The Felixtowe F.3 (also known as the Porte Felixtowe F.3), the prototype of which made its first official flight on 9 February 1917, was one of a series of large flying-boats built for the Royal Navy.

Pan American Airways was a pioneer of scheduled air services in the South Pacific in the 1940s and sought a large flying boat to meet its requirements, Boeing with is Model 314 known as the Clipper obtaining the contract.