# C36 - 1947 25c Plane Over Bridge
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1947 25¢ Plane over
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
China Clipper Inaugurates Trans-Pacific Airmail
Aviation in the 1920s developed at an incredible pace. Instead of the fragile wood and fabric of early biplanes, aircraft were soon being constructed of sturdy, streamlined metal propelled by increasingly light and powerful motors. As planes became more safe and reliable, people began to realize the amazing potential of flight.
US Airmail, first flown in May 1918, began regularly scheduled transcontinental flights only two years later. Commercial travel developed alongside airmail, bringing passengers to their destinations quicker and easier than ever before. But as fast as flight was progressing, the oceans still proved a formidable obstacle.
Pan American Airways had a novel solution to bring airmail and travelers to destinations without an airfield. The company began to create a fleet of seaplanes, capable of landing anywhere with a sheltered harbor. Pan Am bought out smaller airlines in Central and South America and received landing rights and mail contracts to many countries in the area (including the US Airmail contract to Cuba).
By 1930, the company was flying along both coasts of South America as far north as Buenos Aires. However, the long-distance transpacific route remained out of the airlineâs reach â a commercial seaplane capable of carrying mail and passengers across the Pacific simply didnât exist. So the president of Pan Am, Juan Trippe, appealed to the aircraft industry to create a flying boat capable of the feat.
On November 22, 1935, China Clipper left Alameda, California, carrying the first-ever transpacific airmail. Its crew included famous pilot Ed Musick and navigator Fred Noonan. (Two years later, Noonan and Amelia Earhart would disappear on their infamous attempt to cross the globe.)  China Clipper had planned to fly over the incomplete San FranciscoâOakland Bay Bridge shortly after taking off. However, the pilot realized he wouldnât make it over the bridge and flew under instead â narrowly avoiding a crash. The plane completed its historic 8,000-mile island-hopping journey across the Pacific on November 29, delivering 58 mailbags with more than 110,000 pieces of mail.
With the outbreak of WWII, the remaining two M-130 flying boats were pressed into service with the Navy. While still piloted by Pan Am employees, the flying boatsâ range and capacity made it a valuable asset to the military. At Wake Island, the Philippine Clipper survived repeated attacks by Japanese aircraft the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But just over a year later, the plane was flying Navy officers from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco when it crashed into a mountain during bad weather. Of the three original M-130 seaplanes, only the China Clipper remained.
China Clipper managed to survive its service in the war. By this time, Pan Am had newer, larger models of flying boats in service across the Pacific, so the China Clipper was transferred to the less-famous MiamiâLeopold transatlantic route. On January 8, 1945, it attempted to land at the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. The plane hit the water nose-first at a high speed, breaking its hull in two. The China Clipper quickly sank, taking 23 passengers and crew with it. Over its career, the famous plane had spent over 15,000 hours in the air, transporting around 3,500 passengers and 750,000 pounds of mail over the oceans.
Two years later, the service was extended to Hong Kong and China. A green 20¢ and a carmine 50¢ stamp were issued for this service using the same design but minus the âNovember 1935â³ inscription (#C21-22). The addition of the China route resulted in the three stamps being nicknamed the âChina Clippers.â
Click here for photos and more about the China Clipper.
Â
1947 25¢ Plane over
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
China Clipper Inaugurates Trans-Pacific Airmail
Aviation in the 1920s developed at an incredible pace. Instead of the fragile wood and fabric of early biplanes, aircraft were soon being constructed of sturdy, streamlined metal propelled by increasingly light and powerful motors. As planes became more safe and reliable, people began to realize the amazing potential of flight.
US Airmail, first flown in May 1918, began regularly scheduled transcontinental flights only two years later. Commercial travel developed alongside airmail, bringing passengers to their destinations quicker and easier than ever before. But as fast as flight was progressing, the oceans still proved a formidable obstacle.
Pan American Airways had a novel solution to bring airmail and travelers to destinations without an airfield. The company began to create a fleet of seaplanes, capable of landing anywhere with a sheltered harbor. Pan Am bought out smaller airlines in Central and South America and received landing rights and mail contracts to many countries in the area (including the US Airmail contract to Cuba).
By 1930, the company was flying along both coasts of South America as far north as Buenos Aires. However, the long-distance transpacific route remained out of the airlineâs reach â a commercial seaplane capable of carrying mail and passengers across the Pacific simply didnât exist. So the president of Pan Am, Juan Trippe, appealed to the aircraft industry to create a flying boat capable of the feat.
On November 22, 1935, China Clipper left Alameda, California, carrying the first-ever transpacific airmail. Its crew included famous pilot Ed Musick and navigator Fred Noonan. (Two years later, Noonan and Amelia Earhart would disappear on their infamous attempt to cross the globe.)  China Clipper had planned to fly over the incomplete San FranciscoâOakland Bay Bridge shortly after taking off. However, the pilot realized he wouldnât make it over the bridge and flew under instead â narrowly avoiding a crash. The plane completed its historic 8,000-mile island-hopping journey across the Pacific on November 29, delivering 58 mailbags with more than 110,000 pieces of mail.
With the outbreak of WWII, the remaining two M-130 flying boats were pressed into service with the Navy. While still piloted by Pan Am employees, the flying boatsâ range and capacity made it a valuable asset to the military. At Wake Island, the Philippine Clipper survived repeated attacks by Japanese aircraft the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But just over a year later, the plane was flying Navy officers from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco when it crashed into a mountain during bad weather. Of the three original M-130 seaplanes, only the China Clipper remained.
China Clipper managed to survive its service in the war. By this time, Pan Am had newer, larger models of flying boats in service across the Pacific, so the China Clipper was transferred to the less-famous MiamiâLeopold transatlantic route. On January 8, 1945, it attempted to land at the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. The plane hit the water nose-first at a high speed, breaking its hull in two. The China Clipper quickly sank, taking 23 passengers and crew with it. Over its career, the famous plane had spent over 15,000 hours in the air, transporting around 3,500 passengers and 750,000 pounds of mail over the oceans.
Two years later, the service was extended to Hong Kong and China. A green 20¢ and a carmine 50¢ stamp were issued for this service using the same design but minus the âNovember 1935â³ inscription (#C21-22). The addition of the China route resulted in the three stamps being nicknamed the âChina Clippers.â
Click here for photos and more about the China Clipper.