When Juan Terry Trippe got Pan American Airways into the air in 1927 he knew every wrinkle in its flying equipment (a lone trimotored Fokker), every part in his stockroom, every wavelet in the go-mile mail route between Key West and Havana. In his eyes was the dreamy gleam of the empire builder, behind his disarming smile a grim determination.
Today Pan Am has its empire, the most spectacular and successful international airline in the world. Spanning 53 countries and colonies in both hemispheres, it owes as much to Juan Trippe's genius for...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
