ERA | EXPLORATIONS
Panagra Capt. Stephen Dunn, forced in a storm to fly his Sikorsky S-43 "blind" across the Isthmus of Panama, never reached Cristobal.
Oct. 1, 1932 Juan Trippe ordered the first S-42s from Sikorsky Aircraft. S. Paul Johnson details the plane's features and construction in March 1934.
Pan Am in 1934 by month. Colorful history of Pan American Airways operations & stories of its people, aircraft and far-flung destinations.
After years of on-again-off-again geopolitical negotiations, passengers flew the Atlantic on Pan Am B-314 Dixie Clipper (Photos by Betty Trippe).
Adventure of a lifetime: Building the transpacific air route opened the door to a career that led John Borger to the pinnacle of aviation engineering.
Designing the interior and exterior of Pan Am's First Marine Base, at Miami'sDinner Key Terminal, was the work of architects, Delano and Aldrich.
Stepping-stone surveys: Sikorsky S-42 Pan American Clipper extended the Pacific route by one island on each flight, finally arriving in Guam.
The 2nd Pan Am Pacific Survey flight, June 1935: Pilot Ed Musick & his crew celebrate their arrival at the remote Midway Atoll, 1,254 miles beyond Hawaii.
Canton Island, Pan Am's Critical stop-over in the Pacific, remained pivotal as a technical stop on the way to Australia and New Zealand.
Hawaiian ships are shaking and shoulders quivering to a brand new island dance-the “Clipper Hula”-dedicated to Pan American Airways).
After a record-breaking flight to Europe, it must have been trying to veteran flying boat skipper Capt. Charles Lorber to wait to land on the return home.
Enlightening details of the 20 May, 1939 mail-only flight that opened Pan Am's Port Washington-Marseilles service with Capt. La Porte commanding.
North Haven Expedition 2: Pan American Airways mounted a second expedition to build a transpacific air bases, completing work on Midway & Wake.
Bill Taylor Interview (1993): His story as an engineer on the M-130 China Clipper while flying home across the Pacific, Dec. 1935 on her 1st transpacific flight.
Dream Boats: How Igor Sikorsky's evolution of a dream, pushing the envelope of flying boat design for Pan Am in the 1930s.
Loading the China Clipper, like Days of Sailing Ships: Pan Am's First Transpacific Thanksgiving, account by Pilot Ed Musick, November 25, 1935.
Lighter than Air by Doug Miller: When Juan Trippe of Pan Am explored the possibilities of airships and the technology that might have been.
Martin M-130s: John Borger, first hired as a Junior Engineer to work on the North Haven Expedition in 1935, had a long, stellar career with PAA.
