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Martin M-130

Flying Boats and Seaplanes

The Martin M-130 is an American flying boat built by the Glenn L. Martin Company for Pan American Airways, first flown in 1935 and famous through its lead aircraft, the China Clipper, which in November 1935 inaugurated the first scheduled transpacific airmail service, flying from San Francisco to Manila by way of Hawaii, Midway, Wake and Guam. Passenger service across the same staged Pacific route followed within a few years, and the M-130 and its China Clipper name became an enduring symbol of 1930s long-distance commercial aviation and of the string of remote island bases built to support it.

Facts
Year
1934 1
Significance
One of the first aircraft types to operate transpacific routes, among the longest airline routes of the era, and later used as transports during World War II. 1
Manufacturer or Builder
Glenn L. Martin Company 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Martin M-130 - Wikipedia
  • Operational history section, first flight sentence
    The first flight was on December 30, 1934.
  • Lead paragraph, sentence 1
    The Martin M-130 was a quad-engined commercial flying boat designed and produced in 1935 by the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, for Pan American Airways.
  • Lead section, closing sentence
    In their time, they blazed trails as one of the first aircraft types to operate transpacific routes (some of the longest airline routes at the time) and also served as transports during World War II.
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