The Wonderful Jet World of Pan Am Boeing 707 DVD video is a very interesting look at the behind the scenes activities on a Boeing 707 flight from Idlewild airport to Paris in 1959. If you are a fan or collector of Pan American World Airways items, this 1959 movie needs to be in your collection.
We follow the arrival of the pilot and maintenance chief as they prepare jet clipper N709PA as flight 116. We see the Pan Am training classes and students studying the latest technology. We learn that for every hour in the air the aircraft spend, 25 man hours on the ground are spent checking the aircraft out. You will see how ground crews and flight crews are organized and scheduled. Flight 116 has to be checked out for takeoff to Paris in three hours and we follow the process as the 707 is made ready. It is interesting to see how the planes were inspected prior to flight and then taxied into position at the gate.
Captain Don Michaels prepares for the flight to Paris. He reviews the weather and then sits down with the entire flight crew and tests them on procedures. We get to meet the stewardess, navigator, flight engineer and copilot. We get to see the ticket counter, front-end and luggage operations. Here is where we meet the family we will follow on their first Pan American Boeing 707 jet flight.
Jet clipper N709PA, N710PA, N711PA and Clipper Tradewind are featured in the film. You will see unusual shots from the cockpit while taxing and during takeoff. The food on the flight is delivered to the plane in a truck with a sign that says Clipper Cuisine by Maxim's of Paris. The menu includes pheasant, roast beef, lobster and champagne. Passengers walk out to the plane and then up the mobile stairs to board the plane. Friends and family come out on the tarmac to wave goodbye while the cockpit crew completes the checklist.
The cabin door to the cabin is closed and four minutes latter they are in the air. Nice exterior shots of the B707 taxing by. As the plane becomes airborne you get to see an aerial view of Idlewild airport. The steward prepares a feast fit for a king and passengers toast each other with champagne. A very nice film on the overview of the B-707, jet travel in the late 1950s and Pan American World Airways operations.
In NTSC DVD format and region-free with a run time of 28 minutes. Please note that because of the age and rarity of these films, quality can vary. Packaged in a clear plastic C-Shell case without paper graphics.