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 19: Concorde
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 ...
Episode 18: Pan Am in the Movies, From Flight Attendant to Hollywood Actor
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,
Episode 17: Tenerife Airport Disaster Remembrance
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 surviv...
Episode 16: Aviation Pioneers, Birth of an Airline, and Dodging the KGB
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 qui...
Episode 15: Pan Am International Flight Academy and Stories From the Flight Deck
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...
Episode 14: Panamac Computers, the Dawn of the Information Age, and Global Trailblazing Women
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
Episode 13: The TWA Edition! Exploring the TWA Museum and TWA Hotel
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 ...
Episode 12: Lockerbie and Flight 103 Remembrance
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
Episode 11: The Legacy Endures 30 Years After Closing, A Conversation with Ed Trippe
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...
Episode 10: The Pan Am Building, A Landmark of New York City
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 Centra...
Episode 9: JFK's WorldPort, Global Bargain Hunters, and a Jet-setting Mom
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 join...
Episode 8: A Lifetime of Romantic Adventure…From Flying Boats to Jumbo Jets
In this episode we are joined by a very special guest: Pan Am Captain Dave Bridges, Centenarian. He celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year and he just might be one of the oldest people to ever be on a podcast!A 37-year Pan Am ve...
Episode 7: Supersonic Transports, An Angry JFK, and Flying the Line
In this episode we will be exploring the 1960s race for the first supersonic passenger aircraft between the United States, the Soviet Union, and a British-French partnership. Then we are joined by Becky Sprecher, a Pan Am flight att...
Episode 6: Hijackings and the Dawn of Global Terrorism
In this episode we explore the coordinated terrorist hijackings of four passenger airliners all bound for New York on the same day on September 6, 1970. The events were a watershed moment and aviation would never be the same again. <...
Episode 5: Missiles, Hotels, and Rebranding an Icon
In this episode we explore two of the subsidiaries of Pan Am: the InterContinental Hotels Corporation and the Pan Am Guided Missiles Range Division. Yep, you read that right, the airline company had its own hotel chain for abo...
Episode 4: Evacuation of Saigon, Wings of Freedom Mission
In this episode we are joined by Allan Topping, a Pan Am employee who evacuated almost 500 people out of Saigon days before the city fell. On April 24, 1975, at the conclusion of the Vietnam War, with time running out as Saigon was...
Episode 3: Flying Boats, Irish Coffee, and a Hollywood Star
In this episode we explore Pan Am’s Boeing 314 Flying Boats. Then we are joined by Margaret O’Shaughnessy of our sister museum, the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum in Ireland. Check out their website:
Episode 2: The First Presidential Flight and the Last Pan Am Flight
In this episode we explore the first presidential flight. Then we are joined by Pan Am Captain John Marshall to share memories of the very last flight of Pan Am. The mission of the Pan Am Museum Foundation is “to educate, celebrate...
Episode 1: Welcome to the Pan Am Podcast and the Pan Am Museum
Opened to the public in 2016 in Garden City, Long Island, New York (outside of NYC), the Pan Am Museum presents the Pan Am Podcast! The Museum’s mission is “to educate, celebrate, and inspire present and future generations by prese...