SURVEY FLIGHT, PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS, SAN FRANCISCO TO HAWAII - April 17, 1935

This is a fine example of a trans-oceanic record flight cover for Pan American Airways' survey flight between San Francisco and Hawaii.  On April 17, 1935, Pan American Airways sent its big Sikorsky "Pan American Clipper" on a pathfinder flight to Hawaii to establish a regular air mail and passenger service across the Pacific to Manila. 

This is one of only a few covers that were carried on the round trip flight and bear both cachets and cancellations as follows.   Covers flown from California to Hawaii are cancelled April 16, 1935 and are backstamped at Honolulu, April 17, 1935.  Covers carried on the return flight, Hawaii to San Francisco, are cancelled Honolulu, April 22, 1935 and backstamped April 23, 1935.  

This cover is addressed to George Randolph Hearst Sr., President of the the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, and eldest son of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst.