Pan American Airways began a new era of scheduled trans-Atlantic passenger air service on June 28, 1939. Its Dixie Clipper “flying boat” began its inaugural flight along Pan Am’s newly established route between New York and Marseilles, France, via the south Atlantic Ocean.
Almost 5,000 people saw the Dixie Clipper’s initial takeoff from Port Washington, New York. The airplane’s initial flight on the new route began at 1:59 p.m. on June 28, 1939. There were 22 passengers and 12 crew members on...