The Pan Am Podcast

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**The Pan Am Podcast**

Experience the legacy of the world’s most iconic airline, Pan American World Airways! This program brings Pan Am’s 64-year history to life through engaging storytelling and insightful interviews with a wide range of voices connected to Pan Am’s story. Historian Tom Betti created and hosted Seasons 1 through 5, a celebrated run of history and humanities storytelling that earned numerous Muse Creative and Vega Digital awards, and the podcast continues in Season 6 with new hosts and a new creative team. The Pan Am Podcast is brought to you by the Pan Am Museum in Garden City, New York and is sponsored by the generous personal support of Mr. Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres and President of the Pan Am Historical Foundation. The Pan Am Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and would appreciate your consideration of tax-deductible donations to support our work.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 18: Pan Am in the Movies, From Flight Attendant to Hollywood Actor Mar 18, 2022

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In this episode we explore the history of Pan Am in the Movies!

Then we will be joined by two guests to talk about Hollywood and Pan Am!

Mark Carlson is our first guest. He is the author of the book, Flying on Film: A Century of Aviation in the Movies, 1912 to 2012.
Legally blind, Mark also wrote the award winning book, Confessions of a Guide Dog - The Blonde Leading the Blind, about his first Guide Dog, Musket.

And the second interview… From a Pan Am flight attendant to a Hollywood actor…Phillip Keene shares his story of working for the airline, hanging up his wings, loss and love, and stepping in front of the camera.
He is best known for playing Buzz Watson on the TNT original TV series The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes. Both are available on DVD and on streaming services.

The four movie themes are under thirty seconds in compliance with fair use copyright. Music Credits:
The James Bond Theme, Monty Norman & John Barry
Theme from Indiana Jones, John Williams
Theme from Blade Runner, Vangelis
Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Richard Strauss

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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 17: Tenerife Airport Disaster Remembrance Mar 08, 2022

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We dedicate this episode to all the 583 victims of this tragedy. They are remembered.
To the family and friends of the victims...our sincerest condolences.
Special Guest: Dorothy Kelly, a Pan Am Flight Attendant who survived the accident, tells her harrowing and heroic story of survival and helping those in need.
On March 27, 1977 at 5:06 PM local time on the island of Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands off the Moroccan Coast…a KLM 747 attempted to take off without clearance and collided with a Pan Am 747 which was taxiing on the same runway at the direction of air traffic control.
A total of 583 people were killed in the accident making it the worst disaster in aviation history to date.
We remember our Pan Am family members who lost their lives in the line of duty that terrible day:
Francoise Colbert de Beaulieu Greenbaum
Mari Asai
Sachiko Hirano
Christine Ekelund
Miguel Torrech Pere
Marilyn Luker
Carol Thomas
Aysel Sarp Buck
Luisa Garcia Flood
Please visit the International Tenerife Memorial page for more information: https://www.tenerife-memorial.org/en/.

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Episode 16: Aviation Pioneers, Birth of an Airline, and Dodging the KGB Feb 19, 2022

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In this episode we explore the founding of Pan Am and the early years of the airline.
Juan T. Trippe is widely known as the principle founder of Pan Am and rightly so. However, the early history of Pan Am is very complex and at times quite confusing with multiple people and mergers involved.

Then we are joined by George Hambleton, whose father John Hambleton was a co-founder of Pan Am and close friend and business partner of both Juan Trippe and Charles Lindbergh.

Like his father, George also worked for Pan Am, having been sent on special assignment by Juan Trippe to Moscow at the height of the Cold War in the 1960s.

George talks about his celebrated father and share stories about his time working behind the iron curtain.
Recently, the Pan Am Museum opened a new exhibit called the Pioneer’s Wall dedicated to those passionate visionaries who were instrumental in building the strong foundations of the airline that would become Pan American World Airways.

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Episode 15: Pan Am International Flight Academy and Stories From the Flight Deck Feb 04, 2022

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In this episode we explore the only division of Pan Am American World Airways that survived bankruptcy liquidation and emerged as an independent company called the Pan Am International Flight Academy headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Then we welcome back Pan Am Captains Paul LaCheppelle and John Marshall.

Captain Lachapelle is featured in Episode 6: Hijackings and the Dawn of Global Terrorism.

Captain Marshall is featured in Episode 2: The First Presidential Flight and the Last Pan Am Flight.

If you haven’t heard these episodes, we encourage you to take a listen after you finish this installment.

Both captains will share their boyhood dreams of becoming a pilot…and other stories from the flight deck.
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More about the Pan Am International Flight Academy:

The Pan Am Flight Academy is the leading provider of training support for regional, national, and international airlines and aviation professionals. Pan Am Flight Academy is the only surviving division of original Pan American World Airways and can trace its instruction heritage to the earliest days of airline flight training.
The Academy’s story began in the early 1960s as an airline, Pan American World Airways. In 1980, the airline opened its pilot training facility in Miami, Florida and is still its base of operations today. Presently, Pan Am has more years of airline training experience than any other aviation training school in the world.
The Pan Am Flight Academy provides a professional training experience at the best price with a corporate commitment to meet private and commercial customer objectives.

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Episode 14: Panamac Computers, the Dawn of the Information Age, and Global Trailblazing Women Jan 14, 2022

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In this episode we will be exploring another innovation of the early 1960s, Pan Am’s worldwide reservation and communications system called Panamac.

Then we are joined by Julia Cooke, the author of the best-selling book Come Fly the World which was recently nominated for the Goodreads Best Books 2021 Choice Awards.
To purchase this book and support the museum, click here.

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More about Panamac:

Check out this 1962 Pan Am film titled "Across the World in 3 Seconds" showing communications in the "modern" world, and includes a behind-the-scenes look at Pan Am's complex, computer-based reservation and logistical systems. It presents a fast - moving history of communications from cave drawings to the jet age of electronic computers.

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Episode 13: The TWA Edition! Exploring the TWA Museum and TWA Hotel Jan 01, 2022

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Welcome to a special TWA Edition of The Pan Am Podcast!

In this episode we are joined by Pam Blaschum, the director of the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Then we are joined by Tyler Morse of MCR Hotels who developed the former TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in New York City into today’s TWA Hotel.

It is important to point out that Pan Am history is not complete without TWA and TWA history is not complete without Pan Am. These two airlines were pioneers for most of the 20th Century and each achieved many firsts in aviation history.

Not only did they lead the way in commercial aviation, but developed many of the systems, procedures, technology, and culture that are still evident today.

The imprint that these two companies left on history cannot be ignored.
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TWA Museum, TWA Hotel, and Eero Saarinen:

Located in the 1931 TWA Corporate Headquarters building, the TWA Museum is located in Kansas City, Missouri. Plan you visit today!
Located in the iconic 1962 TWA Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen, at JFK International Airport in New York City, the TWA Hotel has become a nostalgic destination. The Paris Café by Jean-Georges serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Book your room and make your reservation today!
Check out the PBS American Masters documentary on the famous architect of the TWA Flight Center (now the TWA Hotel): Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future.

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Episode 12: Lockerbie and Flight 103 Remembrance Dec 19, 2021

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We dedicate this episode to all the 270 victims of this tragedy. They are remembered.
To the family and friends of the victims...our sincerest condolences.
Special Guests: John Reina, brother of victim Jocelyn Reina, with Pan Am veterans Linda Freire and Myron “Rosie” Rosenstein.

Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial (Lockerbie Memorial Carin)
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Garden of Remembrance
Dryfesdale Cemetery, Lockerbie, Scotland, UK
Syracuse University Remembrance
Syracuse, New York, USA
30+ Years of 103 Memorials*
Pan Am Historical Foundation
The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103: 30 Years Later Still Actively Seeking Justice*
Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA
December 14, 2018
Remembering the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Memorial Service Marks 30th Anniversary of Terrorist Attack
Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA
December 21, 2018
*May contain images of the cockpit that is most distressing to families of the victims.

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Episode 11: The Legacy Endures 30 Years After Closing, A Conversation with Ed Trippe Dec 03, 2021

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In this episode we commemorate the sad 30th Anniversary of Pan American World Airways ceasing operations on December 4, 1991.

To mark this special milestone, we are joined by Ed Trippe, the youngest son of Pan Am’s legendary founder Juan Trippe and his wife Betty Stettinius Trippe.

Ed is the founder and chairman of our sister organization, the Pan Am Historical Foundation.

In December of 1991, shortly after the company his father founded ceased operations, Ed worked tirelessly to preserve the company’s historical documents, artifacts, and archives.

He was instrumental in finding a permanent depository at the University of Miami’s Richter Library for the vast treasure trove of Pan Am history to be preserved for future generations of researchers. This collection is one of the most complete corporate archives of a bankrupt company.
Here is the video mentioned in this episode by John F. Clarke (additional video from Jerry Labrusciano) of the departure ceremony of Pan Am’s last (and first) 747-100 N747PA, Clipper Juan T. Trippe, as it departs for the final time from JFK.
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Buy the Must-See Pan Am Documentary Film Across the Pacific :

This three part series may be purchased on a single DVD for $20, plus shipping, from the Pan Am Museum's online store.
Across the Pacific is also available for digital purchase on Apple iTunes and Amazon.

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Episode 10: The Pan Am Building, A Landmark of New York City Nov 22, 2021

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In this episode, we explore the history of the Pan Am Building in New York City.

This 59-story skyscraper is located at 200 Park Avenue and shares a lot with the beaux-arts icon, and National Landmark, New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

Later in the program we are joined by Richard Roth, Jr., the grandson of Emery Roth, a prolific New York City architect who designed many notable buildings in the 1920s and 1930s.

Richard provides a firsthand account on the design and construction process of the Pan Am Building as he had a front row seat. After graduating college, the young architect joined the family firm and worked closely alongside the building’s famous architects and project developer.

The Pan Am Building has been the topic of debate amongst architects, architectural historians, preservationists, and planners alike since the 1950s.

Although initially criticized for its location, placement, and for its alleged disregard for its surrounding urban environment, the building was infamously called one of the most hated buildings in New York City. However, the Pan Am Building’s architectural design is gaining popularity and respect with time
A special thank you to Matt Eberhart for his research assistance and Edward Condit for his donation in support of this program.

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Episode 9: JFK's WorldPort, Global Bargain Hunters, and a Jet-setting Mom Nov 15, 2021

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In this episode, we will be exploring the history of the Pan Am WorldPort, and Unit Terminal Building (UTB), which was located at Terminal 3 within John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Later we are joined by author Wendy Sue Knecht to discuss her book, Life, Love, and a Hijacking: My Pan Am Memoir. Wendy joined Pan Am in 1979, and was with the company until 1991, before joining Delta Air Lines.
To purchase this book and support the museum, click here.
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More about the WorldPort:

Check out this 1959 Pan Am film titled "Jet Terminal", promoting the completion of the Pan Am's UTB, which would be renamed the WorldPort in 1971. Made with an avant garde fashion that combines black and white footage with color material, and with almost no spoken dialogue or sound effects, the movie shows how the airline's new high-tech terminal makes everything about air travel look easy -- and glamorous.

Thank you to Peter Tuccillo for interviewing Milton Heblad in 2013.

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