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.
Episodes
69 episodes
Episode 44: Capt. Robert Ford and the Long Way Home
In this special episode we will be exploring the incredible life of Pan Am Captain Robert Ford, a trailblazing flying boat aviator that found international fame with an unscheduled flight round the globe. And we welcome back to the program Pan ...
Episode 43: Terror at the Rome Airport, December 1973 Attack
This is a special memorial edition of this program and recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Rome airport attack. We are joined by two survivors that were on a Pan Am plane that was firebombed at the Rome airport on December 17, 1973: Pa...
Episode 42: Operation Babylift: The 1975 Saigon Evacuation
In this episode we explore Operation Babylift, the historic April 1975 evacuation of more than 3,000 Vietnamese war orphans just before the fall of South Vietnam.We are joined by Thoa Bui, Vice President of Programs and Services for Holt...
Episode 41: The Stewardess Labor Movement of the 1960s and 1970s
In this episode we are joined by Nell McShane Wulfhart, author of the book The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolut...
Episode 40: Tom Betti and a Rock Song About History
In this episode we are turning the tables…the interviewee becomes the interviewer. Guest host Phillip Keene interviews the host of The Pan Am Podcast, historian Tom Betti to bring our listeners his story. Phillip is a podcast guest in episodes ...
Episode 39: Madeline Smith and a Romance in the Sky
In this episode we are joined by 98-year-old Madeline Smith and her daughter Valerie Smith O’Grady Skinner. Both were Pan Am flight attendants…Madeline joined the airline right after the war in 1946 and Valerie, following in ...
Episode 38: Dan Colussy, Pan Am's President and Chief Operating Officer in the 1970s
In this episode we are joined by Dan Colussy who served as Pan Am’s President and Chief Operating Officer in the 1970s. Dan will share his experiences of working in the airline industry during a pivotal point in Pan Am history. This interview p...
Episode 37: Lester Kappel, World War II Aircraft Mechanic with Pan Am
In this episode we are joined by 99-year-old Lester Kappel. He worked for Pan Am during World War II beginning in early 1942 until mid 1946. He was stationed for the majority of World War II in Casablanca with the African-Orient division of Pan...
Episode 36: Sam Donaldson, Legendary Newsman
In this episode we are joined by legendary journalist Sam Donaldson where we will talking about traveling with Pan Am on assignment, covering presidents as White House correspondent, tracking down a Nazi war criminal, deregulation of the ...
Episode 35: Pan Am's Diversity in the Cockpit
In this episode we continue to celebrate Black History Month and are joined by veteran Pan Am pilots Captain Perry Jones and Ed Moon.Perry was the first African American to be hired by Pan Am in late 1965 and Ed was the third to be hire...
Episode 34: Junius Kellogg and the Pan Am Jets Wheelchair Basketball Team
In this episode we celebrate Black History Month and are joined by author Bruce Wolk to explore the inspiring life of sports legend Junius Kellogg and his incredible connection to Pan American World Airways. Junius Kellogg was born...
Episode 33: Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty, Helping Others With Weighted Wings
In this episode we are joined by Dr. Johanna O’Flaherty.Johanna joined Pan American World Airways in 1970 as a flight attendant, and was later promoted to purser, trainer, and in 1986 was appointed Corporate Manager of Pan Am’s new Empl...
Episode 32: Terror on the Airline, New Lockerbie Arrest, and the Quest for Justice
On December 11, 2022, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas’ud), the suspected bomb maker in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, was arrested by the U.S. Department of Justice and brought to the United States for prosecution. ...
Episode 31: The Last CEO and the Last Clipper
In this episode we will be recognizing the 31st anniversary of Pan American World Airways ceasing operations and explore the lead up to and the tumultuous year of 1991 which ended with the shutdown of Pan Am.For the first interview, we a...
Episode 30: The Art of Travel Posters
In this 30th episode of The Pan Am Podcast we will be exploring the Art of Travel posters!We are joined by guests Phillip Keene, a Pan Am veteran flight attendant and collector and Meg Williams of the company
Episode 29: AIDS Epidemic of the 1980s, Remembering Those We Lost
In this episode we will be discussing the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and begins with a report from ABC News on the evening of December 17, 1982.Five veteran Pan Am employees (David Hinson, Phillip Keene, Linda Freire, Becky Sprecher, an...
Episode 28: The Flying Piano Player
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...
Episode 27: Flight 73 Hostage Negotiations and Hijacking Aftermath
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...
Episode 26: Flight 73 Hijacking Remembrance
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 th...
Episode 25: An Airline Romance, Marriage in the Middle East During a Coup, and Neighbors with a Pan Am Connection
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!...
Episode 24: Catch Me If You Can…An Interview with Frank Abagnale
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 Ste...
Episode 23: The Stratocruiser, Tragedy Over the Amazon, and a Concert in the Sky
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 ...
Episode 22: Max Gurney - WWII Hero, Airline Legend, and Renaissance Gentleman
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...
Episode 21: White House Press Charters and Flying with Air Force One
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 sp...
Episode 20: Flying for TWA, Pan Am, and Living in Afghanistan
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 196...