Pan Am Training Video: 747-100 Aircraft Familiarization (circa early to mid-1980s)

[@apl175]

The 400Hz hum is strong on this one.

[@FBWFTW]

Always on Boeings too I noticed for the most part.

[@iLoveBoysandBerries]

That from the apu running?

[@mike48084]

It’s the lady’s bowels. Actually, it is from the 115V AC bus, which runs on 400Hz, and powers the lights, toilets, coffee makers among other things.

[@OfftheWallTales]

It makes me feel like if I touch my screen with a magnet, it'll turn into a hippie wave dance. Damn it! Now I need to play this on my grandparents' CRT and poke it with a magnet.

[@Colaholiker]

I loved the time when you actually heard that on the plane...

[@fatfreddyscoat7564]

“Cabin Class” sounds so much better than “Economy”

[@fujifrontier]

"At least I get to sit in the cabin, but there's always Baggage Class 😆"

[@chad5893]

I legit thought she said "cattle class"

[@mjallen1308]

@@fujifrontier🤔 I’m intrigued about baggage and engine class seats.

[@KattyKoo-g5n]

The 747 will always have a special place in my heart. Such an amazing machine.

[@maxjansen8110]

I'm a flight attendant on 747-8I and 747-400 right now and astonished to see that not all that much has changed in all these years, just more seats and stuff has been fit inside while the aircraft became a little longer too. The galleys are set up in a identical manner. Biggest differences now are the ovens we have. Roll warmers are gone now. The galley work space which is accessible from both sides is gone too now. Doors, switches, interphones, trolleys, handles have only changed marginally

[@Dustyscorner1111]

Well yea, I guess they just kinda scaled it up and modernised some features. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it 😅

[@letarogers6380]

And no Super 8 cartridges

[@kimarnina]

I was born in the early 2000’s and I feel like I was born in the wrong decade 😩 I really love watching old videos especially aviation ones and daydreaming about living in the old times. How I badly wish I’ve been able to experience that.

[@DittoMike1]

JetBlue's Mint service comes as close in 2022 as the PanAm type of service, in the US. Singapore is another airline with luxury service. Mint from JFK to London...LUXURY!

[@brandonh3876]

I’m the same 😂 I still have vhs tapes that I still watch

[@wavecentral]

Flew a lot back then - there was certainly a lot to enjoy, but also many things that are better now. Entertainment for one - one movie per flight on a tiny cabin screen with crappy headphones on a 9 hour flight was incredibly boring. Being able to fly into the old Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong though - now that was fun.

[@kimarnina]

@@wavecentral I agree. We have modern stuff and privileges that I can't live without. It's just that I feel like I missed a lot of old experiences. Even just the fact that I don't exist yet during the 80's or 90's kinda frustrates me 😂 and there are certainly a lot of cool stuff back then that don't exist anymore, including the vibe and the simplicity. Btw, when me and my family went to Hong Kong it 2017, I really wanted to go to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal but since we weren't cruising, we didn't go. Sad.

[@wavecentral]

@@kimarnina Travel certainly felt more special then, and a lot less like the generic experience you get now. Less people flying, so it was more common to get empty seats on a plane. If the flight wasn't busy, you could ask to go see the cockpit and have a reasonable chance of getting in - once spent 2 hours up there because we were out over the ocean and the pilots didn't have much to do. It wasn't as common to have aerobridges then, so you could wander around for a bit on the tarmac before boarding and check out the aircraft. Good times. Hope you get more chances to step back in time for a while.

[@andrewrees6618]

This is great. I grew up on Pan Am. My father retired as a captain from the company. I loved that life. She was the empress of the air...none finer then and now. I used to help the stews when flying. It was a great big family. I miss that airline every time I have to fly. My dad said " when Pan Am goes, it'll just be bus travel in the air..." Oh how he was right.

[@zms8092]

God how I miss these days! Give me a giant recliner in first class over the “pods” of today any day. Amazing video - pure gold.

[@pcressma]

That upper deck jumpseat is a beast!

[@Boeing747fan-j3l]

This is a ground breaking discovery. For those that dont know, that plane is not just any random plane it is super special. The plane's name is Clipper yuan t trippe or N747PA , famous for being the second Boeing 747 ever built. This video is such a beautiful find because i really love this plane ❤

[@visionist7]

This is so cool walking around this 100 like it's brand new. Time travel

[@auntbarbara5576]

Aunt Barbara adores you!

[@visionist7]

@eternal footman _like_ it's brand new

[@roachtoasties]

I still have my old Pan Am credit card as a souvenir.

[@RedLP5000S]

The 747 will ALWAYS be the Queen of the Skies. 💙✈

[@davidstrohl]

I flew on so many PanAm 747 aircraft between FRA and JFK back in the 80s, watching this video brings back many happy memories for me. There simply was no comparison between PA and other carriers, the only one that came anywhere close to the level of service found on PA was BA, but those flights always required a stop at LHR before crossing the pond. Now flying is like riding on municipal buses in the skies. We’ve truly lost the joy in flying, 9/11 effectively put an end to whatever was left of it. Thanks for posting this!

[@samiramarley]

I love the soothing hum of classic jets' interiors.

[@edwardjones4870]

I remember when PanAm was considered the gold standard of international flying. In the last months of the airline’s operation I flew to London on one of its 747. The aircraft had definitely seen much better days. It was a very sad and sorry sight!

[@Bellasie1]

Not mentioning flying out of London on Pan Am shortly before they closed down certainly conjured other images than those of luxury travel anyway...

[@nephi5059]

Yeah. As employee , not many knew until day of closure ,was it the end. You reminded me of something I suppose they , the airline company are in trouble ... poorly cleaned/maintained aircraft. I flew right before closure on TWA to Paris via old 747-100 business class. Got no meal and one muffin 5 minutes before landing. Sad. Like Titanic. The PAA name is so famous adored it could never be brought back as ecomony airline aka, southwest, spirit or worse. The public would never accept that. Not many MULTI BILLIONAIRES around willing to invest billions to become a millionaire. So sad. Maybe international charter flying cruise ship passengers to Europe,Asia,Alaska,etc. for point of departure cruise . I was FA on Clipper America later renamed the Juan T. Trippe. Mark

[@Ben-xe8ps]

@@nephi5059 You flew from where to Paris on TWA? Don't say you flew across the Atlantic from the US and got no dinner .... that would require more explanation than 'got no meal'. Were you a non-rev passenger and had been told no meal was available for you? If you mean you got no breakfast, well I flew Pan Am First Class JFK-LHR as a full fare F passenger and got nothing, not even a muffin, coffee or juice before we landed!

[@gxramirez]

I’m wanting to know the rest of this story 😉

[@edwardjones4870]

I flew economy on TWA from IAD to CDG not long before the airline ceased operation. I don’t recall what was served for dinner, but breakfast was a chocolate donut. When I asked the FA for sugar for my tea, I was told that they didn’t have any!

[@chasenip2]

This takes me back! In 1996 I was hired by TWA as a f/a, the first new-hires in a decade (a total fluke). Their FC cabins were very similar. My very first international trip was JFK-FRT. I’m helping people in FC while boarding & I squat down to help a pax with the footrest & I felt my pants split. LOL! I ended up putting a white serving cloth around my front & one around the back to hide it during service. Ya gotta be quick on your feet! Great times!

[@Dustyscorner1111]

I remember a family member being hired by TWA in 1995 and saying that basically all the F/A’s she met in training were all from Pan Am She said they were always kind and respectful

[@Tom-db4gz]

I learned a lot of things I didn't know about the 747 cabin. Thanks for sharing!

[@PanAmMuseum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fujifrontier]

I'm ready for passenger duty now, where do I report ❤️

[@thepinkyprincesspoetc.a.5767]

Loved the Super 8 Movie 🎥 Projector and cartridge ❤️

[@tonyyero7231]

I was a Flight Attendant years back with AA although prior to that I worked in Pan Am's RES Center in MIA! Memories

[@nephi5059]

Hi Tony

[@kcindc5539]

Heh - before joining America West in 1989 my first gig was at Pan Am Res in Alexandria, Virginia….. I started training in November 1988 and went online 3 December 1988, just before…… everything changed

[@freddyhoyt1849]

I had the pleasure of flying on many pan am 747 aircraft I had a wonderful time working for the airline I miss it so very much

[@captain_jojo1802]

That cabin looks massive

[@petermaher437]

Ah yes, the days of plenty of room. Magnificent.

[@wizardmix]

The airplane nerd in me rejoices! As the description reads, this was the 2nd 747 ever built (what a cool tail #!) and the first to ever work for passenger revenue so that's as classic as they get. I never got to fly on a 747-100 and it's fun to see the 1st generation equipment before the systems were updated. Seems some of the late 60s charm was replaced over the years because that upstairs would have certainly been a lounge in its first condition yet the DNA remains and is very cool to see.

[@antman5474]

Clipper America got pulled at the last minute due to mechanical issues, Clipper Victor N736PA took it's place as the first 747 commercial flight.

[@Wesleyclarillos]

He/him/we

[@wizardmix]

@@Wesleyclarillos ???

[@camiloformica9031]

Weird enaugh watching n747pa, the second 747 made. It had a big accident in 1971, flew supersonic on a small accident after pan am went under and was operating as a cargo plane for evergreen and ended it’s days in korea as a plane restaurant then abandoned.

[@giselawragg9140]

Thank you for the great video. My Dad worked for Pan Am from 1979 to 1991 and I was fortunate enough to film a 747 from Heathrow to New York in May 1989. Also, this plane N747PA was out for repairs after an accident in San Francisco July 1971. Badly damaged she still managed to land, with no lives lost. Great plane. Thank you Juan Trippe.

[@moriver3857]

Nice lady, and so well presented in many ways. I hope she wasn't on flight 103, and that she was able to retire or leave PanAm before it went bust. F/A uniforms have really changed for the worse. Great video.

[@CasaOsso]

Maybe a relative wil reply

[@bootes53]

The list of those killed in Flight 103 is published and accessible by searching. I don't think she was one of them.

[@ClipperMaidOfTheSeas]

Celeste Evans was not on PA103. The Pursers on PA103 were Gerry Murphy and Milutin Velimirovich.

[@grassytramtracks]

To be honest I dont really like that yellow bow

[@planesandcooking5142]

I was a "cabin class" passenger in one of those April 1985 from JFK to LAX.

[@FrankButterfield]

I flew from MIA to SCL in July of 1982 in a full Pan Am jet just like this one. I was in a middle seat on the starboard side and in the aft section of what I now know (thanks to this video) to be the E Zone. That was one heck of a long flight!

[@dalecooper9942]

N747PA was involved in an accident while taking off from SFO as flight PA 845 while on route to Tokyo On July 30, 1971

[@toursonline]

I miss a lot pan am and it's confort with excelent treatment to passengers.

[@flyingbarrel1949]

Wonderful video! Thank you! I have an illuminated PANAM sign and several pads of lost/damaged luggage forms from the time (a long, long tome ago) when I worked at Stockholm-Arlanda airport. The first time I flew in a B747 was with SE-DDL, Boeing 747-283B "Huge Viking" (ARN-JFK in May of 1972, flight SK 911).

[@captain_jojo1802]

Fell in love with the 2nd floor clipper class

[@joemclaughlin995]

Class television from a time when international air travel was something to behold!

[@grassytramtracks]

Well each person can choose what they want to watch from a selection of films instead of just one for everyone, that seems far better than what it was like then

[@andy99ish]

I can remember times when air travel was actually pleasant. Gosh, I feel really old.

[@Great-Documentaries]

You call dealing with second hand smoke pleasant???

[@andy99ish]

@@Great-Documentaries Being generally treated as a human being back then (and not as a suspicious piece of protein like today) more than offset the smoking issue.

[@sparkingwave]

This video was made during the time Pan Am sold off its profitable Pacific Division to United. I can't imagine how the employees must have felt then. If only they had NOT bought National.

[@visionist7]

Pam Am is the only US airline that will ever be world class

[@stuartlee6622]

@@visionist7 TWA????

[@christine3043]

@Captain Bunwarmer …none of those are US airlines. The comment specified US airlines.

[@Canleaf08]

given how pilots filled up their planes to the brink, given how Pan Am lacked vision after Juan Trippe died, given how the 747 slowly became obsolete in the 80s (thanks to the 767) and became expensive to maintain. Given how Pan Am operated everywhere and was an easy target, given how they even operated subsidized in Germany, given how everything else at Pan Am was not sustainable, especially after 1988 and the start of the Gulf war.

[@tommyboybr]

What an honor it was for crews to work on this plane and for Pan Am!!!!

[@seand2711]

At 11:47 as she moves further into C zone sounds like she says "cattle class". I feel I'm familiar enough with the aircraft now after watching this video. Where do I go to fill out an application to be a PanAm stewardess? I'm ready. (But I refuse to work E zone, EVER!)

[@sunnyscott4876]

LOL.I remember when they pulled down a movie screen. Now everybody watches whatever they want on their own devices.

[@ExpoAviation]

Wow that is an incredible find :)

[@dutchy1176]

She was in fact delivered to Pan Am in late 1970, because she was used a test plane. Many other 747s were delivered yo Pan Am before Clipper America was. She was the second one built though...

[@Clarence_Oddbody]

I never got to fly on a 747. Closest I got was in July 2001 while on layover in O’Hare en route to San Diego. I kept volunteering for bumps and had three ticket vouchers in my hand and I passed up a 747 flight to SD for the third one. They were writing up a fourth voucher for me when the agent looked up at me and said “How many of these do you have?” I sheepishly said “three” and looked at me and said “get on the plane!”

[@kona702]

I flew on four separate 747s with United airlines around 2005.. amazing planes.

[@Felizq]

Amazing video, thank you so much for sharing. You don't even see these type of training videos nowadays available.

[@ClipperMaidOfTheSeas]

This is amazing! Thank you for posting this!

[@PanAmMuseum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robwallace266]

Incredible video. You have to love the classic 747.

[@lawrenceakini9507]

Thank you for this vlog. My favourite carrier. Ciao. 2022.

[@willemlenteren1485]

Thank you for the guide very beautiful interior

[@C0sm1c.n00dle]

PanAm really did provide luxury flying for all. Wish panam would come back one day

[@desmondding7405]

Lmao that divider that folds away between cabin and clipper class really caught me off guard

[@maxb4074]

Roll warming was an important part of flying in those days, so orienting new employees to the roll warmers was vital.

[@Brandon-qr2or]

Have you had those hard things they serve now

[@drpoundsign]

I was thinking of "roll warning" in the cockpit-LOL

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@drpoundsign - So was I!

[@straightpipediesel]

You know if they don't, someone's going to stick a stack of paper towels or plastic cups in it, somebody else will turn it on, start a fire, the plane's going to have to make an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere, and the whole mess is going to piss off a planeload of stranded customers cost the company $100k easily. It happens on a semi-regular basis.

[@birdchops]

I had a roll warmer for n a 777 that was also used to warm sake

[@12jazon]

What an awesome video! It's staggering how much people could be crammed in that fuselage!

[@stefanfischer7433]

Are there similar videos for the DC-10 and L-1011? Great piece of history.

[@PanAmMuseum]

There's really no aircraft that compares to the Boeing 747, however, the DC-10 and L-1011 were wide body designs and probably had the same seat configuration. The L-1011 was an incredible aircraft and very much ahead of its time.

[@elliott7268]

@@PanAmMuseum that wasn't the question. Are there similar videos for those other aircraft.

[@AndreiTupolev]

How basic first class seems now, with all the full length beds and private suites with ensuite showers and things that they have now

[@ianstewartorr8455]

I remember as a child these aircraft at prestwick transatlantic airport

[@santicardona777]

Aviation in those times was the best 🤩

[@friendlysky7674]

So cool walking around this! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS VIDEO❤️❤️❤️

[@ELPaso1990TX]

Would be great to see a Pan Am 747 SP familiarization video. I love the Boeing 747SP.

[@johnv9594]

I was in in e zone cabin class every time. If you sat on your feet you might have a chance of actually seeing the screen disguised by the beautiful squeaking decorator panel

[@paulabler1071]

A historic airframe. #2 off the line. Scrapped in Korea after a brief stint as a restaurant.

[@moreedcola6837]

R.I.P. N747PA

[@Hans-gb4mv]

40 years later, and we still have those same plastic foldable tray tables

[@straightpipediesel]

Found the person who never flies first. United has granite, Emirates has burlwood, British Airways has carbon fiber.

[@AndreiTupolev]

"Behind me is the cockpit door and on the right the lavatory door." I can imagine passengers opening the wrong door by mistake. "Oops, sorry to interrupt ..."

[@힐만94]

I can imagine that for pre-911 era... LOL..

[@dannychan6202]

I can also imagine would-be bad guys failing and going to the bathroom.

[@jullietmburu9672]

@@dannychan6202 😂 😂

[@panampia]

Our cockpit doors were locked. We flight attendants all had to have keys. I was a Pan Am Stewardess from 1979 to 1991. It was an amazing experience.

[@kgb4187]

Sometimes you have wish the pilot luck, that you're all counting on them

[@JokeriPokeri17]

Clipper America? Second Boeing 747-100 build, this was the 747 that was involved in the San Francisco accident in 1971 and after the repairs, it was the heaviest of it's kind in service. Sad that it's fate was to be a restaurant in South Korea before it was scrapped.

[@nealwhaley63]

Cool! I must admit I never knew roll warming was taken so seriously in galleys.

[@ballyhigh11]

On my airline every long haul aircraft has a dedicated warming oven for the bread in the first and business class galleys.

[@fujifrontier]

@@ballyhigh11 then, once they're cooled off and hard as rocks, they get to toss them at the cattle class cabin for fun and amusement! 😆

[@arbitterm]

Look how big and soft those seats look!

[@Solitaryman70]

I still Stream the PAN AM TV SERIES with Christina Lucci (Maggie Ryan); they were gorgeous, still love that show!!!

[@Vpmatt]

1:45 In this overhead bin are 15 spare cans of hairspray in case one of my hairs moves slightly.

[@amesavis]

this was during my childhood when things were just always good and you didn't have to worry about a rude stewardess. I love the huge cushy seats, the pussycat blouse, and the movie screens. I love it when she says third class watched the movie through the bulkhead ha ha

[@dieseldragon6756]

So much attention to detail and focus on passenger facility in all classes here! Never flew with Pan-Am, but I get the impression I would have liked to! 😇 What makes no sense to me is that reputable airlines like Pan-Am went bust, yet the cowboy/loan shark operators like British scAirways are somehow *still* in business! 🛫🇬🇧🤔

[@CharlesWhitford]

I flew Qantas Dec 88, LHR to SIN, just 4 days after Lockerbie. But cabin crew went out of their way to cheer up passengers. There's no hospitality like Aussie hospitality. First time I saw electronic map showing plane's progress, with time to destination, ground speed, air speed, time in LHR, time in SIN, and even outside temp, I think. Never seen that before. But it was on big screen on the wall, not on little screens on the back of seats like today. But it was a cool toy for '88.

[@Canleaf08]

ASINC or commonly known as « Air Show Incorporated » started in the 1980s with their electronic computer generated maps. Before that, flight attendants had a map in the cabin and they moved the plane by hand manually. I think Swissair had the first installation of this kind.

[@aviationdocumentaries4520]

I like those series, and subscribed to your channel .

[@PanAmMuseum]

Awesome, thank you!

[@xj22jaguar]

Thank you for this video!

[@PanAmMuseum]

You are so welcome! You should check out our podcast! podcast.thepanammuseum.org/share 💙✈️👨‍✈️🧑‍✈️👩‍✈️

[@S.E.C-R]

These feel so much older than the 80’s… it doesn’t really feel that long ago.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Looking very nice...

[@LMays-cu2hp]

This is so nice to see the older Pan Am 747. I flew the 747-400s in the late 1990s thru the end of flying them. I miss the 747s in general.

[@idolhanz9842]

Always loved the blue and white interior decor on Pan Am..

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

Amazing. My hair spontaneously cut itself and sprayed itself into some form of big hair while watching this.

[@mcass777]

Curious, how did the service containers get to the upper deck? Great film!!!

[@visionist7]

@Captain Bunwarmer I can't find any FAs to ask so I'll ask a pilot; are or were there any extra wide ovens on planes, instead of the usual rack mounted 12" wide ones?

[@PanAmMuseum]

Good question! At Pan Am, the caterers would load the main deck first with the food carts. Then they would raise the loader to the height of the upper deck and load the catering carts through an ajar door up there.

[@user-e-idk]

@@PanAmMuseum and how does the movie operate in the upper deck as if there is a big screen in the middle, it will block the stairs but I didn’t see a small CRT screen in the side.

[@dan339dan]

I can't imagine watching demonstration of First Class seats without all of them being able to turn into beds and have decent tray tables and privacy screens. Also, It didn't occur to me playing a movie would mean packing huge film rolls in the 80s and require huge machinery.

[@thihal123]

Much prefer the cabins of this era than the ones today. The first class cabins of today all look like mini cubicles and doesn’t give a sense of expansiveness. Rather , it gives the sense of total isolation and individuality. To me, it’s overly individual.

[@drpoundsign]

Nowadays, you get to watch "Spiderman in the Spiderverse" on a 6" screen in the seat back in front of you.

[@Ben-xe8ps]

@@thihal123 It is interesting how passenger expectations have changed so much since I first started flying as an adult in the late 70s. I have flown longhaul on 747's in their original 2 class configurations with the 9 abreast Y seating and the pre-sleeper seat 2 X 2 40 inch pitch First Class seats and the upstairs lounge. I have also flown longhaul on 707's and VC10's including the (for that era) very long 10 hour non-stop 707 operated CX flight HKG-SYD in both F and Y. The impression I get from the various flight reviews here on youtube is that everybody raves about lie flat and that a lie flat First or Business class seat is the most important thing there is, even on sectors where there is no need or reasonable expectation to 'lie flat'. Obviously, for one of those ultra long sectors that are operated today, then a lie flat seat is of course a great benefit. But what is the real point of a lie flat seat on a daylight flight especially a relatively short sector? Do you really need to change into pyjamas, have the crew make up a bed and go to sleep in a lie flat seat on, for example, a daylight flight from LHR to JFK? Also, especially in relation to business class, what has been gained in pitch has been taken away in width. Those 8 abreast business class cabins on the upper deck of an A380 for example may have lie flat seats but the seat width is the width of a Y class seat. The only thing I think has really improved is the IFE. But is it really necessary to spend every minute of a flight with your eyes glued to a personal entertainment screen? I liked the old concept of an 'organised' flight where you would have a drink service, a meal then the cabin lights dimmed for the movie projected onto the large screen (pre-video those bulkhead screens on the 747's in Y were pretty large) and it was a cinema type experience. Then the video systems came in and the airlines started showing a continuous video program throughout the flight, often with no regard for not serving the main meal halfway through the feature movie! Obviously the products offered have changed drastically in this era of 4 class configurations. On longhaul flights the F class products being offered are beyond the imagination of the 70's passenger while Y class products are something more like what would be expected on one of those cheap package holiday charter flights from the UK to Spain. Catering has gone downhill in all classes especially in terms of quantity and number of courses offered in the premium cabins. I can remember those lomghaul F class meals with hot and cold canapes (what Americans call hors d'oeuvres) with the drink service, an hors d'oeuvre trolley with a large selection of cold items (perhaps even including caviar depending on the airline) as the starter, soup served from a tureen at your seat, a salad mixed at your seat, an unplated hot main course served onto the plate from the trolley at your seat, cheese, fresh whole fruit, desert, coffee - everything offered for you to choose from a trolley. Premium cabin passengers today seem obsessed with privacy, lie flat and on demand IFE. Such privacy comes at a price. No interaction with other passengers. Meals presented already plated and no trolley service. No cinema style movie experience. I can't imagine how passengers today would react to products such as the upstairs dining tables offered by PanAm on their 747's or the L1011 experience offered by Gulf Air (and maybe others) where the seats in the centre block of the F class cabin were swivelling and were converted at meal time into a table for 4, 2 seats being swivelled 180 degrees to face the 2 seats in the row behind. Presumably this happened irrespective of the wishes of individual passengers because if 1 out of 4 passengers refused to comply, the whole thing would not have been possible. Imagine an F or even C class passenger today being told they must swivel their seat and eat their meal at a table shared with 3 other passengers! I would like to see airlines re-introduce a genuinely 'premium' seated service, not premium economy but something like 'Seat First' with a true F class service provided at a seat similar to the sleeper seats shown in this video, perhaps even with a coordinated meal and main screen movie experience.

[@thihal123]

@@Ben-xe8ps , your post is really interesting and I agree with much of what you said. I like your term “organized flight”. Because personal IFE were not available back then, the fact that a flight was organized brought with it great excitement and surprise, right? I grew up in the 70s and 80s too and the surprise and anticipation of what am I going to experience inflight was one of the most fun things during travel. You didn’t know what movie was going to show or how the whole meal, drink and whatever other service was going to be like onboard. That made it fun. With the over emphasis today on “individualized” experience, you basically end up with much of what many already get in their lives: glued to their own individual screens and scrolling mindlessly through videos. Back then too, you got to explore the magazine rack, check out the inflight stationary and find time to write letters which you could also post in the plane. At least that was true for KLM. Seats weren’t exceptionally narrow in seat pitch like they are today in economy. Things were both more organized and even overall a bit more spacious.

[@Ben-xe8ps]

@@thihal123 I recall that during the 70's when travelling F class you could write a letter on airline stationary and hand it unstamped to the cabin crew to be posted and the letters always did get posted and the letters always arrived at their destination. I used to read books during flights (and on the train commuting to/from work). However, I think that the majority of passengers today would find that unacceptable and much prefer to mindlessly scroll through videos. Movies in the 70's were also an American/Western hemisphere thing more than an Eastern hemisphere thing. You would get a movie on a transcontinental US domestic flight, but in the Eastern hemisphere they were less common both as although IFE equipment was installed on all 747's, BA for example never installed any on their VC10's and I recall a flight to the Gulf on a LH 707 again no IFE, and also the frequent stops of that era made showing movies difficult. In 1978 I flew from Paris to Hong Kong with AF on a 747-200. The flight had the following routing (which would be impossible today!) CDG-NCE-TLV-THR-DEL-BKK-HKG. Although we had headsets, the stethoscope hollow tube type ( US$2.50 rental charge in Y) and there was audio available the whole flight, the one and only movie was shown on the NCE-TLV sector and that was that as far as movies were concerned. It was also fun though getting off at the various transit stops which was often, but not always, allowed. In those days there were no security searches of transit passengers remaining airside before re-boarding. Plus of course a hot meal on almost every sector.

[@christainmarks106]

Pan Am was on her last leg in the 80s… sadly And by the time the Lockerbie bombing happen the airline just couldn’t take anymore and folded shortly after. It was like that accident was the icing on the cake. Lockerbie bombing happen in December 1988… pan Am ceased operations December 1991. That was no coincidence.

[@Charmedone9805]

its a shame how one accident can damage an airline. TWA met the same fate too with an accident.

[@Chris-nn3vu]

*happened*

[@Canleaf08]

@@Charmedone9805Watch Mentour pilot how it all unfolded. The trouble started in the 70s.

[@allendever949]

When did they introduce the Gray Clipper Class seats? They were on the 747sp's, around 1985/6 or so, but don't remember if they were on the full sized 747s.

[@PanAmMuseum]

mid-1980s brand refresh along with the "billboard" livery. To learn more, listen to our podcast episode about the rebranding campaign: podcast.thepanammuseum.org/1836491/9176393-episode-5-missiles-hotels-and-rebranding-an-icon

[@djEvilDude]

I was expecting her to say "we'd like to remind you to like and subscribe" right at 0:20

[@samuelgit]

We wish Panam came back

[@Paralyzer]

That was so epic when she pulled out the movie projector 📽 Lol That must have been a luxury in the mid 1980s Look at what entertainment systems we have on todays modern planes ✈️

[@fujifrontier]

I was like OMGGGG super8 cartridge

[@Sashazur]

The newest planes just have a Wi-Fi media server so passengers can stream to their devices - no screens at all.

[@skipcampbell4226]

First class has become a cash cow for airlines now! What a work horse it was for PA!

[@Xxxypher]

How things have changed in the cabin. First class then is premium economy now, plus some contemporary additions and modifications.

[@moreedcola6837]

Yet we still have the plastic tray tables!

[@PartTimeLaowai]

That constant background noise's frequency sounds familiar, I'm guessing that's caused by the plane's power generators?

[@singleproppilot]

Yeah. 400Hz AC power.

[@Wesleyclarillos]

I was on this plane in 1982 when it crashed landed and we had an emergency evacuation from the upper deck I fell off the slide and broke my leg I was in the hospital for three weeks but everyone evacuate safely except for a few people and I might say that the vacuolation siren is very loud and it was a very organized evacuation our breaks command was brace for impact and we did hear that you’re back alarm and I must say that was very smoky but their lights on the floor so I followed them

[@waynegray7130]

Pan Am was the epitome of air travel! I'm so glad that I was lucky enough to have experienced First Class!

[@Ben-xe8ps]

Was it? Even in those days US carriers provided lower standards of in flight service than, for example, the far eastern carriers. Judged by the standards of the time and directly compared to the standards of service provided by airlines from other countries, the actual onboard service was what could be said to be 'basic', especially in Economy. Only Americans rave about Pan Am service; nobody else does. I had the misfortune to choose to fly Pan Am First Class from New York to London exactly once. Never again!

[@johno9507]

11:49 sounds like she says 'Cattle class' 🤣

[@tony.airlines]

😂😂😂

[@bassbaritoneguy]

I thought the same thing! Which at ten abreast must have felt a bit like "cattle class".

[@MegaGman61]

Cool video!

[@largol33t1]

A quick note, the top section of the 747 was originally designed to have a bar where all the passengers could mingle. I've never seen a single airline install one. They always used it for first class seats, which I find hilarious considering that the severe slope of the body made the window seats feel a bit more cramped than economy!

[@viscount757]

I'm afraid that's not correct. Almost all early 747s, including Pan Am's, had a first class lounge on the upper deck By around 1980 when business class started to be introduced, quite a few 747 operators eliminated the lounge an, d converted it to passenger seating, to minimize the reduction in total seating, both due to the new business class products and replacement by most airlines of the original standard first class seats with sleeper seats which took up much more space. I flew on quite a few 747s with the lounge. Pan Am used it as a first class dining room during meal service for a few years prior to the lounges being removed. It could accomoate about a dozen passengers for meal service. By the mid-1980s or so the upper deck lounges had largely disappeared on most 747s.

[@visionist7]

@@viscount757 even someone born in the late 50s who didn't start flying internationally or long haul till their mid 20s probably never got to try a 747 lounge. At least the A380 bought back lounges on some carriers, though most are already retired.

[@tiadaid]

You can see the bar on the upper deck of a 747-100 in this video covering the retirement of SABENA's 747-100 in 1993. kzbin.info/www/bejne/op2qq3WJfJ2hgdE

[@Roholi]

Pan Am had a wonderful product in the late 70s called Dining In The Sky whereby they invited First Class passengers (actual invitations) to move to the upper deck for a full restaurant experience. If memory serves me, there were 3 fixed tables seating 4 each. You got to mingle with other First Class passengers while the flight attendants carved Chateaubriand table side or served lobster tails along with fine wines, liquors, and vintage champagnes. It made a 10 hour flight from London to San Francisco seem like 2 hours.

[@largol33t1]

@@viscount757 Please reread my comment. I said I never SAW one. I didn't say they never did this. From my experiences, they always used it for first class seats which I feel was a silly idea.

[@andyznuff]

KISS used this for their Japan tour of 1977.

[@BrownBrother27]

How are the upper deck meals/carts brought upstairs?

[@PanAmMuseum]

From the outside. The catering lift would load the main deck first and then be raised to the upper deck door.

[@brianthomas2839]

My right ear really enjoyed this.

[@Chris-nn3vu]

okay zoomer

[@mrtodd3620]

She says it is newly refurbished. I wonder what that was all about.

[@CARST_IN_THE_AIR]

These 747-100s were about 15 years old when this video was recorded, so they were in dire need of an upgrade to more modern standards (at that time). As PanAm didn’t have money for enough new aircraft at that time, they decided to modernise the -100s. That was probably the nail in their coffin. They should have focused on their new A300s and ditched all the old -100s they could not fill anyway.

[@AndreiTupolev]

It was newly refurbished, at a guess

[@viscount757]

The refurbishment included replacement of the original first class seats with the sleeper seats which much greater recline and fold-out legrests. They seem very basic compared even to current business class products, but were a big improvement from the original standard F class. The refurbishment also included introduction of the new business class seats (called Clipper Class by Pan Am). Until then, the main deck cabins used for Clipper Class had standard economy class seats and the upper deck had a first class lounge which was removed as part of the refurbishment and replaced with revenue-generating Clipper Class seats.

[@sanitman1488]

@Carst on the Road. She is referring to ‘D’ check heavy service ! Complete interior refurbishment of these Pan American World Airways 747-100/200s were done later in the decade under CEO Tom Plaskett.. FYI the a300s were not capable for long range international flights on Pan Am routes.

[@nethinge9829]

@@CARST_IN_THE_AIR In my opinion, they should of kept the -200 models and retire most of the -100s, and plus, the airline was fine with the -100 aircraft, the nail in the coffin was Chernobyl, Lockerbie and the Gulf War, it wasn’t till After Lockerbie were people pointed at the -100’s age.

[@tomstamford6837]

This "Pan Am" sounds like a great organization to work for. I am going to look into getting a job there :)

[@msingh9634]

Use to fly Panam from London to Delhi via Frankfurt in the 80’s

[@mattkane8328]

I worked In Stores for Lufthansa at JFK. A question for any AMT's from that era regarding the roll warmers. The part name at least when I worked was Bun Warmer which I always laughed at. I'm wondering if they changed the wording for the training video. Great video , thanks for posting..

[@canadagood]

I am curious about usage of the ovens, especially in Economy Class. My understanding is the modern airline meals are put nearly full-cooked into the storage carts where the final cooking is completed. If that is so then what did they they put in the ovens? Where they full of roast chickens and roast beef?

[@Superflight777ge]

11:04 strange sound change.

[@tomdienstbier49]

RIP Boeing 747 1968-2022 You will be missed

[@moreedcola6837]

It isn’t gone. They’ve just stopped producing it. The 747 will most likely be flying for years to come, especially in the cargo space.

[@jlo7972]

What year was this made?

[@tomservo5007]

before digital video storage, each row had their own 35mm projector