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[[image: aerial photo of New York/Manhattan]]

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[[image: photo of Pan American Airways office]]

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[[image: street map of Long Island]]

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[[image: blue tinted photo of unk architectural tower]]

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[[image: aerial photo of the Chrysler Building in New York]]

WORLD TELEGRAM
New York City
JUN 28 1939

Reservation for Columbus.
We would have liked to buy a ticket for Christopher Columbus today on the first commercial passenger flight of the Pan American Airways' Dixie Clipper to Europe. The big boat hops across to the Azores tonight, on to Lisbon tomorrow and to Marseille Friday - which will be just 68 days less than Columbus required for his celebrated trip in 1492.

Columbus and all the great old navigators and trail blazers came to mind in connection with today's historic flight, and yet the important fact about the miracle is that the element of adventure into the unknown has been reduced as completely as is humanly possible. Hopping the ocean now is just old hat to the clipper and its crew.

The ancient explorers, however, would have called this flight both adventure and  magic in the highest degree, and we believe today's public will cheat itself of the spiritual experience if it doesn't see those same qualities in it. It is science and it is experience, training and equipment. Nevertheless, it can fill us with awe.

The extremely complicated and difficult technique of ocean flying has been reduced now to a dependable routine, the last step having been commercial passenger flights across the Pacific for the last three years. By this time the flight itself is relatively nothing. The getting ready was the thing. And it isn't overstating the case to say that preparations have been definitely under way since 1492. It is a proud achievement of Pan America's that the process has culminated under its flag.