Clyde Edward Pangborn
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| Clyde Edward Pangborn | |
| Born | October 28, 1895 Bridgeport, Washington |
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| Died | March 29, 1958 (aged 63) |
| Parents | Max Pangborn Opal Lamb |
Clyde Edward Pangborn (October 28, 1895 – March 29, 1958) also known as "Upside-Down Pangborn" was an American aviator who performed aerial stunts during the 1920s. Along with his co-pilot, Hugh Herndon, Jr., Pangborn was the first person to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean.
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[edit] Early life and World War I
Clyde Edward Pangborn, son of Max Pangborn and Opal Lamb Pangborn, was born in Bridgeport, Washington near Lake Chelan. His exact birthdate is uncertain. He used 1893, 1894, 1895, and 1896, on various documents, changing is age to appear older or younger as needed. "1895" was used on his World War I draft registration in Shoshone, Idaho. [1][2] When he was two years old, his parents divorced and he moved to Idaho with his mother. He graduated high school in 1914 and enrolled in the University of Idaho, where he studied civil engineering for two and a half years.
Following college, Pangborn worked briefly as an engineer for a mining company before joining the United States Army Air Corps as the nation entered World War I. He completed flight training, but was deemed too valuable to be risked in war, and he was subsequently stationed as a flight instructor at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. While teaching cadets how to fly the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplane, Pangborn learned to roll his plane onto its back and fly upside-down for extended periods, earning him the lifelong nickname "Upside-Down Pang" from his fellow pilots.
[edit] Exhibition flying
After the war, Pangborn took up exhibition flying and aerial acrobatics at air shows, which he would continue doing for the next nine years. Most of his performances were part of the Gates Flying Circus, of which he was an owner. Early in his career, he was injured when he fell out of a speeding car as he attempted to jump onto a flying plane; this would be his only serious injury. He received national fame after assisting in a mid-air rescue of a young stuntwoman, who had become caught on Pangborn's landing gear while attempting to skydive. During his time in the Flying Circus, Pangborn flew with over 500,000 passengers and flew nearly 125,000 miles. He also met Hugh Herndon, who would later be his co-pilot in the first trans-Pacific flight.
The Flying Circus disbanded in 1929. Pangborn continued flying with several other businesses he owned, but they all collapsed due to the onset of the Great Depression. As a result, he turned his attention to breaking world records in flight.
[edit] Failed attempt to circumnavigate globe
In 1931, Pangborn and Herndon sought to fly around the world and break the current record of 20 days and 4 hours, set by the airship Graf Zeppelin in 1929. Herndon had financial backing from his wealthy New York family. However, while they were still planning their flight, the record was broken by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty and re-established at 8 days and 15 hours. Pangborn and Herndon attempted the flight anyway, taking off from New York on July 28, 1931 in their red Bellanca Skyrocket, the Miss Veedol, but poor weather conditions forced them to abandon their efforts halfway through the trip, while in Siberia.[3]
[edit] Trans-Pacific flight
With their eyes on a $25,000 prize, Pangborn and Herndon next decided to attempt the first nonstop trans-Pacific flight. They flew from Siberia to Japan in preparation. In the spirit of documentation, Herndon took several still pictures as well as some 16mm motion pictures, which included some of Japan's naval installations. Because of the photography, combined with their inadequate documentation to enter the country (a fact they hadn't been aware of), the men were jailed. They were eventually released with a $1000 fine, but they were allowed only one chance to take off in Miss Veedol; if they returned to Japan, the plane would be confiscated and the men would return to prison.
Other complications hampered the flight. Pangborn and Herndon's maps and charts were stolen by a Japanese nationalist group who wanted a Japanese pilot to be the first to complete the endeavor. They also had extremely precise calculations for their flight, leaving no room for error; Miss Veedol had to be overweighted with fuel, way beyond the manufacturer's recommendation (650 gallons stock was expanded to 950 gallons), and they would need to abandon their landing gear after take-off to reduce drag.
Pangborn and Herndon finally took off on October 4, 1931 from Sabishiro Beach, Misawa, Aomori, Japan. Their destination was Seattle, Washington, just under 5500 miles (8500 km) away, a distance exceeding Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris by 2000 miles. Immediately after take-off, a problem arose: the device intended to jettison the landing gear partially failed. The gear was ejected, but the two root struts remained. Pangborn was forced to climb out on the wing supports barefoot at 14,000 feet in the air to remove the struts.
Due to fog in both Seattle and Spokane, Washington, Pangborn and Herndon landed in Fancher Field in East Wenatchee, Washington on October 5, 1931, after 41 hours and 15 minutes of flying. A memorial to the historic flight is located near the landing site, and a propeller damaged from the landing is on display in a Wenatchee museum. The regional airport, Pangborn Memorial (EAT) in East Wenatchee, also honors his accomplishment.
The Miss Veedol was trucked to Seattle where her landing gear was replaced. Pangborn and Herndon left from Seattle and continued to New York to complete their world flight. Although news of the flight did circulate, Pangborn did not receive much financial benefit as a result; however, he continued to fly as an airmail pilot, air racer, and a test and demonstration pilot.
[edit] World War II
When World War II struck Europe in 1939, Pangborn joined the Royal Air Force and helped organize the RAF Ferry Command, which began operations in October of 1940. The Ferry Command was responsible for flying aircraft manufactured in the United States and Canada to England to be used in the air assault on Occupied Europe. Pangborn became Senior Captain of the Ferry Command in 1941; in his time with the RAF, he flew 170 trans-Oceanic flights in almost every multi-engine plane used during the war.
[edit] Post-War
He was discharged from the RAF in 1946 and continued his career as a commercial pilot. As part of his work, he pioneered commercial flight paths and helped to develop better aircraft, among other accomplishments. At the end of his life, he was instrument-rated to fly any single or multi-engine, land or sea plane and had more than 24,000 flight hours in the cockpit from his 40 years of piloting.
[edit] Death
Clyde Pangborn died in 1958 and was laid to rest with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.[4]
[edit] Archive
His papers were archived at Washington State University. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Clyde Pangborn papers. Washington State University. Retrieved on 2008-04-28. “Clyde Edward Pangborn, son of Max Pangborn and Opal Lamb Pangborn, was born in Bridgeport, Washington; his birthdate is uncertain, with various documents indicating 1893, 1894, and 1896.”
- ^ World War I draft registration in Shoshone, Idaho
- ^ "Herndon v. Liberty", Time (magazine), Monday, May 22, 1933. Retrieved on 2008-04-28. "In July, 1931 Hugh Herndon Jr., youthful Manhattan socialite, and Clyde Edward Pangborn, hard-bitten barnstormer, took off from New York City for a speed flight around the world. ..."
- ^ Clyde Edward Pangborn. Arlington Cemetery. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
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