ABOUT PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS
”It is not generally realized that the great international airline, Pan American Airways, was not started by any rich and powerful combine, but actually was founded by three young army officers and one ex-navy officer without a dime between them.” –Hap Arnold Originally founded as Pan American Airways, and commonly known as Pan Am; the airline was the principal and largest international air carrier, and unofficial flag carrier of the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991.
The airline is credited for many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems. It was also a founding member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline industry association. Largely recognized by its blue globe logo, the use of the word "Clipper" in its aircraft names and call signs, and the white uniform caps of its pilots, the airline was a cultural icon of the 20th century. In an era dominated by flag carriers that were wholly or majority government-owned, it was the unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States. During most of the jet era. Pan Am's flagship terminal was the WorldPort located at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. 
Juan Trippe & Charles Lindbergh
in front of a Fokker Trimotor, circa 1929
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First Pan American Airways Timetable, Pan Am Museum Collection
Pan Am was incorporated on March 14th, 1927 by General Henry "Hap" Arnold and a few war buddies who lobbied for, and were awarded, the first international airmail contract operating between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba. Pan Am won the airmail contract on July 16th, and was required to make its delivery no later than October 19th with no planes, and now no landing rights. Trippe and Pan Am entered into negotiations and Pan Am eventually merged with ACA on Trippe’s terms, making 28-year-old Juan Trippe the President and General Manager of the new airline. To fulfill its contract obligations, the newly acquired Pan Am hired pilot Cy Caldwell and his Fokker F-VII to complete the airmail contract delivery. Trippe later referred to ACA as a corporate shell with Pan Am doing all the operating work. Eventually, the name was changed to Pan Am in 1931. 
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By the end of 1929, just two years after its first flight, Pan American Airways was a major international airline. It had a 12,000 mile route system linking 23 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, British Honduras, Panama, and Columbia.
Before Pan Am could start its expanded Latin American operations, bases had to be built along the routes. Often, in Central and South America , they were hacked out of dense, unexplored jungles. Pan Am survey planes would fly low over the crocodile-infested swamps, locate a suitable site, then drop sacks of flour to make white splotches in the matted green of the jungle. Construction crews hired by Pan Am would come in from the nearest town by canoe, on burro or on foot, and clear the ground. Food and supplies were dropped by plane. Eventually Pan Am would establish 160 land and marine bases and 93 ground radio and weather stations in Latin America.
The opening of a new route was always the occasion for a celebration. When the first Pan Am plane arrived at a new destination, it would be met by cheering crowds, music, and local leaders speaking. The arrival of Pan Am into "remote" areas quite literally linked them, for the first time, to the rest of the world.
Before Pan Am could start its expanded Latin American operations, bases had to be built along the routes. Often, in Central and South America , they were hacked out of dense, unexplored jungles. Pan Am survey planes would fly low over the crocodile-infested swamps, locate a suitable site, then drop sacks of flour to make white splotches in the matted green of the jungle. Construction crews hired by Pan Am would come in from the nearest town by canoe, on burro or on foot, and clear the ground. Food and supplies were dropped by plane. Eventually Pan Am would establish 160 land and marine bases and 93 ground radio and weather stations in Latin America.
The opening of a new route was always the occasion for a celebration. When the first Pan Am plane arrived at a new destination, it would be met by cheering crowds, music, and local leaders speaking. The arrival of Pan Am into "remote" areas quite literally linked them, for the first time, to the rest of the world.
