loading image
Pan American Airways was a pioneering U.S. international carrier founded by Juan T. Trippe (1899–1981) in 1927. Between the late 1920s and early 1930s, the airline expanded its route system throughout the Caribbean and into Mexico and Central America. During this time, the airline’s Ford Tri-Motors and Fokker F-10 trimotors were equipped with wicker passenger seats. Depending on the flight length, Ford Tri-Motors featured between eight and ten seats. The Fokker F-10 was designed to seat up to twelve passengers. With a slightly longer range than the Ford Tri-Motor—795 miles compared to 560 miles—passengers on the F-10 could potentially endure flights of more than six hours. Cruising at low altitudes, weather was a constant source of turbulence and motion sickness was very common. Windows could be opened during flight on these early unpressurized airliners, but this would allow engine noise and exhaust fumes to enter the cabin, often at intolerable levels. Flight crews frequently issued cotton to the passengers to plug their ears and readily offered aspirin for headaches. See “Remain Seated: Airliner Passenger Chairs,” on display, pre-security in the Aviation Museum and Library, located on the departures level of the International Terminal and online at: https://bit.ly/AirlinerChairs
This image was posted on April 26, 2023.