In 1958 and 1959, World Airways, Pan American took delivery of 22 jetliners of Boeing 707. It has become the world’s best jet airline.
The public already knows about the propeller driven airliners’ flying, the new jetliners of Pan American 1959 Boeing 707 were a huge step. The airlines have educated and promoted the travelling public about the mode of travel of these new jetliners’ by putting their great efforts.
Many airlines wanted to promote their new jet aircraft, for which they had produced films. Today, a few of the films survive in excellent condition. The quality of most of the films is very poor. Due to the poor conditions of storage and improper handling, the colors of the films have faded. Due to the high cost, very few films have been distributed on kodachrome.
In 1959, the film Pan American 1959 Boeing 707 has been produced. The condition of this film is remarkably good. The film has rich colors and deep clarity. Moreover, the film has been shot on cine film glorious kodachrome stock.
These are the perfect movies which can be access to experience the golden age of travelling on jet aircrafts. The Pan American has been made at the Idelwild Airport. At the airport, we have experienced flight operations by visiting them, an engine test and then we moved towards the counter of Pan American. There we accompany passengers who were about to departed in Boeing 707 to Paris. The film has been made in kodachrome color.
Though, the image quality is high, there were still some flaws deducted in this film. These are mentioned below:
- The actual live sound recordings of Boeing 707 when the engine started were missing
- Run-up sequence of Boeing 707 taxi was not included
- The departure of Boeing 707 at the end of the film was also missing
Which is most unfortunate as so little (if any) actual live capture sound footage exists of the first generate straight pipe Boeing 707s that were produced in the late 1950s.
Despite of all the facts, we should be thankful for this film that was made in high quality and still exists today.
That said, we must be thankful that this film was made and exists through today, so it can be enjoyed for its archival and historic importance.
Thank you Henry…… and Merry Christmas.
My pleasure Jerry! Same to you and I hope you enjoy this film over the holidays.
AAHHH, such a lovely film to enjoy on Xmas Eve, if only it were the 1960’s again! Loved seeing how people were dressed up instead of shorts and flip flops which seems to be the usual thing at airports now. Thank you.
Hi Linda, I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed this show. It is such a treat to watch. It shows a by gone era. As a society it seems we’ve taken a big step backwards over the past 60 years in many ways. Certainly here in North America and this film really does illustrate just how special air travel was back then.
Great footage indeed! Notice most of the aircraft shown near the end of the production are DC-8’s. Also N709PA is shown a few times. This was the 707 lost with all aboard due to a lightning strike in 1963.
Yes the Pan American DC-8 inflight footage at the end was particularly nice. Shame it was very brief .. just a few seconds. I have never seen quality colour Pan Am DC-8 inflight footage like this before so that was a real treat. Sad to hear that the 707 that appear in this movie (N709PA) was lost in 1963. It is not often that lightning can bring down a jetliner. Maybe they now have added safety equipment to prevent it from happening.
Many thanks for this fantastic movie
Merry Christmas !!!
My pleasure Rembert. I am glad you enjoyed it too!! Wishing you the best of the holidays.
The first intercontinental B707’s were a true leap forward in air travel. The water injected engines with their “organ pipe” exhausts were an exhilarating sound to experience. A great film, and one that brought back many fond memories for me!
Thank you for your comments Tim. You were very lucky to experience jet travel on those early jetliners first hand. Some Hollywood movies back in the day would show snippets of this sort of footage, but it would only be for a few seconds and you could miss it with the blink of an eye. What is so nice about this particular promo film, is the whole movie is dedicated to the Pan American Boeing 707 operation circa 1959, from start to end. So it would be a good film to share with people to enjoy over Christmas. Wishing you all the very best!
Great film Henry. Reminds me of my days of flying Trans World Airlines Boeing 707’s across the country and to Europe both the Straight Pipe’s & the Fanjets. I see aircraft N711PA which had a long career, is mixed in a few times, interesting. Also several DC-8 shots near the end, both on the ground boarding and some inflight shots & deplaining. I logged many many hours and miles on 707’s from the early 60’s to the end in the early 80’s. Wonderful Christmas Present.
I am thrilled you enjoyed this movie Jim! It is a mini time capsule. Another viewer commented that N709PA was lost in 1963 to an inflight lightning strike. All perished. Hard to believe a lightning strike could bring down a passenger jetliner. You were very lucky to have all those 707 flights back in the day. I will never forget the article that appeared in the Captain’s Log back in 1983 (I think) when a bunch of you guys flew the last TWA passenger 707 flights. Jon Proctor was there too for those flights. I wish someone video taped those events. But consumer video cameras were not available back then. I also enjoyed the Pan American DC-8 glimpses at the end of the film. Such rare footage.
A treat to watch! My first jet flight was on a SAS DC-8 from New York to Oslo Norway, summer of 1961. Return flight to New York on a Pan Am 707 in November same year. I was only 9 but I remember it was such different experience compared to flying today. Mind you, at quite a different cost as well!
Very good point Martin about the costs! Back in the 1950s and into the 60s many people still travelled abroad by ocean liner, not by air. Ship travel was much lower cost than airline travel. To think that paying $500 for an airline ticket in 1960, that was a fortune. Because $500 probably had the same purchasing power as $5000 today. If not more.
Well done, Henry! Thank you for sharing this classic movie with us. Nothing today compares to the Golden Age of air travel in the 1950s and 1960s.
Thank you Bill! Specially looks good if you watch it on the big screen TV using Apple Airplay, or a similar such set up. You’re right, absolutely nothing compares to the way it was back in the 1950s and early to mid 1960s. Also, the passenger seats back then were so much more spacious than the seats of today. And of course the service in all cabins, not just first class. And of course the little details. I love the presentation of the Pan American ticket counter with the detailed flight arrivals and departures board at Idlewild, with the airplanes on the wall. It’s all neat stuff!
What a great trip back in time. The Boeing 707 is and always has been my favourite aircraft. I have been fortunate enough to have flown in 707s during my time with the Canadian Forces. As a young lad, I also had a rare opportunity to travel as a passenger in a Boeing 720 which was operated by Western Airlines between Los Angeles to Vancouver (via Portland, Oregon) on my way back from Disneyland in 1975. Thanks for keeping these incredible sights, sounds, and time-capsules alive for newer generations of aviation enthusiasts to enjoy.
Thank you for the comments Mark. Yes, you are lucky indeed to have been able to enjoy 707 rides while in the Canadian Forces. We actually have two full feature shows on the Canadian Forces Boeing 707s which are jam-packed with amazing footage taken all over the world. These one hour shows are viewable any time by JetFlix.TV subscribers. The 1975 Western 720 ride is also a treat to have in the log book. All this stuff is now the realm of fond memories as the Boeing 720 is now fully extinct, and it is impossible to get a flight on a Boeing 707 today. Can’t be done for love nor money. The 707 only remains in service with a small number of military operations.
Thanks Henry, a real treat. My dad worked for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in the 50s and 60s and various others after that. The family got to fly to Europe at least once a year for vacation while growing up.
It truly was a different time. People dressed up and it was very classy. I have a certificate issued by KLM commemorating crossing the Equator, on PH-LKK, a Super G Connie, back in 1958. I finally had it mounted and suitably framed after all this time.
Thank you for the comments Ed. You were very lucky to be growing up in an airline family during the golden age of the airline industry. Fabulous that you flew on a KLM Connie across the equator. Back then that was a big thing. As the industry was in its infancy there were many “firsts” in airline services at the time. Today, there are no more “firsts” to be recorded, so it seems. Thank you for sharing your memories and I am glad you enjoyed this film.