Stryder50
Platinum Member
Some of this "logistics" pathway was already started via commercial enterprises. During the 1920-30s Juan Trippe and his Pan American Airways 'blazed' the trail of air routes to Europe and Asia which would later be used during WW2 by the USAAF's Air Transport Command (ATC). Trippe and Pan Am would also be key players in developing flying boat tech and air safety and radio navigation in the process of growing and expanding his air transport commercial enterprise which would later be used by the Allies in fighting the Axis during WW2.
Other USA commercial airlines, largely domestic route carriers like United and TWA would join in as part of the ATC network using routes and bases that Pan Am had established from the Eastern USA through the Carib. down South America and across to Africa and across the North Atlantic to Europe. Part of the funding for Trippe and Pan Am was built upon the seed of USPS air mail route charters and funding.
On the Pacific routes from Western USA to the "Far East"/China, Wake Island was one of the locations chosen by Trippe as a stop-over point for service and refuel of his clippers to Asia air route. Once the Pan Am base was established, the USA military would join in by setting up a base on Wake to block Japanese expansion plans in the Central Pacific.
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Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways[1] and commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for much of the 20th century. It was the first airline to fly worldwide and pioneered numerous innovations of the modern airline industry, such as jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems.[2][3] Until its dissolution in 1991, Pan Am "epitomized the luxury and glamour of intercontinental travel",[4] and it remains a cultural icon of the 20th century, identified by its blue globe logo ("The Blue Meatball"),[5] the use of the word "Clipper" in its aircraft names and call signs, and the white uniform caps of its pilots.
Founded in 1927 by two former U.S. Army Air Corps majors, Pan Am began as a scheduled airmail and passenger service flying between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba. Under the leadership of American entrepreneur Juan Trippe, in the 1930s the airline purchased a fleet of flying boats and focused its route network on Central and South America, gradually adding transatlantic and transpacific destinations.[6] By the mid-20th century, Pan Am enjoyed a near monopoly on international routes.[7] It led the aircraft industry into the Jet Age by acquiring new jetliners such as the Boeing 707 and Boeing 747. Pan Am's modern fleet allowed it to fly larger numbers of passengers, at a longer range, and with fewer stops than rivals.[8] Its primary hub and flagship terminal was the Worldport at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.[3]
During its peak between the late 1950s and early 1970s, Pan Am was world renowned for its advanced fleet, experienced and highly trained staff, and numerous amenities.[9] In 1970 alone, it flew 11 million passengers to 86 countries, with destinations in every continent save Antarctica. In an era dominated by flag carriers that were wholly or majority-owned by governments, it became the unofficial national carrier of the United States. Pan Am was a founding member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline industry association,[10] and helped shape the industry standard in hospitality and customer service.
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Pan Am - Wikipedia
Pan Am Historical Foundation
PanAm.org - Welcome to Pan Am Historical Foundation's Site
PanAm.org - Welcome to Pan Am Historical Foundation's Site
Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces.
It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and equipment between the United States and the overseas combat theaters; the second was the ferrying of aircraft from the manufacturing plants in the United States to where they were needed for training or for operational use in combat. ATC also operated a worldwide air transportation system for military personnel.
Inactivated on 1 June 1948, Air Transport Command was the precursor to what became the Military Air Transport Service in 1948 and was redesignated Military Airlift Command (MAC) in 1966. It was consolidated with MAC in 1982, providing a continuous history of long range airlift through 1992 when the mission was transferred to today's Air Mobility Command.
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Air Transport Command - Wikipedia
Air Transport Command – Airlift During WWII
Air Transport Command – Airlift During WWII – Air Mobility Command Museum
Where do old airplanes go? The lucky ones go to the Air Mobility Command Museum—the only museum dedicated to airlift and air refueling history!
amcmuseum.org
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