The Pan Am Journey

The author started his aviation journey on March 11, 1943 when Pan American airways hired him as an apprentice Flight Engineer. From the China Clipper to the Jumbo 747 it was a wonderful forty-year trip. I hope you will find some of the stories interesting and enlightening. To the thousands of former Pan American employees the memories of those "glory years" lingers on. I hope my accounts of the airplanes, the people, the places, and the airline will brighten those recollections.

The author started his aviation journey on March 11, 1943 when Pan American airways hired him as an apprentice Flight Engineer. From the China Clipper to the Jumbo 747 it was a wonderful forty-year trip. I hope you will find some of the stories interesting and enlightening. To the thousands of former Pan American employees the memories of those glory years lingers on. I hope my accounts of the airplanes, the people, the places, and the airline will brighten those recollections.

"A lively, unexpected portrait of the jet-age stewardesses serving on iconic Pan Am airways between 1966 and 1975"--

"...the story of the Pacific Clipper, a B-314 caught between Noumea, New Caledonia and Auckland, New Zealand at the outbreak of World War II and ordered to return home by flying west around the world in radio silence to avoid capture or destruction by enemy forces."--P. [4] of cover.

Pan Am--a name synonymous with glitch, glamour...financial misfortune. For a period of time, it was the face of the sky. It was the aircraft that brought the Beatles to America and was the airliner Stanley Kubrick had in mind when he filmed the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Its airplanes, logo and company have appeared in movies as diverse as Blade Runner to National Lampoon’s European Vacation. In the Fall of 2011, it was be the basis of the ABC drama "Pan Am" starring Christina Ricci. In many ways, the story of Pan Am is the story of America, as the company itself became the representation to the world of America. The story includes monopolies and betrayals, innovation and competition, first class service and terrible losses. The US government aided the company at its outset, and then turned its back on it at its end. Pan Am’s demise was tragic, as international forces beyond its control led to a series of mistakes, mismanagement and bad investments, that eventually brought it under. In this in depth essay, author Don Harris tells the story of the rise and fall of the most famous airline in the world.

OA tribute to the legacy of one of the world's great airlines and the men and women who for six decades were the soul of the company. Baldwin and Kriendler have created a compelling book which captures much of the joy, adventure and spirit which was Pan Am.ONEdward S. Trippe, Chairman, Pan Am Historical Foundation.

It might seem impossible to drive from Alaska to Argentina—but with a passport handy, that’s a road trip people can take! The Pan-American Highway is a system of connected roads and highways that travel roughly north to south through North and South America. Readers learn about the many environments travelers would drive through on such a journey as well as the history of the highway. Full-color photographs illustrate the many cool destinations along the way as fun fact boxes suggest places to see along the route.