Welcome to Clipper Pioneers!
The April-May 2013 issue of our newsletter is available only to paid members or their spouses. Take the opportunity to join us now - click here.
The next Pan Am Reunion is set for Branson! - Check Out the Pan Am Reunion May 13-17,2013 website. All you have to do, select reunions at the top and scroll down to find Pan Am. Pass this on to all your friends. Great shows and good times for all. ~Stu Archer
"What did I expect to see when I got to the moon, you ask? I expected to see an old Gooney Bird sitting up there waiting for me, because there's just noplace they can't fly." ~Neil Armstrong
TRIBUTE TO THE DC-3
In fifty-one they tried to ground the noble DC-3
And some lawyers brought the case before the C.A.B.
The board examined all the facts behind their great oak portal
And pronounced these simple words "The Gooney Bird’s Immortal"
The Army toast their Sky Train in lousy scotch and soda
The Tommies raise their glasses high to cheer their old Dakota
Some claim the C-47's best, or the gallant R4D
Forget that claim, they’re all the same, they're the noble DC-3.
Douglas built the ship to last, but nobody expected
This crazy heap would fly and fly, no matter how they wrecked it
While nations fall and men retire, and jets go obsolete
The Gooney Bird flies on and on at eleven thousand feet.
No matter what they do to her the Gooney Bird still flies.
One crippled plane was fitted out with one wing half the size
She hunched her shoulders, then took off (I know this makes you laugh)
One wing askew, and yet she flew, the DC-3 and a half.
She had her faults, but after all, who's perfect in every sphere?
Her heating system was a gem; we loved her for her gear.
Of course the windows leaked a bit when the rain came pouring down.
She'd keep you warm, but in a storm, it's possible you'd drown.
Well now she flies the feeder lines and carries all the freight.
She's just an airborne office, a flying twelve ton crate.
They patched her up with masking tape, with paper clips and strings,
And still she flies, she never dies, Methuselah with wings.
— unknown
Historical Pacific Clipper (B-314) caught en route to NZ, Dec 7 1941.
Turn the sound on and enjoy some Aviation history - Click to Watch!
Several Pan-Am events are scheduled in upcoming months in the Bay area, including:
Flying Clipper Ships and the Dawn of Ocean Air Transport
John H. Hill, Assistant Director, Aviation SFO Museum at 11AM on Saturday May 4th from 10AM-3PM. Click here for more info.
The Treasure Island Museum Association is putting on a free lecture on May 11, 2013 about the Clipper. Click here for more information.
Pan Africa: Across the Sahara In 1941 With Pan Am
Free lecture and book-signing by author Tom Culbert on May 30, 2013 at 5:30PM at the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum San Francisco International Airport. Click here for more info.
The Pan Am Cruise was a great success - and also great fun!
Pictured here are: (from left to right), Nicky Von Heissermann, Augusta Shattenkirk, Bill Smith, Stu Archer , Madeline Smith , dinning on the "Jewel of The Seas".
NOTE TO AUXILIARY MEMBERS: Please be sure to send in your dues now, so you'll continue receiving the monthly newsletter. Beginning with the March 2012 issue, auxiliary members will no longer receive free membership, due to rising costs.
Pan Am Dixie Clipper Celebration in Monaco Report
from Jim Kelso...
Posted 11/27/2012
I've uploaded several more pictures from the 31st through November 3nd (many were shown in the background at the Gala dinner Saturday night) from our Pan Am Dixie Clipper Celebration in Monaco. If you haven't already seen them, please feel free to view, share, comment and upload your own photos to this site. Let anyone interested in the Pan Am family today see their friends and family from far away.
Although not relevant to the Monaco reunion, there are pictures from our returning cruise stopover in Tenerife, Canary Islands. This was a special moment honoring the 583 who perished in the KLM/Pan Am disaster, March 27,1977. The memorial of the worlds worst air disaster, by Dutch artist Rudi van de Wint "stairway to heaven" has 583 pieces, each symbolizing a lost life.
Click on the link below:
http://monacodixieclippercelebration.shutterfly.com/
Dear All,
You may have seen this before because it's been around for over a year. But if not, and you have even a passing interest in commercial aviation, the following will be an hour well spent. I'd seen parts of this before, but never the full production. All of us who were part of the airline, and especially the flight crews, will recognize so very much. So grab a cup of coffee or whatever, and enjoy a trip through history.If you have not seen this it is worth the 58 minutes.
http://vimeo.com/32642328
Best regards,
Al Charlevois
Remembering Air Travel’s Golden Era, by the Wall Street Journal - an article with photos from the Pan Am's reunion in Miami. Click here for some great photos!
November 23, 2011
As explained by Jane Euler and Anne Sweeney below, watching this BBC documentary takes an hour. I think you will not agree with everything in it because it is so much the expressions of individuals---but, if you take the time to watch, you will find it very, very good.
For those who are not technologically inclined, after you click on the underlined words (way down the screen below the messages from Jane and Anne-- the link begins with http:// ), you will find a very busy screen. Click on the right-pointing arrow at the bottom of the screen to start the show rolling. You must sit through a short advertisement before the documentary starts. You should also click on the box (four arrows pointing outward) that expands the picture to "full screen." After the documentary is over, you get out of the full screen mode by clicking the ESC (escape) key on your keyboard.
You need to have an hour, but watching is worth the effort.
Click here - Pan Am Story on BBC - to watch the video.
Taking off with ONE MILLION TEN THOUSAND POUNDS IS INCREDIBLE - TAKE A LOOK @ THE VIDEO AND ENLARGE IT AND SEE THE STALLS….fantastic. Click here.
Pan Am Clipper Dec 1935
My Mother said forward this. Of interest to me is the announcement of the pending delivery of the Hawaiian Clipper scheduled for February 1936.
My Father was on the crew sent to Baltimore to pick it up and met my Mother who was working for Martin. The river iced up and the plane could not be delivered. Finally Pan Am recalled the crew and my Dad was sent to Oakland. He called my Mother from Oakland and asked her to marry him. She accepted and boarded a train to her marriage.
The second page recalls the promotion of my Father to Junior Pilot "having completed the two day oral and written examinations" with a list of courses taken and licenses received.
Regards,
Gary G
Iconic Pan Am may fly again in TV drama - Click here to read CNN Story
The updated Pan Amigo Travel Update Interline/Hotel/Tour/Cruise/Rent A Car Discount Programs offer some great discounts for Pan Am retirees. Click here to read the report and how to benefit.
This is an incredible collection of photos on Pan Am's history. It was forwarded by an ex employee, Arthur Rindner who now lives in Israel. I think these are some of the best Pan Am photos I have ever seen.
Enjoy..............................Tony
Definitely, this is the best collection. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks Tony and Trudy for sending these. And also to Arthur who has definitely shown how deep his heart is still with Pan Am. Vickie
Don't Miss This One! A Fantastic Powerpoint presentation of the history of Pan Am. Click here.
(Don't have a Power Point viewer? Download it for free - click here.)
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