Pan Am

This is the Weekly Update of my Fargo Rate for August 15 Starting Fargo:  372 Ending Fargo:  372 Starting Robustness:  411 Ending...

Pan Am pilots — and all airline pilots — live with the knowledge that their careers can end suddenly. The reasons are many: Failing a required FAA medical exam (every six months) Not passing the mandatory Pan Am simulator check and oral exam (every six months) Making a serious in-flight mistake during an annual check ride with an observing captain The end can come without warning. My own Pan Am flying career ended far more abruptly than I ever expected.

The Kai Tak Airport approach and landing in Hong Kong was legendary — thrilling, precise, and unforgiving. From the cockpit of a Pan Am Boeing 747, every mile of this arrival demanded total focus. With Victoria Harbor on one side, mountains on the other, and high-rise buildings almost within arm’s reach, there was no margin for error.

PAN AM Series — Hong Kong 3 & Victoria Harbour photo, 1986 This Pan Am Hong Kong Victoria Harbour photo was taken in 1986 during one of...

Flying Soldiers on R&R On outbound flights, the GIs were wide awake, buzzing with anticipation. Coming back, they were worn out from their short but intense vacations — and they slept all the way back to Vietnam. We knew many of these young men would never return home. Helping them enjoy a break from the war was a privilege for all of us.

This Pan Am pilot portrait photography session was part of a larger series I began in the early 1980s, photographing fellow pilots in their uniforms and in the roles and hobbies that defined their lives outside the cockpit. For this entry, the subject was me

PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Keith Woodmansee: From Cockpit to Music Stage Pan Am pilot Keith Woodmansee  has been a long-time friend...

PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Dick Mayer in Uniform and on Stage Pan Am pilot Dick Mayer  is the kind of person whose smile and energy...

PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Photography Project: Capturing Character This Pan Am pilot photography project  began in the late 1970s,...

Pan Am Pilot Bill Spence: Karate Black Belt and Gentle Friend I first met Pan Am pilot Bill Spence when I moved to California to fly for...

A First Airline Pilot Job Interview That Changed Everything This first airline pilot job interview  story begins before I ever set foot...

PAN AM Series — A Clear Air Turbulence Story You’ll Remember This true Pan Am story about clear air turbulence  blends humor with a...

A true Pan Am story from the cockpit — waking passengers to see Greenland, joking about polar bears, and a surprise encounter with Nick...

This Pan Am Story is About Flying With Marlon Brando on Board This Pan Am Marlon Brando story  is one of many memories from the golden...

Pan Am Flight Engineer Story for the books I’ll never forget this Pan Am Flight Engineer story. Flying for Pan Am meant working with crew...

Before the internet, before smartphones, before a signal determined your mood — life ran on slower rhythms, rotary phones, and real people. If you’ve ever muttered about dropped Wi-Fi or screamed at a buffering video, here’s a reminder: we used to function — quite well — without any of it.

Fargo 500 Pool Journey: “That Could Take Years...” — A Respectful Reality Check Todd Rowitz is our BCA league operator—one of the most...

The True Story of From the Flight Deck to the Pool Table: Bill Travis After nearly three decades in the skies as a Pan Am captain, I...

How Captain Ogg Executed the Legendary Pan Am Flight 6 Ditching On O ctober 16, 1956, Pan Am Captain Richard “Dick” Ogg faced an...

Captain Chuck Kimes' handling of the Pan Am emergency landing stands as a monument to professional training, cool under fire, and the teamwork that defined Pan American World Airways at its peak.