M-130 China ClipperMartin M 130 Flying Boat airplane model. The China Clipper inaugurated mail service to the Pacific on November 22, 1935, flying from Alameda Seaplane Base in San Francisco Bay before a crowd of 25,000. The inaugural flight to Manila was a momentous occasion. Although the S 42 had paved the way for Pacific air travel, the extra fuel necessary to fly from North America to Hawaii made it impossible for the S 42 to carry passengers. The M 130 was larger