57° DEPARTMENTS PERSONA
SCENE
They Gave Us Bruschetta So We Won’t Riot
The Bay Lights: Everything is Illuminated
BY alex may
Ahead of the Game BY carol ziogas
SPECIAL America’s Cup: Battle On the Bay Vertigo Series: San Francisco
Glamour in the Sky by Chad Medel with Andrea Stuart In 1935, a four-engine flying-boat known as The China Clipper—one of three Martin Model 130s developed by Glen L. Martin for Pan America Airlines—delved through the misty blanket covering San Francisco Bay after it embarked on its first airmail mission from Alameda. As it approached the Golden Gate Bridge—still under construction at the time—the pilots determined they could not pass the structure without colliding with it. As a result of instinctive action, the China Clipper soared beneath the incomplete bridge to avoid disaster. The small shuttle succeeded, and continued its course across the Pacific Ocean to its destination of Manila, Philippines, where they released their cargo of 110,000 letters. The China Clipper eventually etched itself into the aviation industry, becoming the gold standard for luxury travelers, having served as the “Concorde” of the era beginning in 1936. At a top speed of 180 miles per hour, the all-metal, unpressurized air beast flew passengers and mail more than 3 million miles before its demise in 1945. The aircraft has since been recognized as an icon of its time by the entertainment industry and by aviation enthusiasts.
COVER 1936 Pan Am China Clipper. Image courtesy of Library of Congress. Artistically retouched by Luke Lamar.
Cal Shake’s 18th Annual Gala: One Great Party JLSF Fashion Showcase
COMMUNITY Charting a Course for the Arts BY Andrea Stuart