November 22, 1935: A Martin M-30 China Clipper took off from Alameda, California in an attempt to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean to Manila. Although its inaugural flight plan called for the China Clipper to fly over the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (still under construction at the time), upon take-off the pilot realized the plane would not clear the structure, and was forced to narrowly fly under instead. On November 29, the airplane reached its destination, Manila, after traveling via Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Guam, and delivered over 110,000 pieces of mail. The crew for this flight included Edwin C. Musick as Pilot and Fred Noonan as Navigator[5] The inauguration of ocean airmail service and commercial air flight across the Pacific was a significant event for both California and the world.[citation needed] Its departure point is California Historical Landmark #968 and can be found in Naval Air Station Alameda.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 02:56:11 +0000
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