The Pan American Dream and the Myth of the Pioneer

Abstract

After much negotiation with government officials, careful study of geographical terrain, and confirmation that sufficient aeronautical equipment could be secured, the newly formed Pan American Airways (PAA) was awarded its first US airmail contract and inaugurated its Key West to Havana flight. The procurement of this airmail contract marked the formation of a new airline. It was also the start of a flurry of activity that led to a series of aeronautical, technological, administrative and geographical developments spanning multiple eras. A spirit of pioneering emerged from the activities of early PAA aeronautical pioneers such as Juan Trippe (co-founder of PAA), Hugo Leuteritz (in charge of ground and radio communications), Andre Priester (head engineer) and Charles Lindbergh (aerial adventurer). So powerful was the spirit of pioneering among early PAA players that it eventually transcended the entire organization, providing justification for their activities of rapid expansion and growth.

On October 28, 1927, an event took place that would ultimately affect the future of world travel. A trimotor engine airplane in Key West, Florida, was bound for Havana, Cuba. It carried the hope of a new company ... The pilot had to fly 90 miles with no navigational devices over an open ocean and find an island he could not see. The plane made it to Havana, and in so doing the company secured the first foreign air mail service contract from the United States. This company was the newly formed Pan American Airways, Inc. The man responsible for Pan Am?s success was its President, Juan. T. Trippe.

(Pan American Airways, advertisement script, 1982, pp. 1–2)