The Consolidated Commodore
Photo of the Consolidated Commodore flying boat
Author: Gregory
Why interviewing Moon Chin is like interviewing a jazz riff…
As my understanding of CNAC improved, so did my ability to extract maximum value from my Moon Chin interviews, but even though I was getting more and more out o...
A DC-2, most important plane in the CNAC airfleet, 1935-1939
DC-2s were the most important airplanes in CNAC’s air fleet from 1935-1939.
Ceiling 500 feet, intermittent drizzle
In 2004, I approached Moon Chin with great trepidation. My experiences at the CNAC reunion made it obvious that he had incredible standing and “face” among the ...
Moon Chin photo, 1941
Next: Interviewing Moon Chin
Moon Chin Learns to Fly
Moon Chin finished the mechanics course and thought he might be able to catch on as an airline mechanic. He cast around for openings, but the recession was slip...
Lindbergh’s crossing captivates Moon Chin
A month after Moon Chin’s thirteenth birthday, on May 21 and 22, 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic, a feat that catapulted Lindbergh to the ...
The Economic Opportunities in a place called Baltimore
Moon Chin crossed North America in a train, sitting upright on a wooden bench with his face glued to the window, full of wonder at the sights of the new land. A...
Moon Chin languishes in an INS gulag
Joe Chin wasn’t alone in having his citizenship minted in the San Francisco earthquake. Thousands of other Chinese had seized the same opportunity, and like Joe...
Moon Chin immigrates — and goes to jail
Moon Chin and his father lugged a single suitcase out of Wing-Wa village one humid morning in the summer of 1924. Sweat trickled from their short black hair and...