ESCAPE TO NEW YORK, THE LONG WAY AROUND, DECEMBER 1941 TO JANUARY 1942: The California Clipper’s first four legs were easy – from Pan Am’s San Francisco seaplane terminal to LA to Honolulu to New Caledonia to New Zealand. But between New Caledonia and New Zealand the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Pan Am HQ had escape plans for its planes and personnel in the Pacific if Japan and the U.S. went to war – plans approved by the military since the military said the big, long-range Boeing seaplanes were military assets. Pan Am Clipper pilots were given Top Secret envelopes which they were told to open if they received a radio code word.

The California Clipper’s escape route went west — Darwin, Java, Sri Lanka and other exotic destinations on the way to New York City’s La Guardia seaplane terminal. Hint on points in between: The plane landed and took off from the Nile and Congo Rivers.

This is a four part story and a fun read.