See how it looked in 1935

Big Flying Boat Reaches Hawaii

In Record Time Clipper Pioneer Drops Into Honolulu Harbor After 2400-Mile Flight

By AP

HONOLULU, April 17 (AP)

The big clipper plane Pioneer alighted on Pearl Harbor, here, at 7:57 a.m., Honolulu time (1:27 p.m. eastern standard time), today, after a 2400-mile flight from Alameda, Calif.

The plane roared over Honolulu at 7:05 a.m., Honolulu time, setting a record for the east to west crossing of the Pacific. Gliding gracefully down in a wide circle, the clipper split the waters of Pearl Harbor exactly three minutes before her scheduled landing time.

The ship had spent 52 minutes cruising over the city and adjacent cane fields. It cut exactly seven hours from the best time made in the six previous crossings from California. Commander Kneffler McGinnis led a mass flight of six navy planes to the islands Jan. 11, 1934, in 24 hours and 45 minutes.

The clipper, which left Alameda at 3:50 p.m. (Pacific standard time, 6:50 p.m., eastern standard time) yesterday, reached almost 160 miles an hour at times.