"Pan Am"

[Normy]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

As an airline pilot and airline hobby-historian I laughed out-loud during the first episode of Pan Am.

1. The captain is 30 years too young. PAA captains on the new 707s flying the NYC-Paris run in 1963 were not 25! They were 55! The First Officers were not 22, they were 42.

2. Where's all the smoke? No one smokes! Where's the fog of second-hand smoke on the flight deck--I mean COCKpit. There were ashtrays at all crew positions in the cockpit on 707s (I flew the KC-135R in the USAF and it had ashtrays) and the pilots had halitosis and smoker's hack (cough) and their skin looked like John Boehner's.

3. Not enough sexual harassment on the TV show. Male passengers grabbed ass constantly. The pilots, often married, grabbed and slapped a lot of stew asses back then. Yeah, some of the girls liked it but many did not.

4. The crew stays together trip after trip? Same crew all season long? NOT. I have three-leg days and often get a different crew on all three legs. Granted, the Pan Am flight schedule was different than my current west coast type of trip but no way the stews and pilots stayed together more than a trip at a time.

5. Hair. That captain has too much hair. Taper the back and sides son, you goddam hippie.

6. In the first episode, on takeoff roll, the pilots look at each other at about 120 knots and gay-ly smile. BWA-HA-HA-HA!!! Even my wife cracked-up at that one.

7. Inaugural revenue flight of new 707 in the first episode. The senior management or training captains come out of their caves to fly those trips. If there's any kind of glamour or excitement to the first revenue flight of a new jet then the senior guys come out to fly it. If there are local TV news cameras in the boarding area for a special type of flight then the glamour boys displace the regular pilots and step in front of the cameras.

8. Stews as Cold War spies? Uh, okay. Maybe that happened but I doubt it. Stews probably slept with Russian spies (and German spies and British spies and American spies and Italian spies and Japanese spies and Mongolian spies and everyone else) but that stew-as-spy angle seems a bit of a stretch.

Having crabbed about it, it's still kinda' fun to watch the show and at least have a good laugh at some of it. Obviously "Pan Am" is a HEAVY dose of revisionist history, just as the very good "Mad Men" series is, but as escapism TV it's fun so far.

ALL the above!

-Especially 7. At my airline, when the senior management types want to go out and fly, they find a cake 777 trip and displace one of their friends. They'd NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! Fly a disputed pairing or any sort of trip that had more than about two legs.

One thing you didn't mention: The implication that many of Pan Am's flight attendants were working for the CIA. While this is urban legend....I flew with several old Pan Am guys at Express One International and they all said that was complete crap, and probably something that the company cooked up in order to secure free advertising. I flew at Southern Air Transport for a while, and we had the same rep; It was also crap.

N!

[campbellcj]

I was curious so I watched the pilot episode last night. My lord, that was bad. I predict mid-season cancellation.

These days if you fly a lot - as in way too much - it sure helps ease the hassle factor to hit the upper frequent-flyer status levels. Either way, business travel sucks and is getting crazy expensive. My 3-day east coast trip last week cost over $1,500 and I was trying to be relatively thrifty. It was $97 to rent a Corolla for 1 day in Hartford, CT -- effing insane.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

As an airline pilot and airline hobby-historian I laughed out-loud during the first episode of Pan Am.

1. The captain is 30 years too young. PAA captains on the new 707s flying the NYC-Paris run in 1963 were not 25! They were 55! The First Officers were not 22, they were 42.

This made me laugh... and probably had my dad (>30 years at Eastern) spinning in his grave. They also implied that the captain had recently upgraded. Um, right.

That being said, it was interesting just to watch sets, props, costumes, etc. knowing this was the center of my dad's world at the very time it's portrayed in the show.

[azasadny]

Flying domestic, coach today is like taking a Trailways bus....

[campbellcj]

My mother-in-law flew for TWA in the early 60's and maybe late 50's. I know she has some stories to tell -- I just may not hear the most interesting ones while father-in-law is still around...

A couple years ago I flew on Ural Airlines (coach) for some domestic Russian flights. Interestingly, the service was somewhat better than our current domestic equivalents. Hottie flight attendants, and they actually still serve full hot meals that were not extra charge and not horribly disgusting.

[BE911SC]

October 9th episode:

Wow, JFK was a dick! Cristina Ricci brings him Cuban cigars--out to Air Force One on the ramp in Berlin--and the Secret Service dude takes them, gives them to JFK and JFK waves at her from the top of the air stairs? Man, that's cold. "Thanks for the illegal cigars byatch!"

Hey, the Germans were pretty cool after all! Except where they tried to exterminate the Jews and anyone who resisted them. "Are you Americans? Yes? Then hurry and come with me to see Kennedy from the perfect vantage point! A fifth-floor window in our German Socialist school book depository!"

Of course the young blonde German courier's parents were not Nazis. Yeah, they supplied bread to the Luftwaffe HQ in Berlin during the war but they were actually very much against the Nazis. Just following orders.

First Officer hits on the blonde stew while overcome by Kennedy's "I am a jelly doughnut" speech! Dude, bad time to hit on a stew! She wants to sleep with JFK, not YOU. Oh, and NEVER choke-up during your apology and tell the stew, "You're different than all the others." Different? Than all the others? How many others? Were they all tramps and I'm not? Ug.

Anyone else notice the red 356 coupe in one of the "Berlin" street scenes?

Looks like next week the captain and copilot get into a fist-fight on the plane! Yay!

[Jrboulder]

I just saw the 3rd episode. All I have to say is stupid, real f'ing stupid.

[stevepaa]

getting pretty far fetched.

My wife and I just shake our heads.

It would have been nice if they had recreated Templehoff by CG as it was.

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

October 9th episode:

Wow, JFK was a dick! Cristina Ricci brings him Cuban cigars--out to Air Force One on the ramp in Berlin--and the Secret Service dude takes them, gives them to JFK and JFK waves at her from the top of the air stairs? Man, that's cold. "Thanks for the illegal cigars byatch!"

Yeah, totally unrealistic. You know the real JFK would have invited her on board, and she would have left walking bowlegged.