The Pan Am Podcast

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Episode 28: The Flying Piano Player Oct 10, 2022

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In this episode we are joined by Captain Beau Brant of United Airlines. He started flying for United in 2005 and has flown regional jets, 757s, 767s, and 787s throughout his career. He currently flies the Airbus A320.

When he is not in the air, his other passion is music…and today, in addition to being a commercial airline pilot, he is a celebrated classical pianist who loves to play the piano whenever and wherever he can...either in formal settings or playing in hotel and airport lobbies around the world on layovers.

Captain Brant will be our special musical guest at the Pan Am Museum Foundation’s Annual Gala weekend on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12, 2022 outside of New York City.

Marine Air Terminal Dedication, Friday, November 11, 2022
On the evening of Friday, November 11th join us for a special event reception at LaGuardia Airport, Terminal A hosted by our sister organization, the Pan Am Historical Foundation! This dedication reception commemorates Pan Am's historic operation of the Marine Air Terminal between 1940-1948 and the new Boeing 314 model. Buy Tickets
Pan Am Museum's Annual Gala, Saturday, November 12, 2022
The next day, on the evening of Saturday, November 12th join us in Garden City, New York for this year’s Pan Am Museum's Annual Gala as we celebrate Pan Am legacy with this year's gala theme: “Flying Down to Rio.” Buy Tickets

Two Great Events, One Special Pan Am Weekend!
Visit our website, for more information and to purchase your tickets.
Captain Brant has been featured on NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, The Denver Post, The Virginian Pilot and several online publications.
He has recorded numerous albums, and six are available online from Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Spotify, Rhapsody Radio, and on his Facebook page which is called "Beau Brant Piano."
In the fall of 2020, Captain Brant released a new album of some of his favorites and popular songs called “Four Decades.”
For more information on Captain Brant and his music, visit his website: https://beaubrantmusic.com.
To learn more about careers in aviation at United Airlines, visit their website: UnitedAviate.com.

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A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

Episode 27: Flight 73 Hostage Negotiations and Hijacking Aftermath Sep 26, 2022

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This episode is a continuation of Episode 26 about the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. On September 5th 1986, at around 5:10am local time in Karachi, Pakistan, a Boeing 747 named Clipper Empress of the Seas was hijacked by four armed Palestinian commandos on the ground during the boarding process with almost 400 people on the aircraft.

In this episode we will presenting interviews with three former Pan Am employees who were part of the aftermath: Viraf Daroga, Pan Am's Country Director for Pakistan; Wendy Sue Knecht, Pan Am Flight Attendant and Trainer; and Diane Krumholtz Lyras of the White Plains Pan Am sales office and part of the crisis response team.
We are presenting these two episodes about Flight 73 back-to-back to give listeners a complete and objective look at what happen during this historic event, and the immediate aftermath, through primary sources and first-hand accounts.
Viraf Daroga will share his perspective on the hostage negotiations and his desperate attempts to save as many lives as he could. The nightmare of Flight 73 did not end on that tragic day in September of 1986, as the terrorist group responsible continued to threaten the lives of him and his family for many years afterward.

Wendy Sue Knecht who was stationed in Bombay in 1986 tasked with training new flight attendants hired in India. She is the author of the book "Life, Love, and a Hijacking: My Pan Am Memoir" and is featured in Episode 9 of this program.

Diane Krumholtz Lyras, an employee from the White Plains sales office, who was immediately sent to Karachi as part of the airline’s crisis response team to assist staff and families in the aftermath of the senseless violence.

A total of 20 people, ranging in ages from 7 years old to 81, included two Pan Am crew members and 18 passengers, were ultimately killed in this act of terrorism.

22 year old Pan Am Senior Purser Neerja Bhanot died as a result of her injuries and was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian peacetime honor for bravery, the Ashoka Chakra, and became a revered national figure in India.

28 year old Pan Am Mechanic Meherjee Minocher Kharas was also killed by the terrorists when they opened fire inside the plane.
Both served their passengers with great honor, bravery, and valor.

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Episode 26: Flight 73 Hijacking Remembrance Sep 01, 2022

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On September 5, 1986 at around 5:10am local time in Karachi, Pakistan, a Pan Am Boeing 747 named Clipper Empress of the Seas was hijacked by four armed Palestinian commandos on the ground during the boarding process with almost 400 people on the aircraft.
A total of 20 people, including two Pan Am crew members and 18 passengers, were ultimately killed in this act of terrorism.

We dedicate this episode to all the 20 victims of this tragedy. They are remembered.
Pan Am Employees:
Neerja Bhanot, 22, Pan Am Flight Attendant and Purser
Meherjee Minocher Kharas, 28, Pan Am Mechanic
Both served their passengers with great honor, bravery, and valor.
From the United States:
Rajesh Kumar, 29, and Surendra Manubhai Patel, 50.
From Mexico:
José Álvarez Lamar Nuñez, 57, and Ricardo Muñoz Rosales, 28.
From Pakistan:
Syed Nesar Ahmad, 43, and Imran Rizvi, 17.
From India:
Kuverben Patel, 81, Kala Singh, 36, Seetharamiah Krishnaswamy, 61, Trupti Dalal, 28, Krishna Kumari Gadde, 28, Ganapathi Thanikaimoni, 48, Boby Thomachen Mulloor, 7, Thomachen Thomas Mulloor, 30, Aleyamma Scaria Nagatholy, 39, Ramakant Naik, 55, Rupal Desai, 26, and Kodiyattu K. Kurian, 25.
To the family and friends of the victims...our sincerest condolences.
For this special memorial edition of this program, we are joined by four Pan Am flight attendants that were on Flight 73 and were eyewitnesses to history:
Sherene Pavan, Sunshine Vesuwala, Madhvi Bahuguna, and Samira Goode.
These incredible women served their passengers with great courage and bravery and saved hundreds of lives. We salute them.

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Episode 25: An Airline Romance, Marriage in the Middle East During a Coup, and Neighbors with a Pan Am Connection Aug 12, 2022

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In this episode we are joined by Barbara Morris Wood and Karen Wallin Usas.

Barbara will be celebrating her 100th birthday on September 13, 2022! A very special early happy birthday greeting from all of us here at the Pan Am Museum!
Barbara worked for Pan Am for five years between 1944 and 1949. Her time at Pan Am, while short, was nothing short of exceptional as she pioneered a path for women to move up the ranks of the airline. She became the first woman to work the ticket counter and Barbara’s can-do spirit never waned.
After recognizing other inequalities, she acted on them, bringing benefits to the airline industry many still enjoy today. If you ever worked for an airline and enjoyed flight benefits, you have Barbara to thank! While at Pan Am, Barbara thought it was unfair that only company executives and flight crews had travel benefits with the airline. She wrote a convincing letter to management and advocated that all Pan Am employees regardless of position, including ticket counter, catering, and maintenance employees, should have all the same rights and flying benefits as everyone else.
The airline quickly agreed and expanded company travel benefits to all employees. This also set the employee flight benefit expectation in the aviation industry and other airlines followed Pan Am’s lead.

Karen Wallin Usas joined Pan Am as a flight attendant in 1970. She originally went to school to be a teacher, but a chance encounter with a flight attendant at a wedding intrigued her to apply to Pan Am and change direction in her career plans.

Karen grew up in LaGrange, Illinois, a Chicago suburb and graduated from University of Illinois, Urbana in 1969 with a degree in Education. As a young airline employee, the world was within her reach and Karen was able to travel to many exotic places that before she could only read and dream about.

For ten years between 1970 and 1980, Karen always felt comfortable in foreign lands with Pan Am and the excitement of adventure from those times has never waned. And when she looks back on the fond memories of her flying days…traveling the world with co-workers and her husband…it always brings a big smile and a deep sense of pride.

After Pan Am, she taught in many capacities and currently serves as a docent at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Barbara and Karen both live in Rhode Island and are neighbors and have become close friends.

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Episode 24: Catch Me If You Can…An Interview with Frank Abagnale Jul 26, 2022

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In this episode we are joined by Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. to talk about his interesting background. He will also provide tips on protecting your identity and wallet and how to avoid scams.
The 2002 academy award-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks was loosely based on Frank’s life.

This blockbuster film introduced a whole new generation to the wonder, glamour, and nostalgia of Pan American World Airways.
Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. is an authority on forgery, embezzlement, secure documents, cybercrime, and scams. For over 45 years he has worked with, advised, and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies around the world.

Mr. Abagnale lectures extensively at the FBI Academy and for the field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a former faculty member at the National Advocacy Center (NAC) which is operated by the Department of Justice, Executive Office for United States Attorneys. More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations and law enforcement agencies use his fraud prevention programs.

He has also written numerous articles and books including The Art of the Steal, The Real U Guide to Identity Theft, Stealing Your Life and his most recent book, Scam Me If You Can – Simple Strategies to Outsmart Today’s Rip-off Artists.

Mr. Abagnale refuses to accept payment for any of his government work.

Today, the majority of his income is derived from consulting with major corporate clients such as LexisNexis, Intuit, and Experian and his public speaking engagements. Mr. Abagnale has conducted over 3,000 seminars on identity theft, cybercrime, and fraud worldwide.

Today, Mr. Abagnale is an advisor to Trusona in developing the world's first and only insured authentication platform eliminating the use of passwords.

The Pan Am Museum Foundation was honored to have him as the keynote speaker at the Pan Am Museum’s 2018 annual fundraising gala.

For more information on how you can protect yourself from scams and con artists, please visit his website, www.abagnale.com

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Episode 23: The Stratocruiser, Tragedy Over the Amazon, and a Concert in the Sky Jul 11, 2022

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In this episode Barbara Sharfstein, 92, a veteran Pan Am flight attendant, joins us to talk about her flying career, tragedy over the Amazon, and a concert in the sky with Louis Armstrong.

Barbara joined Pan Am in 1951 and after 35 years of service with the airline as a flight attendant, purser, check purser, and 747 in-flight director, she was transferred to United Airlines in 1986 when the Pacific Division was sold. She then worked for United for another six years before retiring in 1992.

When first hired, Barbara traveled onboard several groundbreaking and innovative aircraft—the Convair CV-240, the Lockheed Constellation, the DC-4, and most memorably, the Boeing 377 “Stratocruiser.” Barbara flew to numerous international destinations and was based in many of Pan Am’s divisions throughout out her career, but she most fondly remembers working the fabled Round the World flights…Clipper 001 and 002.
Barbara will discuss Pan Am Flight 202, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser named Clipper New Hope, that crashed in the Amazon Basin on April 29, 1952 killing her good friend and roommate, Pat Monaghan. All 50 people on board were killed, 41 passengers and 9 crew members, in what was the deadliest-ever accident involving the Boeing 377 Stratocrusier.

The accident happened shortly after departure from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, enroute to the first schedule stop in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The final destination of this flight was New York.

Barbara's story is featured in the book tilted “Pan American World Airways: Aviation History Through the Words of Its People” by James Patrick Baldwin, Jeff Kriendler, and Leslie Giles.

During her aviation career flying around the world working for the airlines, Barbara also found great success in San Francisco real estate when she was not on duty in the air. Her crowning achievement was the development of a one-acre parcel of land in the Twin Peaks neighborhood of San Francisco into a subdivision of twenty condos. Many say it has one of the best views of the city!

Today, Barbara volunteers at the San Francisco International Airport Aviation Museum. As a volunteer, she enjoys sharing her stories and lending her time ever since the international terminal was rebuilt in 2000.

Additionally, she served as the editor of the World Wings International San Francisco Chapter newsletter, having excelled in that position for the past twenty-five years.

Barbara resides in San Francisco.

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Episode 22: Max Gurney - WWII Hero, Airline Legend, and Renaissance Gentleman Jun 05, 2022

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In this special episode we are joined by Max Gurney, who will celebrate his 101st birthday on June 10, 2022! The Pan Am Museum and the entire worldwide Pan Am community wish him the happiest of birthdays!

Max is a 45-year veteran of Pan Am and a living legend within the airline community. He is also the godfather to His Serine Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Max was kind enough to invite host Tom Betti into his home for a chat.

He tells us about his childhood, serving in the U.S. Army under General Patton during World War II, and then beginning his storied career at Pan Am after the war.
Max Gurney joined Pan American Airways in 1946 as a ticket counter agent at the Marine Terminal at La Guardia Airport, located in Flushing, New York.

Because of his ability to speak four languages, he was quickly promoted to Sales Manager in Dakar, Senegal with jurisdiction over five countries in West Africa.

In 1949, Max opened the Pan Am office in Milan, and was reassigned shortly after in 1950 to Beirut as Sales Manager on loan to Middle East Airlines (MEA), as part of a management contract with Pan Am. He was responsible for airline operations in six Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia.

In 1951, he was appointed Assistant District Sales Manager in Rome, Italy covering six countries, and then transitioned in 1957 to Senior Representative and District Sales Manager for Southern France based in Nice where he formed a very close personal friendship with Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and his wife, Princess Grace, the former American actress Grace Kelly.

Their friendship grew so close that when their son Prince Albert was born, the Prince and Princess asked Max to be the child’s godfather.

In 1972, Max was transferred to Nassau as Managing Director for the Bahamas, including the Freeport and Rock Sound stations, until the Bahamas offices were closed in 1976.

He subsequently became District Traffic and Sales Manager in Oslo, Norway until 1980, and then once again returned to Monaco as Pan Am Sales Manager. This was because of his close personal friendship with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.

He held this position until the closure of Pan Am in 1991 and assisted with the transition to Pan Am’s successor in the market.

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Episode 21: White House Press Charters and Flying with Air Force One May 02, 2022

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In this episode we will be exploring Pan Am’s prestigious role in White House Press Charters travelling as part of the entourage of the President of United States and his aircraft, Air Force One.

Then we are joined by three special guests.

Our first guest is Dwight Chapin who was a top aide to President Richard M. Nixon. He recently released a book called The President’s Man: The Memoirs of Nixon’s Trusted Aide. While at the White House, Mr. Chapin helped organize presidential travel and traveled with President Nixon on his historic trips to China and the Soviet Union. To learn more about Dwight Chapin and to purchase his book, visit: https://www.thepresidentsman.com
A special thank you to Jim Bryon and Joe Lopez of the Richard Nixon Foundation for connecting us with Mr. Chapin. We encourage you to visit the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.
The 1970 hijackings and President Nixon's robust airport security program are mentioned in the interview. For more information, listen to "Episode 6: Hijackings and the Dawn of Global Terrorism."

Our second guest is Claire Graham who joined Pan Am in 1967 as a flight attendant and was a purser from 1968 to 1991 when she joined Delta Airlines. Claire was part of the White House Press Charter flight crew and flew most of the special trips from 1974 to 1991.

And last but not least, Captain John Marshall returns to the program to tell us his stories of flying press charters for the White House and flying alongside Air Force One.
You can visit and tour the two VC-137Cs (Boeing 707) that served as Air Force One at:
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio:
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil
This plane, SAM-26000, took President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas in 1963 and President Nixon to China in 1972.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov (SAM-27000)

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Episode 20: Flying for TWA, Pan Am, and Living in Afghanistan Apr 18, 2022

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In this 20th episode, we are joined by Mary Lou Bigelow, a former TWA air hostess from 1959–1962 and a Pan Am stewardess/purser from 1962-1964. She discusses working for the two airlines and what it was like to live in Afghanistan.

In 1964, Mary Lou married a pilot, whom she met in Beirut, Lebanon while working a 14-day NYC-HKG pattern. Pan Am still had a policy that female flight attendants hang up their wings once they married, but she continued working for Pan Am in reservations and later as a ticket sales agent at the Miami, Florida downtown office.
From 1968 through 1972, Captain John Bigelow and Mary Lou lived in Kabul, Afghanistan, where John was the chief training pilot on a Pan Am Technical Assistance Program (TAP) with Ariana Afghan Airlines. This was a peaceful period in Afghan history under King Mohammed Zahir Shah until the 1973 Afghan coup d'état led by Army General and Prince Mohammed Daoud Khan, a year after the Bigelow's moved back to the United States.

From 1974 to late 1975, the Bigelows lived in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), while Captain Bigelow served as Director of Operations for Air Zaire under Pan Am’s TAP program there.
She returned to Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004 as part of her television program.

Currently, Mary Lou is president of the Boston Chapter of World Wings International.
Mary Lou is a successful real estate agent in the Boston area with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty.

For more information and to see her blog and cable TV interview shows - Mary Lou Bigelow Show, The Global Connection and Afghanistan Series, visit maryloubigelow.com/tv.

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Episode 19: Concorde Apr 01, 2022

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In this episode we explore the fascinating history of Concorde from British Airways.
This episode is a direct follow up to “Episode 7: Supersonic Transports, An Angry JFK, and Flying the Line.” In that episode we explored the race for the first passenger supersonic aircraft between a British and French partnership, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

Then we are joined by Captain Mike Bannister, the chief pilot of British Airways' Concorde fleet from 1995 to 2003.

Along with Jennifer Coutts Clay, Pan Am’s general manager for product design and development and before that worked on the Concorde project for British Airways. She is the author of the e-book, Jetliner Cabins available on Apple, Amazon, and Google.

And John Lampl, a 41-year veteran executive of British Airways who worked for the Concorde program the entire 27 years of passenger service.
On May 5, 1974, CBS 60 Minutes did an incredible report on the Concorde, here is the link to view: https://youtu.be/TQSO9mNgZcw
Here's a select list of museums where you can see Concorde:

Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, England UK
Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, New York City, NY USA
Aeropace Bristol, Bristol, England UK
The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA USA
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C. USA

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