Talk:China Clipper

Trivia Or Not

In regards to the "China Clipper in popular culture" section being trivia or not: I don't think this section is trivia. Although it may have started out that way, the section now acts as a repository for relevant information that just doesn't fit anywhere else; info that would seem awkward or out of place if in the main body of the entry. This same approach is applied to any number of entries for TV shows and movies by using the "Production notes" section to include interesting nuggets of info that just wouldn't work well in the primary sections of the article. I find it useful and interesting (and isn't that two main goals of any article anyway?). Anyone else have an opinion?

Reverendlinux 07:34, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

"China clipper" - 19th C. sailing ships?

Weren't there a variety of sailing vessels in the Age of Sail that were "China clippers", which is where this plane got its name from? I'll do some digging, but I'm pretty certain that's the case....Skookum1 17:04, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

There were clipper ships and probably one called China Clipper. However, there doesn't seem to be any other Wiki references to a China Clipper other than the Pan Am aircraft. If/when other entries are made, a disambiguation page will be needed. --Reverendlinux 11:43, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The term "China clipper" was a general term for clipper ships that served on the China trade. Because it was a general term, I rather doubt that any such ships were actually named "China Clipper"; it would be like naming a transatlantic liner "Transatlantic Liner".

However, the plane did not get its name specifically from the China clippers (though I'm sure that was a happy coincidence), but rather from clippers in general, since all of Pan American's large flying boats were named "Clipper". Their specific names reflected the routes they served. The first ones, which linked the U.S. to Central America across the Caribbean, were thus named American Clipper, Caribbean Clipper, and Southern Clipper. Later ones serving the Caribbean had names like West Indies Clipper, Jamaica Clipper, and Antilles Clipper. If a Clipper was moved to a new route, it would be renamed accordingly. For example, one moved to the Bermuda run was named Bermuda Clipper and one moved to Alaska became Alaska Clipper

The Martin 130s on the trans-Pacific run followed this pattern. Thus they were named China Clipper, Hawaiian Clipper, and Philippine Clipper, since all three names reflected the route taken. (True, the route did not reach China itself until later, but that was always the goal.) --Colin Douglas Howell (talk) 09:19, 11 January 2015 (UTC)

Changing incorrect facts

Rather than tagging this for disputed facts, I’m making some changes. While the cause of the crash reported in the article is supported by Flight 3 May 1945 (p.468) as a collision with “a blacked-out boat during a night landing,” these facts are not contained in either the ASN source, or more importantly, the Civil Aeronautics Bureau investigation report.

Let me know if this is problematic.-Godot13 (talk) 22:23, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I get "access denied" for that CAB report. GraemeLeggett (talk) 07:21, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

Me too. I would love to read this report if anyone has a live link to it. Centpacrr (talk) 22:18, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

Interesting... if you go to the DOT Library, and click on the link for Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965) (you might have to do it without using this link), can you access the list of years? Sometimes I get access denied, and other times I have no problem accessing.--Godot13 (talk) 23:26, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

• I created an archived version here.-Godot13 (talk) 01:36, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

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Registration Number of China Clipper

I've uploaded a photo taken contemporaneously be a now deceased relative. It seems to clearly show a different registration for the china clipper than what is give here NC14718. And the other images on commons don't seem to show the registration clearly. Is there a source for the NC14716 reg apart from WP itself?

--Inas (talk) 11:46, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Looking at your photo, it seems to me you've misread the final 6 as an 8. (To be fair, the typeface they chose isn't the best to avoid such confusion.) For the civil registration of a famous airliner like this, there should definitely be other non-Wikipedia sources; here are some I found to confirm. Try this image page at the Library of Congress, download the 12.8 MB TIFF file and view it at full resolution, and you can clearly see the "6" on the tail and the name China Clipper on the nose. This image at the Smithsonian shows the registration on the wing, with the aircraft identified by name at the bottom of the photo. Also see the report on the 1945 accident that destroyed China Clipper; although it doesn't mention the aircraft by name, page 12 does give its registration. --Colin Douglas Howell (talk) 20:05, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

That's a very comprehensive argument - thanks for taking the time to put it together. --Inas (talk) 22:39, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Timmy rides the China clipper; (IA timmyrideschinac00nayc).pdf

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 06:50, 30 June 2021 (UTC)