Memories

 There has recently been a site on FaceBook, where old photos and interesting information from Pan American Airlines have been posted.

It brings back memories of my short-termed life as a stewardess in the 60s...flying on jets which increased the speed of journeys and provided much more comfort than flights do these days!

Sharing with...Sepia Saturday!

I remember those great big black leather purses...we had to carry flats to wear when working on the aisles, as there was risk of our spike heels going through the aluminum floors...I kid you not. (Not me in the photo!)

Yes, we served meals on trays like this. Our crews would wear a wrap-around smock as an apron over our uniforms when serving food. I haven't seen any photos of them yet.

Some stewardesses who finished training in Miami Springs just a few years after me...their uniforms were somewhat different in the buttons, and the hats had changed...the color was bluer than showing in this old photo. And they got to wear lower heels too! 1968 (I was trained in 1963)

Awaiting boarding of Jet Clipper Flight 504 from SAL to GUA to connect with Flight 516 to LAX then SFO, 1978 here.

"PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS's fleet of Boeing 707 jetliners, powers by Pratt & Whitney JT3C6 engines, heralded the modern jet age for commecial travel. The inaugural flight was on Oct. 26, 1958, New York-to-Paris, and Pan Am's initial fleet of jetliners totalled five. Pan Am was Boeing's largest 707 customer, having in its fleet a t otal of 136 B-707 type aircraft.  While otehr nations jet transport operations were plagued by technical and labor problems, Pan Am's Boeing 707 represented the world's first regular scheduled jet service that continued uninterrupted."

I flew on DC-8's and Boeing 707's like this one. This blurb obviously is alluding to some competitor's airplane problems.

I flew to the Caribbean and South and Central America...this map leaves off many of the routes we flew our of Miami! Pan Am was an international airline, thus could not fly between any US cities. I flew another airline to Houston from St. Louis where I'd been hired. Then Pan Am flew me from Huston to Guatemala, and from there to Miami where I trained.

Patricia Duffany has a FB page The History of the Retired Flight Attendant. Thanks for these shots with the women's Pan Am uniforms!

Pan American World Airways stewardesses in uniforms by Don Loper, 1959. Courtesy SFO Museum byTerry J. Rice

A screen shot of a screen view...apparently.

That's probably Miami Airport in the backround.

Landing of a Pan Am plane

Not me, but I loved visiting South America! I've talked about my experiences before on these blogs:

My 59th Anniversary as a Stewardess 2022

My Days of Flight 2015

Pan American DC-8 N801PA. Pan Am photo.

Myself with sister and friends. I'm about to go to work as a stewardess and they're saying goodbye to then go enjoy the beach!

Here's a link to my other blog (Open Yesterday's Pages) where I shared a photo of an earlier Pan Am plane which crashed in the Pacific Ocean and everyone survived thanks to the US Coast Guard. 

Flight rain

 Took off in the afternoon and climbed above the clouds...dull but pretty.

Sometimes flying between layers of clouds, but then before landing, we had to go through lots of cloud.

Landing gear had been lowered and we approached the airport before we could see a thing.

 The next bit of fun was hiking through Atlanta's various escalators, trains and terminals to find the right gate for the next plane.

The view out my window didn't look too promising for picture taking.

But by the time we were 3rd or 4th in line for take off, I'd tried a few settings on the camera...and could do this.

We would see one plane land, then in a minute another would take off

Saying goodbye to Atlanta

Coming through the clouds to see our Connecticut destination.

On the ground, and the weather was still cloudy, but no more rain, for now!

And now I am in the arms of my loving family!

The cockpit

There are some hair raising stories of air travel going around.

I had minor difficulties on a recent visit, and managed to take a picture of the captain in the cockpit as he had just rebooted the computer for the plane.

I don't remember the kind of plane, but it had 3 letters, beginning with C, and I think was called a Sierra something.  It was only half full, with only 2 seats on each side of the aisle.  Not that the seats were any larger than any other planes, but this was a smallish plane.

I sat next to a young woman who might have still been a teen.  She was highly anxious, and her way of dealing with it before the plane even taxied to the runway, was to wind her watch hands around and around.  After 10 minutes or so, staring hypnotically at the hands going around, she leaned over the window, so I couldn't see anything outside (being in the aisle seat).  I was hoping she felt a bit better, since we were still on the ground.  I knew how anxious she was when she reached up to turn on her light and her armpit reeked of fear.  No wonder animals can smell it.

When we had safely landed, she asked me the correct time.

And I haven't forgotten to remember the veterans in my life.  Thank you for risking your life for what you believed in, or at least by following orders.  I wish you peace as a result of being willing to go to war, whether you did or not.  I personally don't believe political divisiveness helps anyone feel any more connected to our world neighbors.  I didn't think the War in Vietnam was good in any way.  But my friends who fought there survived twice, first the terrible war, and second the lack of thanks from America after they got home.