The Boeing 307 Stratoliner made it first successful flight
on December 31, 1938, followed by production deliveries to Pan American Airways (Pan-Am) and Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) in 1940. The aircraft were manned by 5 crew members, including a
flight engineer, and held capacity for 33 passengers. It was the first commercial
airliner able to provide a pressurized cabin, allowing it to fly at 20,000 feet,
and avoid many adverse weather conditions.The Clipper Flying Cloud, shown in the photograph above, was one of three delivered to Pan-Am in March 1940, and was used for commercial scheduled flights between Miami and Latin America. The Clipper Flying Cloud is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia - it's the only remaining Stratoliner in flying condition, of the original 10 ever built.
(for more photos of aircraft displayed a the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, click here.)
