Aviation History Resources
For a broader understanding of the influence of Pan Am on aviation history and events of the twentieth century, link to this long list of Museums & History sites.
Authoritative Pan Am History Links
Ad* Access – Duke University. This online resource provides a fascinating look at some of still-compelling print advertising that was created by the J. Walter Thompson Company for their client, Pan American World Airways (as well as many other companies).
Botwood Flying Boat Museum (Museum Association of Newfoundland) https://www.facebook.com/Botwood-Heritage-Society-217449774933206/
Clipper Flying Boats. A concise blog about Pan Am's early years of exploration.
CNAC, China National Airways Corporation. Official website devoted to CNAC history, links to stories, people and places associated with CNAC.
Digital Public Library of America. Pan Am content in a new portal 'Cleared for Takeoff".
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Commercial Aircraft exhibits, including the famouse Spruce Goose, a great museum for kids and adults.
Everything Pan Am. An excellent source for information about Pan Am, particularly as regards the material legacy of the World’s Most Experienced Airline. Presented with a personal perspective by someone who got to know the airline extremely well.
Flying Clippers. A fun and colorful site dedicated to the age of Pan American’s flying clippers, as well as a great place to find items for sale related to the age of the great flying boats.
Foynes Flying Boat Museum. Home of the world’s one-and-only life-size Boeing B-314, which is an exquisitely re-created replica. Worthy of a visit online if you can’t make to Ireland just now.
GregCrouch.com . Historian and author Greg Crouch's blog and website. Author of China's Wings, a book about Pan Am affiliate China National Aviation Corporation.
Hawaii Aviation @ Hawaii.gov. A comprehensive perspective on Hawaiian aviation, which includes information about Pan Am, as well as a great many other aviation companies and related history.
HistoryMiami. HistoryMiami houses the Pan American World Airways Collection with objects donated by the Pan Am Historical Foundation in 1995. A first-class historical resource for information about every aspect of history relating to Miami and Southern Florida, which of course includes Pan Am and aviation in general.
Honolulu Clipper Discovery Team. Facebook page of Mark Allen and team who are still pursuing their hunt for the Honolulu Clipper.
JBTransportation. A site maintained by Jamie Baldwin, an aviation consultant and serious student of aviation history. Baldwin has compiled an excellent series of articles on the history of Pan American World Airways. Well worth a visit.
Juan Trippe Links. The legacy of the Pan Am’s visionary leader is noted in a number places. Here we present some of the links you can follow to learn more.
Lockerbie103.com A new website on Lockerbie, Pan Am Flight 103 and history, with updated information & photos on local memorials. http://www.lockerbie103.com/
Logbook Magazine. A unique aviation history publication, published quarterly. Go to their website for history links and more great information on Pan Am.
Operation Baby Lift. An amazing story from the closing moments of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War – April, 1975 – when thousands of orphaned children were flown to safety by Pan Am.
Otto Richter Library, University of Miami Special Collections-Pan Am The archive of the extensive collection of records from Pan Am’s many decades of operation. This world-class collection offers the definitive source for reference about Pan American Airways.
Pan Am Museum Foundation. Founded 2015, the PA Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to raising funds and creating exciting exhibits on Pan Am.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. View photos from the Pan Am exhibit, Come Fly With Me. This permanent installation traces the company's early years through the jet age.
Pan Am Clipper Flying Boats This site has attracted quite a few people with personal connections or questions about Pan Am’s flying boats. Always worth a visit!
San Francisco Aeronautical Society. This group of aviation professionals and enthusiasts supports the promotion of the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum at SFO, and has a particular focus on West Coast and Pacific aviation history.
SFO Museum. Aviation Library and Louis Turpen Aviation Museum is located in an architectural adaptation of San Francisco Airport's 1930s passenger lobby. This collection focuses on air transport with an emphasis on the West Coast and the Pacific region. Exhibitions, research services, and educational programs are offered to the public free of charge.Ongoing and past exhibits and Library, with collections focused West Coast and Pacific aviation history.
Sikorsky Archives. Located in Stratford, CT. "...the basis of the Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives - to collect and preserve the testament to Igor Sikorsky's history and his legacy."
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. The “nation’s attic” provides an authoritative web page as introduction to Pan Am, with links to a wealth of other information about aviation history.
The First Flight Out. Museum exhibit and store at Coconut Grove, Miami, well worth a visit.
Treasure Island Museum Association. Check here for current activities and updates on the museum redevelopment plans in San Francisco.
Authoritative Sites on Aviation History & Science
Aeromarine Website. A kind of ancestor airline to Pan Am. Well done by Daniel Kusrow and Bjorn Larsson, including a very early picture of Ed Musick when he flew for them in the early 1920s.
Aircraft Engine Historical Society. A non-profit educational and historical society that fosters an appreciation of the people, art, and science associated with aircraft engine development, manufacture, and use. A wonderful resource for technical data about aviation.
Airline Timetable Images. Björn Larsson's outstanding airline timetable site, carefully indexed by region and date.
Airlinerlist.com. Perhaps the most comprehensive source of information available about thousands of individual aircraft.
Airliners.net. A vast repository of airline photos, searchable by country, year, aircraft.
Alaska Airlines History by Decade.
American Airlines, C.R. Smith Museum.
Aviation History Online Museum.
The Delta Flight Museum. A recap of Pan Am's history is included on their family tree pages.
EAA Vintage Aircraft Association.
Eastern Airlines History. The Silverliners, ex-Eastern members.
Ed Coates Collection. Includes a large section on Airlines' pictorial history, including Pan American World Airways and affiliates.
Famgus Aviation Postcards. Unique compilation of historic postcards about aviation, including Pan Am, courtesy of Leif Gustafsson.
Glenn L. Martin, Maryland Aviation Museum.
Hiller Aviation Museum. The eponymous and excellent institution endowed by one of America's helicopter pioneers, Stan Hiller. Located a few miles south of San Francisco international airport, the museum has an excellent education department and a great collection of aircraft.
Intrepid Museum, NYC.
JonProcter.net. We are deeply grateful for the late Jon Proctor’s carefully documented and exacting photographs capturing wonderful images of aircraft at LAX and New York’s international airports.
Museum of Flight, Seattle. An amazing resource for Pan Am and aviation history.
National Museum of the United States Air Force.
National Naval Aviation History Museum. Pensicola.
Northwestern University Transportation Library.
Tighar. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery is best known for the ongoing search for Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. Whatever your take on their chances, you can find a wealth of fascinating information at their site.
TWA Museum at 10 Richards Road, Kansas City, MO. A new museum highlighting TWA's history.
