Product Details

• Actors: The China Clipper
• Directors: Donald McGee
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Opposing Forces Media
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2005
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00132SVVO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,411 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Director

Opposing Forces Media, formerly C.A.V. Video Productions, is a family owned and operated business. Donald Joseph McGee started C.A.V. Video back in 1980. Donald was a historian and avid aviation enthusiast. His documentaries do not take a particular point of view. The documentaries are primarily comprised of archival film footage. You can watch history happen for yourself and form your own opinions.

Product Description

This monumental documentary is the compelling story of Pan American Airways conquest of the Pacific. It contains stunning and never before seen color archival footage of Pan Americans Airways epoch ten year, ten thousand mile conquest of the Pacific Ocean. Our story begins in 1929 with the first plane to be christened a Pan American Clipper by Mrs. Herbert Hoover. She was assisted by Pan Am's legendary founder Juan Trippe. See aviation pioneers such as Igor Sikorsky and Pan Am's technical advisor, Charles Lindbergh play integral roles in designing, the Sikorsky S-42. This was the first plane capable of trans-Pacific flight. Next see the first plane to be called the China Clipper, the beautiful Martin M-130. Witness its construction and historic first flight across the Pacific Ocean, piloted by the legendary Captain Musick in 1935. This was the beginning of the Romantic Period of flight. You'll marvel at the heroic Pan Am construction crews ability to construct island bases on Wake, Midway and Guam. Pan Am Clipper passengers and crews used these island oasises during their trans-Pacific flights. Pan Am struggled to stay financially viable until a plane was designed that could carry both passengers and mail profitably on it's Pacific routes. The plane that saved Pan Am and changed the world was the Boeing designed Model-314. With the B-314, Pan Am completed it's conquest of the Pacific and established trans-Pacific service. The B-314 was a magnificent airplane that was instrumental in creating the romantic legend of the China Clipper during America's Golden Age of Aviation. As part of this grand adventure, you'll see spectacular aviation footage of the famous seaplanes like the Sikorsky's S-40 and S-42, the Martin M-130, the Boeing Model-314 and Sikorsky's last seaplane, the VS-44A. All these planes made aviation history and contributed immeasurably to transoceanic flight. Program time: Approx. 60 minutes.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars China Clipper Martin 130 February 24, 2009

By W. Petrasek

Amazon Verified Purchase

Dear Customer Service: Thank you very much for this wonderful historic record of the Martin 130, China Clipper, as it opened the Pacific to aviation in 1935 with Pan American Airways. Juan Trippe, the president of Pan American, had great foresight along with his successful business management ability. Pan American set
the standard for all airlines in the many years of it's
existence. This wonderful tribute to the entire Pan American Airways organization is a remarkable achievement.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless footage of a bygone golden age April 17, 2010

By David J. Larson

Amazon Verified Purchase

For any Pan Am Clipper enthusiast interested in actual video footage of the "big three" golden-age Clippers (Sikorsky S-42, Martin M-130, and Boeing 314), this DVD is worth every penny of its $25 price! All three planes are introduced and shown in development, but the 314 gets the most coverage, with footage from stops across the Pacific in a travelogue style forming a large chunk of the video. The 314 is my personal favorite, so no complaints here, but some people might like to see more of the other ships (I would, too, if any film survives, of course!). I presume this DVD was transferred from an earlier video (a bit of VHS-looking fuzz at the bottom of my screen), but that and the occasional 1980's synthesized background music did not detract too much from my experience. I've found it difficult to track down video footage of these beauties, so this DVD was a fantastic treat. Even some COLOR film of the 314! Alas for being born too late to be part of this era.

Footage of pioneering Pan Am bases being built on Pacific islands, some shots of the Sikorsky S-40 and VS-44, mention of Pan Am's contribution to the WWII effort, plus brief clips of Juan Trippe, Charles Lindbergh, Igor Sikorsky, and Grace Coolidge really rounded out this bit of history nicely. 11 out of 10 from this flying boat lover--I still have a smile on my face after watching it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Perspective of Flying Boats February 17, 2011

By P. Gleszer

Amazon Verified Purchase

There are a number of well-illustrated books on flying boats and commercial operations employing them. This video provides a unique added dimension to the stories; not new information but film and still sources that expand our sense of how exceptional these huge aircraft were for their time. Still pictures and text cannot convey the drama and luxury of air travel across the Pacific. All the books I have on the Clippers and flying boats miss this emotional experience. This DVD does for Pan Am and it's brief history of Clipper operations what "Triumph of Will" does for the the history of the Nuremberg rallies