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| Tagus River emptying into the Atlantic ocean as seen from a Pan Am clipper 1940. Google Arts & Culture Life Pan Am Clipper |
With such a Hight LIFE begins this "America and The World" issue. not only because it makes a swift and dramatic transit from the troubled peace of the U.S. to the war world of Europe. but also because it signifies better than anything else what a narrow harrier the Atlantic Ocean has become between the two continents.
No one knew, when Pan American sent the first Clipper off last spring, how vital this transatlantic service would suddenly become. It was war which put the Clippers over. Flying the Atlantic changed, almost overnight, from adventure to the fastest, pleasantest, even the safest, way to get to Europe. For Pan American last winter was an airline's nightmare.
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| Dixie Clipper completes first transatlantic passenger flight New York to Lisbon, Portugal, June 29, 1939 / Boeing B-314, John T. McCoy Painting of 1939. Port Washington Aviation History |
Weather over the Atlantic was the worst in 75 years and, while storms seldom stop the Clippers, high waves in !forts harbor hold them up for weeks on end. The New York landing base froze over, then Baltimore, then Norfolk, then Charleston, finally forcing the Clipper to land at Miami.
Mail piled up by unforeseen tons, passengers fought for seats and the British censors searched all mail at Bermuda until March, when Pan American cut out its Bermuda stop. From this hectic winter Pan American has emerged with flying colors and a perfect record. Under the greatest pressure it stuck to the strictest safety standards.
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| Boeing B-314, Pan Am Clipper Service. |
War weeded out the casual voyagers, leaving only those with pressing reason to travel. Since last September the Clippers have been the best internation-al club in the world. Dues are high ($893 one way), though no higher than the best cabins on the best liners. Members are invariably interesting. often head-line names.
There is excellent conversation in three or four languages, and a striking absence of social ice to break, for the air and the war combine to produce an easy good fellowship of the Atlantic traveling elite.
LIFE has been privileged to take the first pictures of a Clipper flight. On this flight the Atlantic Clipper carried 948 lb. of mail and 18 passengers.
These were: Archduke Otto of Habsburg, pretender to the Austro-Hungarian throne: Eve Curie; Charles Rist, French Government economist: three other Frenchmen; a Swiss lady returning from Palm Beach; a beautiful American girl going to join her British husband, an R. A. F. flier: two Portuguese; a Dutch engineer: Otto's aide; four American businessmen; and LIFE's Photographer Bernard Hoffman and Associate Editor Joseph J. Thorndike Jr.
Waves at Horta delayed the flight over a week. But once started, it was smoother than any train ride. Passengers moved about freely in the three main cabins and lounge, fell into groups by interests and languages. ate well, slept soundly in comfortable berths. After dark the Clipper passed through a half-hour storm so smoothly that no passenger knew it until later. There is almost no feeling of movement.
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| Clipper One night in Lisbon 1941 movie 01 IMDb |
Only scary thing about the Clipper trip, for an American. is the sensation of going aboard in New York, floating in the sky for a hare 43 hours and stepping out on a continent flaming with war. (1)
Como é do conhecimento de V. Ex.as é no Cabo Ruivo, no extremo de uma extensa ponte de betão armado, que amaram os hidro-aviões da "Pan-América" e da "Overseas Airways".
Aqui, é que persiste ainda uma instalação provisória, mas possível e precisamente porque ela nao foi feita propositadamente para ser provisória, e ainda que seja certo que a complicação de formalidades para o vôo, que vão até à pesagem dos passageiros, chegando a forçar alguns a não poderem seguir viagem, obriguem, em contraste com o espírito do sistema, a demorada permanência nas instalações, a sensação que se recebe não é desagradável.
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| Annabella e Tyrone Power, dois artistas notáveis do cinema passaram há dias por Lisboa, a caminho de liollywood e que lamentaram não poder demorar-se cai Portugal a fim de visitar êste belo Pais de que têm ouvido contar maravilhas. Ilustração, 16 de setembro de 1939 |
E tal se consegue porque uma bem cuidada adaptação de um edifício já existente, a sua impecável limpesa e a sua rusticidade visivelmente bem aproveitada, senão valorisada, são completadas com pormenores de instalações de serviço de bom aspecto e comodidade.
Propositadamente, deixámos para o fim os reparos que a viagem que estamos fazendo pelas diferentes espécies de instalações para Comunicações na margem do Tejo podiam aqui suscitar.
A única cousa a que sõbre esta instalação teriamos de apresentar observações — o acesso por terra — não nos referiremos, porque êste provisório deve ser realmente provisório dado que a primeira empreitada para execução dos trabalhos necessários para a construção do aeroporto definitivo, vimo-la já há tempos anunciada e que o Decreto 32.901 últimamente publicado já para tais obras consigna a verba de 8.000 contos.
O novo e definitivo aeroporto, ficará situado 1 km. a montante, na foz da Ribeira dos Olivais, onde uma larga doca de 440m x 180; subtrairá os hidros à acção desencontrada das correntes aéreas e das fluviais, principal dificuldade com que êles têm de lutar e inconveniente da actual instalação.
No terrapleno, serão construidas instalações para o serviço aéro-marítimo, que, em ante-projecto, compreenderão um edifício de estação de 100m x 20m armazens, hangars, depósitos, etc., conjunto enquadrado num arranjo urbanístico que permitirá o acesso pela Rua de Cintura do Pôrto e pela futura Avenida Infante D. Henrique, que começando no Terreiro do Paço, passando pela frente do Edifício da antiga Alfândega, Rua João Evangelista, etc., acompanhará paralelamente a margem, dela apenas separada pela linha férrea e instalações do pôrto.
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| Aeroporto Marítimo de Lisboa, Mário Novais, 1940. flickr |
Os estrangulamentos que, em certos locais, o espaço livre apresenta, permitirão, pela ausência de Armazens, vista desembaraçada do Rio e, a partir de determinado ponto, o traçado da Avenida a meia-encosta terá, sabre todas as instalações, comandamento.
Finalmente, no arranjo a que nos referimos, uma larga Avenida permitirá outra ligação com a Cidade e directa com o Aéroporto terrestre, para onde, despedindo-nos da margem dg Tejo, nos encaminharemos agora, depois da simples, mas afigura-se-nos curiosa indicação, de que o Aéroporto Marítimo a construir, está estimado em 30.000 contos mas que só um Clipper custa entre 20 a 25.000!
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| Planta Geral do Aeroporto Marítimo de Lisboa, Mário Novais, 1940. flickr |
Pelo plano que juntamos tomarão V. Ex." conhecimento do projectado. (2)
(1) Life, June 3, 1940
(2) Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro, n.° 1352, 16 de abril de 1944
Artigos relacionados:
Dornier Do X1 no areal do Alfeite em janeiro de 1931
Mais informãção:
Na rota do Yankee Clipper
"Clippers" em Portugal
Google Arts & Culture Life Pan Am Clipper
Business Insider
Fotografias antigas do principal aeroporto de Portugal
Aeroporto Marítimo de Cabo Ruivo
A propósito dos acidentes em 1943:
Crash of a Short S.26 G-Class off Lisbon: 13 killed
Date & Time: Jan 9, 1943 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft: Short S.26 G-Class
Operator: Registration: G-AFCK Flight
Phase: Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type: Scheduled Revenue Flight Survivors: Yes
Site: Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule: Lisbon – London
MSN: S.873
YOM: 1937
Location: Lisbon Estremadura - Lisbon District
Country: Portugal
Region: Europe
Crew on board: 6
Pax on board: 9
Total fatalities: 13
Circumstances: Twenty minutes after his departure from Lisbon, bound for London, the crew encountered technical problems and decided to return to Lisbon. While descending to an altitude of 1,200 feet, the crew experienced strong vibrations and smoke spread in the cabin and the cockpit as well. The seaplane christened 'Golden Horn' went out of control and crashed into the bay, some 800 meters off shore. The radio operator and a passenger were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause: A technical failure occurred on the fourth piston of the sixth cylinder on the engine number three, causing hydraulic fluid and gasoline to spill and ignite in contact with high temperature elements. It was stated that the loss of control was due to the fact that pilots were incapacitated while part of the aircraft was on fire. Also, the number of victim was raised by the fact that the crew did not follow the emergency procedures and that passengers were neither attached nor correctly prepared for such emergency maneuver. (3)
Crash of a Boeing 314A Clipper off Lisbon: 24 killed
Date & Time: Feb 22, 1943 at 1847 LT
Type of aircraft: Boeing 314 Clipper
Operator: Registration: NC18603
Flight Phase: Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type: Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors: Yes
Site: Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule: New York – Hamilton – Horta – Lisbon – Marseille
MSN: 1990
YOM: 1939
Flight number: PA9035
Location: Lisbon Estremadura - Lisbon District
Country: Portugal
Region: Europe
Crew on board: 12
Pax on board: 27
Total fatalities: 24
Captain / Total flying hours: 14352
Captain / Total hours on type: 3278.00
Copilot / Total flying hours: 1706
Copilot / Total hours on type: 1454 Aircraft flight hours: 8505
Circumstances: The flight maintained in altitude of approximately 7000 feet until it approached the mouth of the Tagus River, approximately 11 miles from Lisbon, when a gradual let-down was made to about 600 feet. The Portuguese authorities require that this altitude be maintained from the mouth of the river to the landing area. The flight arrived over the area at about 1835 GMT (6:35 p.m. Lisbon time) 3 hours and 52 minutes after take-off from Horta and 15 minutes ahead of its estimated arrival time. Since official sunset was at 6:20 p.m., PanAm's ground crew at Lisbon had set out as usual a string of landing lights, indicating that the landing was to be made from south to north. On this particular occasion the light arrangement was slightly different from normal, since the extreme downwind (south) light, which was usually green in color, had been replaced with a white light. The only reason for this change was that the green bulb had burned out and the PanAm station substituted the white bulb. Captain Sullivan indicated in his testimony that the substitution of lights was not confusing and had no bearing on the accident. This string of five landing lights extended over a distance of approximately 4500 feet. At the time the flight arrived an the area it was still light enough for the aircraft to be observed plainly by personnel in the PanAm launch and on the shore. The PanAm launch had patrolled the landing area east of the string of landing lights and had taken its station near the red light which was the extreme upwind (north) light of the landing strip. The landing conditions and barometric pressure were given to the flight by radio at 6:35 p.m. and were acknowledged with a statement from the flight that they would want flares when both landing lights were blinked. While proceeding in a northeasterly direction, at an estimated speed of 135 knots and at an altitude of between 500 and 600 feet over the area, about 1 1/2 miles east and abeam of the center light in the string of landing lights, the aircraft made a descending, turn to the left which continued until it was headed in a westerly direction when the left wing tip skimmed along the surface of the water, dug in and the plane crashed into the river. It remained partially submerged for approximately 10 minutes, then disappeared below the surface of the river. The PanAm launch, which had been standing by for the landing, proceeded to the scene of the accident, arriving about 10 minutes later, and began rescue operations. The PanAm launch was joined by a BOAC launch (British) and another PanAm launch approximately 10 minutes later. The American actress Tamara Drasin and the American novelist Ben Robertson were killed in the crash while the actress Jane Froman was seriously injured.
Probable cause: It appears that the probable cause of this accident was an inadvertent contact of the left wing tip of the aircraft with the water while making a descending turn preparatory to landing.
cf. B3A
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