The Pan Am Podcast
Experience the legacy of the world’s most iconic airline, Pan American World Airways! This award-winning history and humanities program brings Pan Am’s 64-year history to life through engaging storytelling and insightful interviews from Pan Am employees, passengers, historians, authors, fashionistas, and aviation enthusiasts! Hosted by historian Tom Betti, the program has won the following awards: Platinum 2025, Gold 2024 & 2023, Silver 2022 - Muse Creative Awards; Platinum 2025, Gold 2024, Silver 2023, Arcturus 2022 - Vega Digital Awards; Gold Award from the 2023 Hear Now Palooza of the National Audio Theater Festivals; and Arcturus 2022 Vega Digital Award (Best Host). 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
63 episodes
Episode 63: Operation Babylift: Carried Home and the Bonds That Endure
In this episode, host Tom Betti is joined by three special guests - Pan Am flight attendant Karen Walker Ryan and adoptees Carol Mason and Dr. Matt Steiner - to mark the 51st anniversary of Operation Babylift, the frantic evacuation ordered by ...
Episode 62: Pan Am and the Art of Storytelling with Al Gilbert
In this episode, we are joined by Al Gilbert, known by his friends and family as Ace, a former Pan Am reservations employee and the author of
Episode 61: The Aviator and the Showman - Amelia Earhart and Pan Am with Laurie Gwen Shapiro
In this episode, we are joined by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, a bestselling author, journalist, and adjunct professor at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. A member of the Explorers Cl...
Episode 60: Cheryl Boone Isaacs – A Journey from Pan Am Stewardess to Hollywood Leadership
In this episode, we are joined by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a former Pan Am stewardess from 1972 to 1974 who went on to build an extraordinary career in Hollywood. Her journey is a remarkable one that spans aviation, Hollywood, and film ...
Episode 59: Tania Anderson, Flying for Pan Am, Film Extra, & Life Adventurer
In this episode, we’re joined by Tania Anderson, who served as a Pan Am flight attendant from 1986 to 1991, navigating a pivotal era of transition, resilience, and global adventure for the world’s most iconic airline. Today, she sti...
Episode 58: Top Gun Screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. and Kate Ginley: Mastering the Craft of Screenwriting
In this episode, we’re joined by screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and his student, up and coming screenwriter Kate Ginley, who is writing a screenplay about Pan Am and Tenerife.Jack is now a professor and Chair of the Writing for Screen and T...
Episode 57: Steve Ford (son of President Ford), Adoptee Thuy Williams and the Legacy of Operation Babylift
In this episode we are joined by two special guests, Steve Ford (the youngest son of President and Mrs. Ford) and adoptee Thuy Williams to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Babylift, the frantic evacuation ordered by U.S. President Gerald ...
Episode 56: From the CIA to the Pan Am Board Room and Changing the World Through Music
In this episode we are joined by Donald Devito who worked for the Pan Am board of directors from the early 1960s until the end of the airline. Also, joining us is his son, Dr. Donald DeVito, a renowned musical educator. The senior D...
Episode 55: Yvonne Conde, Operation Pedro Pan and the Untold Exodus of 14,048 Cuban Children
In this episode we explore Operation Pedro Pan, the clandestine operation of the U.S. Government, the Catholic Church and Pan American World Airways to relocate over 14,000 children out of Cuba to the United States between 1960 and 1962. <...
Episode 54: A Trip to Japan and Making Connections in the Air
In this episode, Host Tom Betti shares insights on his recent trip to Japan where he met Charlie, a purser with United Airlines, on his inbound flight to Tokyo and on his outbound flight from Osaka met United flight attendants Leslie and Lynn w...
Episode 53: Pan Am Returns to the Skies with Gary Bartelings
In this episode we are joined by Gary Bartelings, a supporter of the Pan Am Museum and founder and managing director of Bartelings, a company dedicated to unique travel experiences by private jet. We also welcome back to the program...
Episode 52: George Takei Remembers Gene Roddenberry (Pan Am Pilot, 1945-1948)
In this episode we learn about the life of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, who was a pilot for Pan Am from 1945 to 1948. Then we will be joined by a very special guest, George Takei, a legendary actor, NY Times Best Selling...
Episode 51: Crossing the Atlantic in 1939 and Making History Once More
In this episode we explore the first transatlantic passenger flights of Pan Am’s Boeing 314 flying boats in the late 1930s and we welcome back to the program Pan Am flight attendant and author Becky Sprecher who will share her insights -and fam...
Episode 50: Kathleen Clair, Juan T. Trippe's Executive Assistant for 32 Years (1948-1980)
In this episode we explore the life of Kathleen Clair, executive assistant to Pan Am founder and chairman Juan T. Trippe for over 32 years from 1948 to 1980. We will also hear a personal and private memories of Mr. Trippe and Kathleen.
Episode 49: Edith Head, A Hollywood Legend
In this episode we explore the life of legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head who designed uniforms for Pan American World Airways introduced in 1975 and used until the early 1980s. Then we will be joined by actor Susan Cla...
Episode 48: The Archer's...A Family of Aviators
In this episode we celebrate the Archer’s...a family of aviators. 89-year-old Pan Am Captain Stu Archer joined the airline in 1965 as an engineer after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Stu began flying the 727 and then was promoted to...
Episode 47: The "Nisei" Stewardesses of Pan Am
The Pan Am Museum Foundation recognizes the month of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and in this episode we explore the history of Pan Am’s “Nisei” Stewardesses with Dr. Christine R. Yano, retir...
Episode 46: Capt. Mike Bannister, Chief Pilot of British Airways Concorde
In this episode we welcome back to the program Captain Mike Bannister, the chief pilot of British Airways' Concorde fleet from 1995 to 2003.He is also the author of a recently published book titled
Episode 45: National Airlines
Pan American World Airways acquired National Airlines in 1980 and preserving the history of National is now the responsibility of the Pan Am Museum and we take this duty seriously.In this episode we explore the fascinating history of Na...
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 ...