The Pan Am Podcast

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In this episode, we are joined by Al Gilbert, known by his friends and family as Ace, a former Pan Am reservations employee and the author of Pan Am Stories: You Can't Make This Up.
Al's career at Pan Am gave him a front-row seat to one of the most remarkable chapters in aviation history, and the stories he collected along the way are as funny, surprising, and human as the airline itself.
After leaving Pan Am, Al channeled decades of memories and experiences into his book, a collection of firsthand accounts and tales based on true stories that capture the personality, culture, and spirit of an airline unlike any other.
This episode is a celebration of storytelling, what it means to preserve history through personal narrative, why the Pan Am story deserves to be told, and how even the most unlikely moments can become the ones that stay with you forever.
Over five years and 62 episodes, host Tom Betti has built one of the most distinctive independent history podcasts available, earning nearly 200,000 downloads, a perfect five-star rating on Apple Podcasts, several awards, and listeners in over 180 countries. He did it with no budget, no staff, and no paycheck, driven entirely by a passion for Pan Am history and the belief that great storytelling can make anyone care about a subject they never knew they were missing.
And we open with one of the best: the true story of Felix the cat, who in December of 1987 disappeared into the cargo hold of a Pan Am 747 and didn't surface for 29 days and nearly 180,000 miles.
From the sales and reservation offices of Pan Am to the pages of a book that refuses to let the legend fade, Al Gilbert's story is a reminder that history is best kept alive by the people who lived it, and by the ones who loved it enough to make sure it wasn't forgotten.
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A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

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In this episode, we are joined by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, a bestselling author, journalist, and adjunct professor at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. 
A member of the Explorers Club, her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. She is the author of The Stowaway, the true story of a teenager who stowed away on a ship bound for Antarctica during the Jazz Age, and The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon, a New York Times Editors' Choice and one of the best books of the year by NPR, The New Yorker, and Smithsonian Magazine.
But before our conversation with Laurie, we set the stage, because the Amelia Earhart story is deeply a Pan Am story.
On January 9, 1929, three defining figures of the aviation age stood on the tarmac of Pan Am's new Miami terminal, Juan Trippe, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart. Trippe invited Earhart aboard Pan Am's Fokker F-10A, captained by Edwin Musick, for the inaugural flight to Havana.
At the center of that relationship was Fred Noonan, Pan Am's greatest navigator, who charted the transpacific routes. 
When Earhart assembled her team in 1937, Noonan was the navigator every conversation kept returning to. Trippe extended Pan Am's full cooperation, and Pan Am mechanics spent a week on her Lockheed Electra in Miami. On July 2, 1937, Earhart and Noonan departed Lae, New Guinea, bound for Howland Island - 2,556 miles of open ocean...and vanished.
This episode also features rare archival audio from the Elgen and Marie Long oral history collection...aired publicly for the first time. Their 220-plus hours of recordings are preserved at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum as the Amelia Earhart Project Recordings. Among those voices is Pan Am's Harry Canaday, recorded in 1985 at age 76, reflecting on Noonan, the Pacific survey flights, and the world that produced the Earhart flight.
These recordings are presented courtesy of David Jourdan of Nauticos and the Smithsonian Institution's Amelia Earhart Project.
Support the show
Visit Us for more Pan Am History! 
Support the Podcast!
Donate to the Museum!
Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear!
Become a Member! 
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we are joined by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a former Pan Am stewardess from 1972 to 1974 who went on to build an extraordinary career in Hollywood. 
Her journey is a remarkable one that spans aviation, Hollywood, and film education. She began her professional career as a Pan Am stewardess from 1972 to 1974, an experience that gave her a global perspective and a deep appreciation for storytelling and human connection.
After leaving Pan Am, Cheryl moved to San Franscico where she held various jobs. However, she always thought about either going back into aviation or pursuing her dream of being in the film business inspired in part by her brother, Ashley Boone, a pioneering film executive. 
Learn more about Ashley here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/he-was-star-wars-secret-weapon-why-was-he-forgotten-1275211/
Through him, she attended an advanced screening of Star Wars before its release in May 1977. That moment proved transformational and solidified her belief that the motion picture industry was where she belonged. So, she packed her bags and moved to Hollywood. 
Over the decades that followed, Cheryl worked on the marketing, publicity, and release of some of the most iconic films in cinema history. 
Her credits include Forrest Gump, Titanic, The King’s Speech, Braveheart, The Artist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Right Stuff, Once Upon a Time in America, The Wedding Singer, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Spider-Man 2. She also worked on two Indiana Jones films and five Star Trek films.
Behind the scenes, Cheryl broke significant barriers. She became the first African American woman to lead a major studio marketing department at New Line Cinema, and later the first African American to serve as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where she guided the organization through a pivotal period of reflection and change.
Today, she continues shaping the future of storytelling as the Founding Director and Professor of Practice at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University (film.asu.edu). 
In that role, she mentors students and builds a program grounded in Sidney Poitier’s legacy, emphasizing inclusion, leadership, and real-world industry experience.
From the skies of Pan Am to Hollywood studios and now the classroom, Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ career reflects a lifelong commitment to storytelling, leadership, and opening doors for future generations. 
Support the show
Visit Us for more Pan Am History! 
Support the Podcast!
Donate to the Museum!
Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear!
Become a Member! 
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we’re joined by Tania Anderson, who served as a Pan Am flight attendant from 1986 to 1991, navigating a pivotal era of transition, resilience, and global adventure for the world’s most iconic airline. 
Today, she still flies, carrying forward the spirit of Pan Am on international charter missions, and she is usually flying on a Boeing 747!
But Tania’s story reaches far beyond her years in uniform. She is an avid lifelong learned traveler and is always making connections and seeking adventure. 
Tania has been a Hollywood film extra on productions such as the films Catch Me if You Can and War of the Worlds, as well as, the television series The West Wing.
She is the author of the powerful memoir On Butterflies’ Wings, a deeply personal journey through loss, renewal, and the healing power of human connection.
In her book, Tania intertwines her Pan Am experiences with the transformative events that shaped her life, offering readers a story that is both uplifting and profoundly human.
We’ll talk about Tania’s time with Pan Am, the soul of the airline’s culture, the moments in the sky that changed her, and the experiences—some beautiful, some heartbreaking—that ultimately became the heart of her book, On Butterflies’ Wings. Her book reminds us that even in our most difficult moments, there is grace, strength, and, as she writes, the chance to rise—just like a butterfly.
Click here to purchase On Butterflies' Wings: An Anthology of International Escapades.
She also has an exciting new project in the works for 2026 as the host of an international radio show called “The Global Gratitude Show with Tania Anderson” that will be beamed to more than 150 countries from Brushwood Media. 
Support the show
Visit Us for more Pan Am History! 
Support the Podcast!
Donate to the Museum!
Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear!
Become a Member! 
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we’re joined by screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and his student, up and coming screenwriter Kate Ginley, who is writing a screenplay about Pan Am and Tenerife.
Jack is now a professor and Chair of the Writing for Screen and Television Division at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, also known as USC. 
But you probably already know of him from the most iconic aviation films ever made — the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, which he co-wrote with his longtime screenwriting partner, Jim Cash. Starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, Top Gun didn’t just redefine aviation movies — it became a cultural phenomenon. It inspired generations of aviators, reignited pride in flight, and set the gold standard for how aviation could be portrayed on screen.
The film was also a popular hit during its run as a featured movie of Pan Am’s Theatre in the Air. 
Beyond the breathtaking aerial footage, Top Gun is a brilliant study in the craft of screenwriting — how character, emotion, and story structure come together to create cinematic magic.
After Top Gun, Jack Epps, Jr.  and Jim Cash went on to write a series of major Hollywood hits, including Legal Eagles, The Secret of My Success, Dick Tracy, and Turner & Hooch. 
Today, Jack brings that same storytelling mastery to his students at USC — shaping the next generation of screenwriters and filmmakers.
In our conversation, we’ll talk about Jack’s remarkable career, his insights into the art and discipline of screenwriting, the enduring legacy of Top Gun, and how Kate is carrying that storytelling spirit forward in her new screenplay about Pan Am and the tragedy at Tenerife.
Support the show
Visit Us for more Pan Am History! 
Support the Podcast!
Donate to the Museum!
Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear!
Become a Member! 
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!