francisco? My Dad once said there was an island Navy ammo depot with gooney birds there during the war.
My mom would take us to the SF terminal to greet my father on his return from Japan and the Philippines after the war. He would disembark loaded with gifts. We had Pan Am memorabilia around the house for years. What an age
The story of Pan Am 314 is a very good read. Cut off from return to SF at the start of the war they flew around the world to NY. The problems they dealt with and the ingenuity they used was amazing.
I saw that story on The History Guy a few days ago!
Still not sure why their story hasn't been turned into a movie by now.
Anywhere specific in NY? Probably NYC.
Do you have a link to the read? Sounds amazing.
@@kindnessfirst9670 The Marine Terminal at La Guardia.
I visited Wake a few years ago; my military plane landed there for fuel. We got a tour around the island by the installation commander. Fascinating.
In 89 we were “allegedly” on a search & rescue reconnaissance mission out of the Philippines when we had to land on Midway. The base commander met our C130, driving a golf cart and wearing shorts and a faded Hawaiian shirt. It’s funny, I don’t recall the refueling as much as I remember all the cases of liquor and meats that was delivered.
My Uncle, Emil Kissel, was a flight engineer on these clippers. During the war, they were used to fly important cargo and people between Natal, Brazil to Liberia in Africa. This was because many ships were sunk crossing the ocean. Once better planes were able to escort these ships, the clippers were retired.
By the time you get through TSA, and all the other stuff, it takes just as long to get to Hawaii now as it did in 1940.😅
It was the Golden Age of Aviation, Air Travel Was an Adventure Back Then ! If You Could Afford it ! Great Video, Thanks for Sharing !
"Will that be smoking or no smoking, ma'am ? "
" Actually you know what, I prefer to smoke at the dinner table "
I was the last civilian (completely by random) to cross that eastern span of the SF bay bridge shown in the film before it was replaced
Modern travel is not romantic like it was in the days of PAN AM. In those days, the flight itself was part of the adventure. You could stroll casually about the cabin, play a round of cards or have a Mai Tai. Smoking and talking with fellow passengers was a thing, although we don't do the smoking bit anymore. It was all a relaxed and comfortable experience. In other words, the journey was just as enjoyable as the vacation itself. In the modern era, the journey is quick but devoid of any class or style.
have a look at the videos of Etihad's The Residence. Absolutely loaded with class and style.
If you had the money for it. And it was a LOT of money.
It’s all a trade off. Flying today is much faster, much cheaper, and much safer. If you still want to pay thru the nose you can go first class though how luxurious that is depends a lot on the airline. First class on USA airlines is McDonald’s compared to some Asian ones.
And much less dangerous!@@Sashazur
Because you are flying in economy class. Ive been lucky to be able to fly business / first class since I turned 19. Fully paid by my parents, and now paying these trips myself.
Pretty haunting to hear past tense used throughout to describe scenes that had been filmed just a year or two earlier, because the world depicted had already vanished and been replaced by the horrors of WWII.
My grandmother was one of the first stewardesses. She said that in the days before radar they had to circle in foggy conditions forever. She wasn't in the greatest marriage either.
The "huge Atlantic base in New York" at 1:12 is the Marine Terminal at La Guardia Field. It's been repurposed, but it's still there.
Thank you. I was wondering where that was. Didn't realize these planes all took off and landed on water.
Amazing how bad things have gotten over the years. I remember flying on Pan Am in the jet era, they sure understood customer service and how to treat “guests”. That’s the way they used to treat us as “guests” not as “live cargo” as the airlines do today. This is amazing these flying boats were ultra luxurious!
I don't see what's bad about it. A transatlantic flight in 1940 cost the equivalent of $6000 today (one way!). Flying went from being something that was only for the wealthy to something that is far more accessible today, albeit by sacrificing some comfort. And if you want to be pampered, you can drop the cash for a first class ticket (and still be paying less than in the 40s adjusted for inflation).
Gave up on flying years ago when it turned into a disgusting mess.
Propeller planes took me and mom to Europe in the 1960s. The pilots let me into the cockpit as a little boy. Flying up until the 90s was tolerable. I switched to RV travel recently and stay stateside now.
Bizarre. You can fly TODAY in ultra luxury for less money first class. Better seat, food and flying timel
Well the customers back then had respect for the airline personal ... now they think they are owed everything and are rude and belligerent. Would say a different class of people but many of the travelers now have NO class !!!
Great color footage from the 1940s!
I hope everyone understands the "cabin" shots were filmed on a movie set on dry land.That doesn't take away from the sheer civility and luxury that those travelers experienced
Yeah, too bad. Would love to see the interior from that time period in actual use.
No different from today’s shooting of commercials.
Well thanks for spoiling my viewing experience, Dougy downer. Lol!
I hope for world peace. To each their own.
It was my impression as I viewed what looked like a house room.
Never could fly with pan am , but I love pan am. As a kid when I flew from Frankfurt to Tunisia saw all times Pan Am 747, 737 and 727, later also the A310. The plane and also pilot and purser dresses gave me an such impression that now as a sim pilot recreated the PA fleet and fly constantly original routes. I'm in love with pan am. Was a sign of freedom and elegance and and and when a PA landed on an airport. Never forget , pan am is in our hearts
Ken Follet's Night Over Water uses a clipper for its setting and what a story!
I've read it!
Those were the days. When people had style and manners. Everything is clean and organized and functioning. Watching films frome these days back then I can't help but thinking that society is regressing with an alarming speed.
You are viewing air travel from a time when the people who could afford to fly could also afford style and manners. Do you know what a trans-Pacific flight on a Boeing 314 cost? The average flight from L.A. to Boston in 1941 was worth $4,539.24 per person in today’s money, and it would have taken 15 hours and 15 minutes with 12 stops along the way. Postwar, when air travel expanded to include more of the hoi polloi, meant that it changed along with everything else. Going back is not an option. Oh, and welcome to 2024!
@@mencken8 "Going back" is absolutely an option. There is (just for example) NO need for 18-20 year old kids fresh out of high school flying around the world just for fun, because "that's what people do". Flying is pure luxury ... and people should get used to the actual worth and costs of things ... and especially how much WORK it takes until you can AFFORD such luxury.
@@ulrichschnier307 I’m afraid I don’t see how this applies to my point, which had nothing to do with younger people flying. The postwar revolution in air travel was fueled by the war itself, and unstoppable. First there were the dozens of airports with long runways built during the war to accommodate the fleets of heavy bombers, perfect for large passenger planes. Second, there was the jet engine, also a product of that war, which made air travel much faster and more reliable. Third, a rising standard of living which lent time and disposable income to pursue leisure travel. Fourth, of course, the expansion and exploitation of oil reserves worldwide, making cheap fuel available. Given these things, the result was predictable, and resulted in a “golden age” of air travel and tourism, at least numerically. I’m guessing that time is coming to an end, but what will replace it I neither know nor care, since I won’t be around to see it. But I’m completely sure there will be no return to the past. History doesn’t repeat itself, people just repeat certain behaviors.
@@ulrichschnier307 am with you,bro!
Sir, this is a commercial
They were basically flying luxury hotels. The cost to fly one way from San Francisco to Hong Kong in 1940 was $760 - nearly $15,000 today.
Wow $15,000 makes sense with a dozen flight crew plus all the other onboard staff, never mind all the fuel that would be burnt up in five days. For The wealthy only!
I flew a lot in my life (as a passenger, in addition to being a pilot myself)..but the degradation between even 1970's flights and today's, are barely comparable. In the days of 'you could smoke on passenger aircraft', you also had about 6-inches more leg room, wider seats, very polite service, better (and more frequent) service...and we won't even talk about 'much more-accurate schedules'. By comparison, today you are paying high rates to be packed into a 'cattle car' and trucked from point-A to point-B. As for rates, well, no one ever points out that fuel is the BIG price-driver for airlines, so if fuel is high, so are tickets. If fuel stays pegged at some fixed percentage of 'mean income', then the tickets will also stay relatively stable...and airfare is ALWAYS equal to rail and MAYBE 5% more than driving. If a flight is 'in-country' and less than 3-hours in length, you are NORMALLY better off to just drive it, anymore...because you don't get the 'tour', you don't get the 'friendly service'...just 'shut up, sit down, get this over with'...fly with a private pilot sometime, and understand 'what was' versus 'what is'...it will really wake you up!
Yep, since the 1970s, most things about flying have gone backwards. Worse comfort, worse service, worse food (if you even can get any), worse and slower airport experience because of the mostly useless security. And the flights aren’t any faster, in fact they are often slower to save fuel. But flying is much safer, and cheaper.
Amazing planes and great footage of the past.
What a wonderful world it was with only 2.2 billion humans on planet - everything was better!
Are you mad? It was a shithole for the vast majority.
“Ultra-modern terminals.” It does look lovely by comparison. I never realized those flying boats were that large.
Those are Howard Hughes flying boats. It all came from his work and vision.
Actually,those flying boats were built by Sikorsky, Martin, and Boeing. The plane featured here is a Boeing 314 Clipper. Howard Hughes was responsible for the Lockheed Constellation. His only flying boat was the Hughes H-1 which people nicknamed the spruce Goose. It only flew once in 1947.
Thats how Indiana Jones got to the Far East in the late 30's :)
This was back when flying was a major event you got dressed up for. You dressed for dinner and all.
Today we travel with bums.
Very rich people did dress well. You had to be very rich to fly.
I always like the history of the Pan Am clipper ship and all the beautiful countries and all the supplies they took and the people who flew with the pilots I 1940
At first you think is the Ed Wood version of some Pan-Am backed short subject, then you realize, "These were the true pioneers of commercial aviation, lumbering flying boats that seemed to have a head wind no matter their course." Did you see how many crew men they had on board? They had to have such large crews to carry all the balls it took to FLY ACROSS THE PACIFIC FREAKING OCEAN.
My respects, but one more question... where is the motion picture? Are you kidding me? What an era! Spanning the late-thirties until the Connie and DC-4 paved the way for a completely new idea of civil aviation. But there's just too much history, romance and excitement at 8 thousand feet to keep waiting until, you hear "...and all rows from (your row) to the back may now board..."
This film is not from 1940. They make a reference to December 7, 1941. With the statement of the use of war paint, the film most likely dates from 1942-1945.
Nope, 1938.
I always loved flying in those days, and Pam Am was the best!
This version was released in early 1942, when the Second World War postponed civilian flights to Hawaii (and other overseas destinations)- as noted at 2:17 - until after the war ended.
Yeah OK, the '1940' title date seemed dubious to me.
Right
I am thinking the surge of military personnel during the war more than made up for the lost revenues from a few flights a week
I'm not sure HOW much of a profit Pan Am made from the military for transportation of military personnel........
Thanks. Title mentions 1940 but then they mention December 1941 early on.
I also note that the narrator uses the past tense a lot as he describes the way things use to be.
My father worked for Pan Am from the early 1930's to mid 1950's. He had many a story about his trips form SF to Honolulu. He started out as a shipping manager then ended up as an executive who was responsible for opening offices across Japan and China. He said the China Clippers got all the glory but the PBYs where the work horses.
Fantastic! Just wish there were more interior shots beyond the dining area. Glad to see a little bit of the cockpit.
These are stage sets, not actual aircraft interiors.
I genuinely believe if someone was dedicated they could make a modern version of these and operate successfully. It would have to be the full package like a cruise line but as long as they priced it like a luxury cruise it would work.
If it matched the best first class experience you can get now and flew you straight to some kind of super luxurious remote seaside resort then I could see this. But you probably wouldn’t want to bring back the 3x longer flight times and having to land several times to refuel!
@@Sashazur and flying THROUGH weather rather OVER it. Not showing the effects of hours of turbulence on those gourmet meals
I would do it, just to play some Goony golf!
@@sledawgpilot Yes I forgot to mention that, these old flights were at much lower altitudes and therefore encountered a lot more turbulence.
They took dedicated and involved training to fly. Pilots were relieved when they were retired. Amazingly there were relatively few accidents and emergency landings, only one resulting in loss of life
Back when flying was civilized. Men wore suits, women, wore dresses and even gloves some times. You where treated well. Okay, it was extremely expensive to fly, but it would have been a flight of a life time. Flying Boats are so very special, both plane and boat. Ah well, those where the days.
You were treated well if you were white.
@@Sashazur You were treated well if you were black because black people were not a surprise to anyone, being here as long as we have been and almost always around white people; visa versa. Again, here you go finding any conment that dare gives a bright outlook on the time you never lived during to say anything about to begin with. You're also watching an original color video but I'm sure you and many others will mention how everything was black and white films then, like you know anything about life then.
What is amazing: at the time the USA was being normal and convincing people to go for holidays to Hawai; all Europe apart from a handful of countries was now at war and under Naz rule.
Amazed at how they got off the ground with that much weight in mail and crew, very spacious such a shame there not around today
Incredible engineering feat….but I don’t think I’d have the guts to fly on one…especially over miles of open ocean!
@@jamesmack3314at least you could land safely in the ocean and send out distress signals
@@mcshaz914 land safely in the ocean….therein lies the problem
@@jamesmack3314 there can be problems from landing, but I do feel more assure that it is capable landing in water bodies and call help
The ceiling height is amazing. Table Service. And time to enjoy it. Civilised. Today we fly in cattle trucks.
But nowadays average people can fly, back then probably only the wealthy types.
I was waiting to board a plane once and an old lady in a wheel chair who was waiting next to me leaned over and said "flying used to be so much more comfortable back in the day". Now I see what she meant!
Except flights were a lot longer - and being at lower altitude, were much more likely to have turbulence. The engines were usually noisier too.
@@Sashazur Cry me a goddamn river. What's your stupid goal here again, to teach us about an era you were never apart of. God, just say it already, just say that you can't stand anything nice being said about this era 🖕🖕🖕
I wish I could of taken that trip
have
‘could have’, not ‘could of’. Sorry, it’s a pet peeve.
The video is distinctly prior to December 7, 1941, but the narration apparently is after the start of the war.
That's where I'm confused too, clearly it took them a good time to film the original footage prior to its documentary narration. Looks like 1937-1938 in the film.
Thank you for the down load. Different from today, no meals, and packed like sardines in the new jet transport. The golden days of air travel .Just observation from a aviation viewer.
Glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the era. Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.
Meanwhile we have Air Canada where we are packed in tighter than the chicks were
I'm surprised you're still allowed to fly in Canada.
@@bertroost1675 You must be very easily surprised.
@@kenc2257 That reply surprises me.
Was a magical time in aviation. The good that came from WWII mostly was in the form of aircraft development. It would have eventually happened, just not as rapidly.
Lovely film. Loved the romance of it all. Gentler more civil times.
Such elegance. In 1940 people dressed better for the beach than a lot of people dress for work today. I love vintage films for the glimpses of the fashions.
That flight was 13,000 $ adjusted for today's money and yet the comment section is full of people who complain that people dressed better for air traveling 😅 No sh*t sherlock....given that the only ones traveling back then were the ultra rich.
I highly recommend going through thrift store and estate sales I also happen to know a lot of the older people at my church and they have given me some of their old clothes they couldn't fit into anymore I look like I'm out of a retro magazine while the youngins charge 35$ for a pair of vintage looking cheap glasses online
I have the real thing from the 50s and I got it for free can't be beat having old people as your friends their also way more lit than people generally think 😂
My sentiments exactly.
@@thegreatujothanks for putting it into perspective. A fair chunk of change there.
I remember reading that the entire round trip to China cost double the average salary in 1940. @@thegreatujo
This is absolutely fantastic!!!
Did the pilot and crew not notice that none of the engine dials were working?
Look at the food they serve at 10.01. Now your l;ucky to get a little bag of preztels.
You're thinking of domestic. On long int'l flights passengers are fed regularly, even in coach.
In the Movie “Wake Island”, Marines Robert Preston and William Bendix race to reach a glass ball in netting floating towards shore. I didn’t know the attraction that they were from Japan Fishers.
Today, you can fly non-stop from California to Honolulu in a little less than five hours.
Non stop? Where would you stop?
@@brianchisnell1548
“where would you stop?”
Santa Catalina 😉
@@citizen240 Well...there is no direct connection from Santa Catalina Island to Honolulu (you'd have to take the ferry to Long Beach, or otherwise make your way to California--or perhaps take a private airplane)
You can now fly from LAX to Sydney Australia in 15 hours. And people still complain.especially Americans.By the age of 21 mos Aussies had flown from here to London in 28 hours and never thought anything of it.And when we get there we tend to spend at least 12 months touring Europe,not 2weeks and thinking we had seen half the world.Dinner at a table for 4 and cooked in the plane,luxury.You'd pay 50Kfor that today.
@@citizen240 Flew in there once. Right seat. Incredible! Like a carrier landing.
If I had a time machine that time is where I will be
(2:45): "The gay crowds no longer throng the airport . . . arrivals and departures are unannounced . . . onetime silver bodies are now covered with weird war paint." I thought for a moment this was the documentary on Studio 54 that was next on my playlist!
As a boy in the 40s, my father was taken to Newark airport on outings just to watch the planes and the scene.
ME Too it was Perfect ORD and Cost nothing. Unreal like 10 years old then.
Same thing here, but Chicago Midway in the 60's - there was a free open air viewing deck on the terminal roof - right in the city, buildings right up to the runways. Airport still there, cool and unique.
I truly enjoy watching these videos. Are any Clipper seaplanes left? What did the tickets cost in today's dollars? Seems like the crew outnumbered the passengers. Were there any Clipper accidents? Did the crew instruct the passengers about what to do in case of a forced landing? If flying across the ocean, I would prefer to be in a Clipper if the plane had to ditch.
Outlet, the planes are all long gone.
If you're still interested a year later:
1. The planes are all gone :( But there is a recreation of the Boeing 314 in the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum.
2. The tickets varied in price quite dramatically. A flight to Hawaii in 1941 from San Francisco terminal cost $278 (about $5820 today) for one way, or $500 (about $10,469 today) for a round trip. (You can find Pan Am timetables from this period scanned and online with fares)
3. There were clipper accidents! Famously in 1943, the Yankee Clipper (a B-314) banked too hard and it's wing hit the water on landing, killing 24 of the 39 on board.
In 1938 The Hawaii Clipper (a Martin 130) went missing after departing Guam. They never found it or any trace of it.
Other Pan Am flying clippers to crash include the Philippine Clipper, the China Clipper (both M-130), the Dominican Clipper and the Samoan Clipper (both Sikorsky S-42). The Honolulu Clipper (a B-314) landed successfully after two engines failed but was damaged in towing and was sunk.
I would have enjoyed visiting these lands before the more modern world took over and in many ways ruined it. Yes we have improved in many ways but we have lost something as well. Anyway, I really enjoyed this post. Thank you.
Very few places on the globe have not been changed by human actions. Good or bad the world will not return to days of old.
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@@efromhb unless
Indeed. The previous century, despite World War II and other wars, was just the most fantastic time to be alive. Since the turn of the century, because of capitalism and the demise of morality, the world has been in a downward spiral from which, sadly, it will never recover.
@@wouterswanepoel5753 What's your suggested replacement for capitalism?
So many comments! This posting was really enjoyed by many as were their comments. My Dad was sailing with Matson, Hawaii to S F at this time. Aloha nui to all.
Because my father worked for the USSCo as an administrator, we moved around the Pacific quite frequently as my father's job demanded. Of course I only remembered the events that affected me personally-little kids memories. No doubt my parents remembered things that were important to them. Naturally, I was enriched by their reminiscing over sundowners before dinner. I believe that my basket full of memories from this time were ones I personally experienced and those I learned from my parents. How could it have been any other way. So what if people remember people and events in different ways how can these be of any interest to a smart ass pedant here on YT to make sad an pathetic comments. Go boil your balls in molten tar and then return and let everybody here know how you then feel about their business because it's sure none of yours.
When putting up with passive-smoking was taken for granted.
If I could go back in time to the 1930s, I would fly a Boeing Clipper to Honolulu and stay at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
Perhaps I shall still do one of those things. :)
Halekulani hotel is older than the Royal Hawaiian and, in my opinion, much better. Best view of Diamond Head and the best beach side entertainment (music and hula). Not to mention FREE valet parking. That will cost you $15 bucks just to park at the Royal with less of a view and not very good entertainment.
I love the charting and navigation during that time.
That tells you a lot. I was fortunate enough to get to fly to Hawaii in 1973. There were no hula girls at the Airport, and the flowers were fake. It was really something. Hawaii is so beautiful. I am jealous of the people who can afford to live there.
The first time I flew to Hawaii was in the 1990s and they gave us real flower leis when we landed. That was the first and last time that ever happened!
I flew to HI in 1975. We had a real orchid on our lunch plate. The snacks were macadamia nuts and the whole terminal was decorated Polynesian style, complete with Hawaiian music. The flight attendants wore Hawaiian attire and there was more room in coach back then, then there is in first class today! The 747, what an experience!
Wish we had these Clippers instead of the the LA Clippers.
I've done the LA to Hawaii crossing many times starting in 1973. I flew from Taiwan to LA (18.5 hours) in first class because I got thrown up on by the lady next to me. I smelled a little funny but it was a great flight. Slept like a baby.
SUMARIA,,,,,,TILL 1900A.D. . 1940,,,AIR SHIPS,,,,TODAY IN JUST 80 YEARS ,,,,,ON OUR WAY TO LIVING ON MARS....WE ARE ACCELELRATING SO FAST ,,,,WE ARE LEAVING COMPASSION BEHIND,,,!!!!
1940s trans-Pacific flying? Gosh, I hope that works out for them!
Not for the faint of heart
8000 ft in the sky! Must have been pretty bumpy flying in that weather!
Thank God Pan AM established these bases before ww2 started, saved a lot of time and lives
Lol
You might want to acquaint yourself with Magellan, cook, et al
The same major waypoints were identified and developed during the 1600s
Spanish galleons were making annual circuits between phillipines and Mexico, and Mexico to Spain (spanish main, right?)
We grabbed Hawaii as a coaling station after we nabbed all the pacific asia terrorities from spain
Shell oil (one of the 7 sisters) was created from the major Dutch Indonesia oil fields before 1910
These fields were the real target of the japanese. They attacked Singapore and pearl to neutralize the brits and us navies
Wake, Guam, Manila and Hong Kong were taken by the Japanese very early in the war and other than Wake were retaken at enormous cost to the United States military. There were civilian contractors working for PAA on Wake when the Japanese attacked, and few of them survived captivity.
It's interesting that it took overnight to fly from San Francisco to Hawaii, whereas today it only takes 5 hours to fly to Hawaii
Um….35:30 That a corner of a Starfort! Gee whiz Wally, what’s a starfort and how come we are not told about these. (Thousands of starforts across the world built by a previous unnamed civilization! The “ Spanish built these?? I don’t think so!
Oh yeah, I forgot Hawaii and Alaska were still territories until 1958.
8:55 "over the world famous Golden Gate....... With it's new bridge"
Wouldnt want to be there in 1941
Looks more like 1950 not 40
If this was made in 1940
How could they meanten Dec 7th 1941 with any significance?
It is odd to think that if you were born the year this was made, you could have died of old age. If you were a young soldier back then, you would be over 100 or dead. In a few years, it will beyond any living person's memory. It is always strange to see color footage from that time.
That flight was 13,000 $ adjusted for today's money 🤯 Yeah, the people who could buy tickets dressed nice.
Notice how smokers were smoking while eating, especially while seated directly across from non-smokers. Hard to believe today!
11:23 The fact they would take Sextant readings at night and day showed these men were truly Navigators in every sense of the word.
Bet the interior shots had to be filmed on a stage
Absolutely, those are stage sets and not actual aircraft interiors.
All of this less than forty years after the Wright Brothers and their earliest flights. Have to appreciate too the advances in engine technology in such a relatively short time.
These trans-pacific took longer than today’s flights but look so much more comfortable and enjoyable- unless you have the $, or more likely the mileage status to fly first class. If not, then it’s just an endurance contest.
That was always on my bucket list…to do a romantic overseas flight on a Clipper. But sadly (or happily), I’m too young and those planes are long gone. I am happy that smoking is not allowed on flights any longer.
What would you be willing to pay to fly this way? Like if they brought back and modernized a clipper what would be your range you'd be willing to pay?
@@dimetime35c Sadly when I fly today, I can’t afford business or first class, so I’m sure I couldn’t afford what would be a huge price to fly a Clipper today. Back in the days, weren’t those people wealthy who could do a trans-Atlantic flight in a Clipper?
@@danf321 I was asking if money wasn't an issue what range you'd think would be acceptable to you
My mother and father were the Wright Brothers.
Our trans-pacific travelers still need to fly back.
For those of you wondering why we can't have such luxury on today's airliners, the price for a ticket on one of these flights adjusted for inflation comes out to around $20K in today's money 😉😉
For that kind of money, if you could get a dozen or so people to go in with you, it would be cheaper to charter something like a Bombardier Global 6500.
People would still pay. There are luxury hotels around the world that charge that for 1 to 2 nights stay.
@@xenon54 you're correct, and there are luxury private jets offering this kind of style in travel today. But this clip depicts something different. This is a major airline advertising travel for the masses.
@@jim2laneexcept at those prices it wasn’t for the masses.
@@Sashazur that's right. The folks taking those flights back in the 50's weren't the Jones from down the street. For most of the time in the early days of airline travel the average person still took the train to get where they were going
I fit in somewhere between this and now... Sydney to London in 1971 was nearly 48 hours... I was 6 at the time...
I would have loved to be an adventurer at that time ...
A film that looks back at December 7, 1941, is a "1940" film?