Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. Now this is a truly remarkable item. It is an engraved metal “special pass” issued for the first passenger flight following the christening of the Yankee Clipper.

This is the first flight pass for the inaugural passenger flight of the B-314 flying boat "Yankee Clipper" on March 3, 1939. The aircraft was christened by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt prior to departure. The B-314 was commissioned by Pan Am from Boeing for their transatlantic routes.

The Front of the Pass Reads:

PAA (PAA enamel logo)
PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS SYSTEM
ISSUES THIS SPECIAL PASS TO
MRS. CHARLES P. GRADDICK
FOR THE FIRST PASSENGER FLIGHT,
FOLLOWING THE CHRISTENING OF THE
YANKEE CLIPPER
BY
MRS. FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
ANACOSTIA Juan T. Trippe
MARCH 3, 1939 PRESIDENT

This pass was issued to the wife of Charles P. Graddick. Charles Graddick was the Air Mail Service Superintendent at the time.

“I AM THOROUGHLY CONVINCED that trans-Atlantic flying will grow by leaps and bounds. It is comfortable, safe, and saves a world of time. It was great and I enjoyed the trip very much."

That is how Charles P. Graddick, Superintendent of Air Mail Service, Post Office Department, briefly summed up his reactions to the historic round trip flight of the "Yankee Clipper" inaugurating air mail service. "Charlie" Graddick, who was known to hundreds of AAMS members and who flew on every air mail route in the country, was an observer and the official representative of the United States Post Office Department on first flights over the shortest and fastest trans-Atlantic route. Accompanying him as fellow passengers and observers were high government and airways officials.

This is an extremely rare and very uncommon boarding pass that is hard to come by. The pass appears to be made of bronze and measures approximately 3 ½” across and 2 ¼” wide. The reverse has a makers stamp:

STAFFORD CO
96
Fulton
ST
NEW YORK, N.Y.

The condition is great but has tarnished a little and it does have very minor surface scratches, which is to be expected. The enamel PAA insignia is great and without damage.

This would be a wonderful addition to your commercial aviation collections! Comes ready to display.

The Boeing 314 Clipper was an American long-range flying boat produced by Boeing from 1938 to 1941. One of the largest aircraft of its time, it had the range to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For its wing, Boeing re-used the design from their earlier XB-15 bomber prototype. Twelve Clippers were built, nine of which served with Pan Am.

Pan Am’s Boeing B314, the Yankee Clipper, was the first B314 allocated to the Atlantic division. It was christened by Eleanor Roosevelt on 3 March 1939. Its first visit to Foynes was on April 11, 1939 under the command of Captain Harold Gray.

The level of service on the Boeing 314 was of a very high standard. There was a 14-seat dining room with linen tablecloths, crystal glasses, and full waiter service. About 300 pounds of food would be loaded up for a transatlantic flight, with all the food prepared by two stewards.

The high level of comfort was important, as some of the westbound flights from Foynes to Botwood lasted as long as 17 hours. Passengers would find their shoes cleaned and polished overnight, and each passenger had a bed to sleep in during the flight.

The Boeing 314 Clipper’s flight deck design was groundbreaking, taking new steps to address the serious problem of crew fatigue on nonstop ocean flights. Every B314 flight had at least 11 crew members, but more often than not, they also had crew training on board.

Account from Pan Am's Clipper newsletter:
“Washington, March 3, 1939 -- The Yankee Clipper, 41-ton flagship of the Pan American Fleet which will carry America's colors in an international race of Transatlantic air supremacy, was christened today by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt in a colorful ceremony at the Naval Air Station at Anacostia.

Several thousand wide-eyed spectators watched the smiling First Lady crack a gold-trimmed bottle over the blunt nose of the all-metal, four-motored plane, largest of the world's heavier-than-air craft, and the first of six B-314s now being delivered for Pan American transoceanic services.

Water from the seven seas, rather than the customary champagne, filled the bottle. It splashed on Mrs. Roosevelt's face, white gloves, dark red suit and hat, but she and the officials on a barge in the river turned immediately to stand at attention for "The Star Spangled Banner."

Account from Pan Am's Clipper newsletter:
“Baltimore, March 26, 1939 -- Setting out on her first Atlantic crossing, a 10,000 mile inspection flight from Baltimore to Europe and return, looking toward early establishment of scheduled transatlantic service, the Yankee Clipper, new flagship of Pan American's merchant marine of the air, was in the air at 2:34 o'clock this afternoon, carrying the greatest number of persons (21) ever to take off for an Atlantic crossing in a heavier-than-air craft. Heading for the Azores, Lisbon, Marseilles, Southampton and Foynes, with the return journey scheduled to retrace this route, the B-314's mission was to check all the preparations that had been made at these five bases.”