Clipper, Vol. 2, No. 12, September 1945

              PAH AMERICAN
LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION
VOL. 2—NO. 12	450911	Copyright, 194.5, by Pan American Airways, Ine.
SEPTEMBER, 1945

Here is all that happens when a gallon of the new fire-resistant safety aviation fuel developed jointly by Pan American World Airways and Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, is broken over a flaming torch. Instead of burning instantly, like lOQ-octane aviation gasoline, the new fuel lies dormant a moment and then, when heated by the torch, burns slowly and low. H. L. Thwaites, foreground, is pictured as he hurled the gallon of fuel against the coment block wall, at the demonstration at Dinner Key, Miami.
Night Flying in Caribbean Extended to San Juan
With completion of night flying facilities to Puerto Rico by Pan American World Airways, the international airline has added a tenth daily flight between San Juan and the United States and inaugurated daily service to the Virgin Islands.
The additional flights, linking San Juan, Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic; Port Port au Prince, Haiti; Camaguey, Cuba, and Miami, Fla., brings Pan American’s service over this route to 70 flights weekly.
Giving overnight service, Clippers leave San Juan at 9 :30 p.m., under the new additional schedule, and arrive in Miami at 5 a.m., enabling passengers to make early morning connections with northbound transportation.
Returning passengers leave Miami at noon and are in San Juan at 8:30 p.m. Clippers leave San Juan daily for Port of Spain, Trinidad, and the countries of South America linked by the 50,000 mile Pan American aerial network.
Giving St. Thomas daily service Pan American has now scheduled 14 flights weekly between the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and the United States. Clippers leave St. Thomas daily at 11:30 a.m., stop at San Juan at 12:05 p.m., arriving in Miami at 8:30 p.m. Southbound, Clippers depart from Miami at 1:30 a.m., arrive in San Juan at 10 a.m. and in St. Thomas at 11:10 a.m.
Addition of the new San Juan flight and authorization of extended night flying has enabled the international airline to spread the hours of departure and arrival at the terminal gateways over a 24 hour period.
Above shows what happens in a split second when 100-octane aviation gasoline is tossed near a flame. This particular fire was part of the demonstration to contrast this form of gasoline with the new flame-proof safety fuel.
CARGO CLIPPER SETS FLYING RECORD
Pan Americans all-cargo Clipper, serving Rio de Janeiro and other Latin American trade centers en route, chalked up a flying record for a PAA freighter when it flew the 2,811 miles between Belem and Miami in 18 hours on July 30 carrying a capacity load.
The all airexpress Clipper, with two tons of cargo in its holds left Belem at 6 a.m., arriving in Miami at midnight. Normally, the aircraft would overnight in Port of Spain, Trinidad, but because of PAA’s policy of keeping pace with the ever-increasing flow of air freight the Clipper stopped in Port of Spain for only an hour.
LIGHTED MATCHES DON’T BOTHER NEW SAFETY FUEL
Demonstration of a new fireproof aviation gasoline, developed jointly by Pan American World Airways and Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, was held for a crowd of nearly 500 at the International Pan American Airport at Dinner Key, Miami, Friday, August, 24.
Witnesses saw H. L. Thwaites, technical expert of Standard Oil. hurl a gallon jug filled with the new safety fuel against a cement block making the gasoline spill out onto a flaming torch. Instead of burning instantly, like 100-octane aviation gasoline, the fuel lay dormant a moment and then, when heated by the torch, burned slowly.
A distinguished group of Army, Navy, Municipal and safety officials, businessman, oil dealers, aviation and boat operators in the Miami area, attended the demonstration *on the bayfront opposite the hangars at the Dinner Key base.
Previous demonstrations showing the difference in the two types of fuels were held in New York and Chicago.
Practical development of the high octane safety fuel for use in aircraft engines has been hailed as one of the most important technical advances in aviation.
The new safety fuel provides a safety factor which increases utilization of commercial aircraft by making refueling in air practical for long range operations. The fuel packs all the power of 100-octane gasoline, but is so resistant to accidental ignition that a lighted match can be dropped into it without causing a fire.
“This is an important technical advance in aviation,” declared Andre Priester, chief engineer of PAA, who added that he was sure that the interest of all United States airlines and aircraft engine manufacturers would make possible the production of safety fuel in quantity at costs as reasonable as present day high octane gasoline. “Use of safety fuel may make practical safe refueling in the air, increasing the efficiency of long range operations. The mechanics by which two aircraft may be linked in the air by a refueling hose has been developed,” he added.
Seeking to reduce to a minimum the hazards of handling gasoline, petroleum research chemists have succeeded in harnessing hydrocarbons into fuel as safe as kerosene, but with combustion power equal to the best fast-vaporizing gasolines. Conventional motor and aviation gasoline^ ignite readily, and burn rapidly when spilled because of the inflammable vapors formed. The fuel demonstrated must be heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit to produce enough vapors to ignite, thus eliminating the dangers of flash fire from fastvaporizing gasoline that might be set off by a spark.
The practicability of the fuel was proven in recent running tests which the Wright Aeronautical Operations Corporation conducted for PAA in a high-powered engine Continued on Page 3