The M-130 Flying Boat
The M-130 Flying Boat was a significant technological achievement in the world of commercial aviation. It was such an achievement that elements within the Japanese Empire were concerned for what was perceived by its ability of allowing the United States to expand into the south Pacific and Asia. Long before the airline had the official go-ahead to provide passenger and air mail service across the vast ocean (a feat thought to be almost unobtainable or profitable), Pan Am was making a strong reputation as a safe and reliable air carrier.
Designed at a cost of $417,000 (today around $6,450,537) by the Glenn L. Martin Company to meet Pan Am Airway’s need for a trans-Pacific aircraft, the M-130 was to be the safest and most luxurious passenger aircraft in the world at that time. There are no indications that the three aircraft built (Philippine Clipper, Hawaii Clipper and China Clipper) ever had a mechanical or structural failure and each of the three losses had been blamed on pilot / navigational error. A revised fourth aircraft was later built for the Soviet Union and designated the M-156 for the longer range capabilities needed for the massive country. It is interesting to note that the number 130 and 156 in the aircraft designations were selected because those were the wingspans of M-130 and the M-156 respectively.
The M-130 featured an all-metal structure which employed streamlined aerodynamics and the most powerful engines of that day (Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp) to achieve Pan Am’s specifications for range and payload. It was a powerful 14 cylinder radial aircraft engine and produced 830 horse power. It utilized the most advanced method of cooling anywhere in the world by designing a unique flow of baffled air over the radial cooling fins. The Hawaii clipper received the latest versions (upgraded to 950hp) only a few weeks before she was lost which actually cause great concern for the military as the engines were considered “military grade” and were never to be left unguarded. As a measure of caution, each aircraft was towed from the water each night and housed within a hanger for maintenance as well as protection from possible saboteurs or economic spies. the engines were eventually used in famous US fighter and bomber aircraft such as the P-47 Thunderbolt, Grumman F6F and Vought F4U Corsair among others. It would be easy to understand why an opposing military would want to seize such a sophisticated engine if given the chance. Although Japan had been licensed to produce a Single Wasp engine, it was not allowed to produce the Double Wasp.
The fact of Pan Am Airways stringent maintenance program with high dedication to ensuring the safety of its passengers was paramount in the brand and identity of the airline. Having the ability land on water ( M-130′s had no wheels), the aircraft was able to service many locations around the world without the need to build or use landing strips. Thought of as a boat with wings, the cockpit was referred only to as the bridge and flying over land was kept to a strict minim. It is generally said that the pilots felt most comfortable with water rather than land under their keels for potential emergency landings so the term flying boat stuck. Each M-130 had a crew between 6-9 (Captain, First Officer, Junior Flight Officer, Engineering Officer, Assistant Engineering Officer, Radio Operator, Navigation Officer & cabin attendants) and a well thought out emergency kit with provisions. – Note; more info coming shortly
I have always had an interest in the Martin M-130 clippers.
I am 82 years old and grew up in the age of Golden Aviation.
I am interested in contact with those that also have an interest in the Clippers.
August 21, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Keep your seatbelt on Elmer, the ride is going to get very interesting.
September 29, 2011 at 5:59 PM
A friend of mine gave me a photo of the Hawaiian Clipper back in the 90′s. It is an 8×10 in good condition. It is being serviced at the time, but I have no way of knowing where. Could it be Oakland or Alameda or ??. I can send an image via Email if anyone is interested. Thanks in advance. Lee
October 4, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Thanks Lee, I have seen a few of them but there are always others that have slipped through the cracks of time. If possible, give it a scan and I’ll host it here and give you proper credit.
Best,
Guy
October 5, 2011 at 2:49 PM
Hello Guy,
I want to direct you research to “Flying the Oceans – A Pilot’s Story of Pan Am” by Horace Brock, Published by J Aronson Inc copy write 1978. Brock was a Pan Am Captain that started in flying boats and retired flying Boeing 747s. He was with the relief crew in Manila and was scheduled to fly on the Hawaii Clipper back to Alameda July, 1938, as 1st Officer. Brock was of the opinion that a tropical storm brought the clipper down.
Brock had flown with Captain Leo Terletsky during a tropical storm and refused to fly with him again. Pan Am’s Chief Engineer, Andree Priester, wanted to pull Terletsky’s credentials. Most flight crew refuse to fly with him. However, Terletsky was a close personal friend of Igor Sikorsky (they were both White Russian Expats). Sikorsky pressured Trippe to retain Terletsky. Remember that Sikorsky provided 95% of the planes Pan Am flew in 1938.
Here is another consideration. Captain Ed Musick was Pan Am’s chief pilot and told biographer, William S. Grooch, From crate to clipper with Captain Musick, pioneer pilot, Longmans Green and co; First Edition edition 1939, that the M-130 was unstable on every axis and exhausting to fly. Brock also speaks to that in his book.
As fun as it is to speculate about something nefarious, I firmly believe that Terletsky lost situational awareness in the storm and flew that clipper into the ocean. Big ocean – small clipper. It’s the stuff of fiction and not supported by facts. That said, I will follow your research with great interest and wish you success.
Contact me through my website if I can be of any service,
Cheers! Jamie Dodson, Author of the award winning Flying Boats & Spies. http://www.nickgrantadventures.com
October 28, 2011 at 8:53 PM
Excellent! I love this exchange of information, it is truly the type of treasure that makes this project alive. You bring out some points I have seen before, especially the reality that Leo was a nervous flyer and frequently depended on his first officer to lend their confidence into his decision making. Mark Walker, the first officer on trip 229, was an extremely competent pilot and knew well Terletsky’s limitations. I personally believe he knew his own strentghst and was sure he could counter balance Leo’s low self confidence. With that being understood, it still does not explain the eye-witness testimonies and multiple accounts of the crew being burried in a concrete slab in Truk Lagoon. IF, and it is a HUGE if, there are 15 Americans in that slab that I stood on last year, and thru DNA confirmation, then, perhaps the crew of the Hawaii Clipper met a fate more gruesome than crashing ar sea. Stay tuned!
November 24, 2011 at 1:03 AM
Glad that you liked it beacuse I posted it again – dooh! I missed your reply. Oh well, I will post your site to my FACEBOOK Page and my website. Sorry to clutter your webpage.
Have you read Robert Gandt’s “SKYGODS, The Fall of Pan Am”? (http://gandt.com/) By all acounts Walker was a good pilot but Terletsky was a SKYGOD and not likely to listen to a mere First Officer.
Best of luck finding the answers to an amazing mystery, Jamie
January 31, 2012 at 5:11 PM
BRAVO GUY! You will find your answers, I am sure of it.
December 4, 2011 at 7:59 PM
Hello Diana, Your grandfather was my fathers first cousin. My grandfather, Victor, was uncle to Jose Maria Sauceda.
December 21, 2011 at 3:41 PM
Victor, I sure would appreciate it if you would get on our family Facebook page. I would very much like to chat with you about family ties over on FB so as not to fill up Guy’s site with our family history. Hope to see you at our Somerset Sauceda Family Facebook page.
February 21, 2012 at 6:16 AM