ERA | INTO THE JET AGE
Pan Am service to Vietnam began May 1953. By 1970, 5 scheduled flights a week flew to Vietnam from the US (also serving stops across the Pacific).
Air Rights: The Pan Am Building, NYC: Now over 60 years old, it has gained fans and maintains a strong presence over Grand Central in Manhattan.
Pan Am's Worldport Design, in 1960, a slideshow of architectural drawings and images of the Jet Age from the Pan Am Historical Foundation archives.
From Routine to Daunting: A Glance into Pan Am’s Charter Business by Eric Hobson. From its earliest days, Pan Am made its aircraft available for charter.
Thanksgiving 1965: After 30 years, Pan Am's famous Pacific propeller flights ended with the flight of Pan Am DC-7C "Ocean Rover" from Pago Pago.
Stewardess Hope Ryden & Pan Am's first jet Inaugural flight, NY-Paris October 1958 on a Boeing 707 (Photo: 1983 anniversary reenactment). PDF
Movies Aloft: History of Pan Am's inflight movie entertainment over the years, and the popular introduction of Pan Am's Theatre in the Air, 1965.
In 1964 Pan American installed a brand new technology in its jet fleet -- the inertial navigation system, with benefitted from NASA's technology.
The Pan American World Airways Building, NYC: Images from a variety of perspectives showing its dramatic edifice on Park Avenue.
A Day of "Firsts": First hijacking of a wide-body jet to Cuba, August 2, 1970 (Image by John T. McCoy, Courtesy SFO Museum, Gift of PAHF).
An Interview by Michael Manning with Al Topping & the Pan Am story, "Wings of Freedom." Link to a chapter from the book & purchase options.
A Man for All Seasons, Captain John Mattis, a person with an uncommon variety of interests, experience, and talents who worked for Pan Am.
