Pan Am: An Aviation Legend Hardcover – January 21, 2014

Book is a coffee table classic with great pictures and history of this aviation pioneer.

Romantics, dreamers and world travelers on Pan Am will love this book. In the mid 1950's as an impressionable teenager in a Texas rural home, before we had a television set, my primary source for dreaming of future world travel was our weekly issue of the legendary "Life" magazine and it's regular advertising pages by Pan Am. There were also the occasional news pieces related to air travel. In July 1968, after six years of college and a little more than one year of employment in my first professional position and several years of consideration and planning, my Mother, a dear Aunt and I embarked on an emotional journey to the "Old Country" to meet family in Norway for the first time. After a noon time departure from Dallas to New York on Amercan Airlines our evening flight from New York's Idlewild Airport to Oslo was on Pan Am's Clipper Fleetwing, B707-321, N717PA, delivered 1/9/59. I still remember the Blue Diamond "Smokehouse" almonds served with cocktails and I keep those almonds in my kitchen pantry even today. Two years later, in July 1970 Braniff Airways and Pan Am were operating an interchange flight; one plane service with a Pan Am aircraft and a Braniff crew from Dallas to Chicago, then Pan Am crew from Chicago to Brussels. This flight from Dallas to Brussels via Chicago had a technical stop at Shannon, Ireland. I took my Dad on a trip to Europe, his first since 1917 as a young United States Army officer. His return flight some three weeks later; FBU (OSL) -LHR-ORD-DAL-ACT, was a thrill of his lifetime, departing Oslo shortly after sunrise and arriving ACT, Waco, Texas right at sundown. And his LHR-ORD segment was on a new Pan Am Boeing 747-100. Some two years later, I was now living in Houston, Texas and I took the Pan Am flight to Mexico City with a dear friend on a trip to Taxco, Mexico. In the late 1970's Pan Am's flight from Mexico City to New York with an intermediate stop in Houston was allowed to carry passengers from Houston to New York. I now had a new position at a Bank in Houston and I worked with a particular Bank customer who required that I travel to New York once every three months. Further this customer specified that those working on his behalf travel First Class. Preparing for this first trip to New York in that capacity, a world traveler friend told me to order a Campari and Soda once I was in my seat in First Class and that if I was served what I had ordered, I would know indeed that I was traveling First Class. I did and was served! There may be some airlines today that approach the service and sophistication offered by Pan Am in those earlier years of air travel, but, there was just something that set Pan Am apart that will probably never be equaled. This beautiful book restores and rejuvenates those memories. The legendary visionary Juan Trippe, founder of Pan Am, had stepped down from his Chairmanship in 1968. None of his several successors possessed all of the necessary qualities to successfully manage an airline. Further, United States government regulatory ineptitude and political partisanship, i.e. granting international air routes to formerly domestic carriers while at the same time denying Pan Am domestic feeder routes accelerated the decline of Pan Am. The 1988 Lockerbie Pan Am 747 bombing was the final straw. Pan Am's bookings never recovered from the widely publicized images of the 747's pieces on the ground in Scotland. Bankruptcy was finally declared on January 8, 1991 and liquidation was declared on December 4, 1991.

Pan Am, An Aviation Legend is a must for anyone who considers herself or himself a romantic and a traveler by air, in the 20th century.The book is loaded with vintage photos of early aircraft landing in the tropics, of founder Juan Trippe and longtime Pan Am advisor, Charles Lindberg, as well as art deco brochures and jet age memorabilia. The juxtaposition of fabulous pictures, creative and original advertising art and lucid prose makes this book stand out in its genre of coffee table books.The author captures with great style the legend of Pan Am from the heroic pilots and their engineering feats (e.g. the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean) to the best flight attendants in the world. Anyone who traveled internationally after World War II will remember how wonderful it was to be served by the elite of the airline industry.If you miss the romance of traveling to far away places, this is the book for you. Pan Am, An Aviation Legend faithfully salutes our memory of Pan American World Airways as the airline that with panache transported us abroad.Whether you are American or European or Asian or South American or African my guess is that your experience with this book about Panamerican World Airways ("The World's Most Experienced Airline") will be one of nostalgia. Pan Am brought us together. It truly contributed to making the world a smaller place.We the extended Pan Am family, employees and passengers will revere this book as a fitting tribute to Pan Am's pioneering spirit.Pan Am, An Aviation Legend will be on most prominent display in the home of all of us.

I purchased this book for my Dad who spent 31 years working for Pan Am. It is well written with lots of photos. It contains a lot of interesting history on the airline. I personally would have preferred more photos and stories about its latter existence since this is what I can relate to. Pan Am was a big part of my growing up since Dad always seemed to be doing something for or with Pan Am. It appears to be a balanced account from beginning to end. A very high quality book suited to complement any coffee table.

I collect everything to do with China Clipper,Books Models tons of Photos.This is the best book I have ever found on China Clipper.One of a kind Photos I have never seen.There is a running script that goes along with all the many photos and tells a history of Pan Am with facts I did not know.Pan Am was the best Airline that ever existed and the best American Company that has ever been.Read this story and you will agree. No airline in history will ever be as good as Pan Am. You will not be able to put this book down!Mr. Dan The Pan Am Man

This is excellent for the early years, but he really more or less skipped over the glamor years of the 60's in one dismissive chapter. The emphasis on the equipment was great, but I would also have liked more coverage on "the little people" such as the flight crews and the "stewardesses."

This book is legendary. Conrad crafted a beautiful book that pictorially documents that evolution of one of the best known brands in aviation history. Deserving in any household interested in aviation or for those who worked at the venerable airline during its rise and fall.

Amazing nostalgic photos of everything from stewardesses wardrobes, plane interiors/exteriors, cabin classes, meal service, graphics and branding throughout the years! Plus, great info on the history of the much loved Pan Am!

well presented history of an historical airline. great period photoes

Lovely book - bought for a present for someone who loves aviation and Pan Am especially. They loved it - though it does look very interesting so I will be having a flick through myself. Perfect coffee table book.

Great photos many of which I have not seen before, and perfectly packaged in a lovely hardback book. One to keep for sure!

Certainement le plus beau livre sur la Pan Am. Magnifiquement illustré avec des photos grand format pleine page ou double page, affiches, cartes, écorchés d'avion, publicités, le livre décrit l'histoire de la Pan Am en mettant l'accent sur la période des propeller aircrafts ou avions à hélices, les hydravions notamment et jusqu'au Douglas DC7 et Constellation, sans oublier pour autant les jet.

Total like, book and deliver