Pan Am clipper, Vol. 3, No. 11, November 1977

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November
Volume 3 Number 11
3rd quarter net all-time high
Pan Am reported a record net income for the third quarter of 1977 of $67.5 million, compared with $42.8 million for the same period of 1976.
The 1977 third quarter net income was the largest for any quarter in the company’s history, and represents a 76.2 percent improvement over the third quarter of 1976, exclusive of extraordinary items.
Record earnings were also established by Pan Am for the month of September. The net income of $16.1 million was an increase of $11.5 million over the comparable September 1976 figure of $4.6 million.
For the first nine months of 1977 the net income was $61.2 million, a $71.1 million year-to-date improvement over the 1976 loss of $9.9 million, before extraordinary items. Extraordinary items related to the exchange of debentures raised net income for the first nine months of 1976 to $93.0 million.
Total operating revenues increased 11.5 percent in the third quarter and 18.2 percent in September compared to the prior periods in 1976. For the first nine months of 1977 total operating revenues rose 14.1 percent from 1976 levels. The revenue gain
Continued on page 7
Councillor John Beasley, the worshipful mayor of the London Borough of Hillingdon, signs the Pan Am Aware Committee scroll during transit ceremonies at Heathrow Airport for the Round-the-World Polar Expedition of Flight 50. London was the first stop on the
26,706-mile record-setting flight which carried 172 passengers. The Aware Scroll was signed by all passengers and crew as well as by dignitaries at the London, Capetown, Auckland and San Francisco stops. In addition, the scroll was carried around the world on Pan Am Flight 001 just prior to the Polar flight. (More photos of Flight 50, page 4, 5)
Employees celebrate Pan
From Key West to Hong Kong, Honolulu to Boston, employees and the public alike paid tribute to Pan Am’s 50th anniversary in a big way.
In Key West—where it all began with Pan Am’s first mail flight on October 28, 1927—a new historical plaque was dedicated with two of Pan Am’s first employees as special guests.
There were tributes from the Secretary General of the United Nations, from New York Mayor Abraham Beame, from members of Congress and from the Governor of Florida, who declared October 28 Pan American Day throughout the state.
Newspapers hailed the occasion
with editorials and special supplements. And employees all over the world celebrated with parties, birthday cake-cutting ceremonies and historical displays.
Executive Vice President William Waltrip led the Pan Am delegation at the Key West ceremonies in the colorful Martello Museum. Organized in conjunction with the Art and Historic Society of Key West and the Historic Key West Preservation Board, Mayor Charles McCoy served as Master of Ceremonies. Among the invited guests were two of Pan Am’s oldest employees— Steve Whalton, the company’s first mechanic who worked on aircraft flying the Key West-Havana route,
and Joey Carrero, one of the first four stewards hired by the company in 1928. He worked the Fokker F-7 flights between Key West and Havana.
U.N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, in a letter to Chairman Seawell, called the anniversary an “historic occasion, not just for Pan Continued on page 7
Polar RTW sets 7 new records
By James A. Arey
When “Clipper 50” eased to the runway at San Francisco International Airport on the evening of October 30, the time clock read: 54.07:12.
At that instant, the cabin of the Boeing 747SP jumbo echoed with a cheer from 172 passengers who had just become part of a new international aviation speed and distance record that will undoubtedly stand for many years to come.
His question was met with another resounding cheer, indicating there would be a lot of takers.
“Just say where and when,” shouted C. Hamill Varner, a retired business executive from Chicago, who also told reporters meeting the flight that “I’ve never had a better time in my life.” Varner’s views pretty well summed up the feeling of the other 171 passengers who included 39 persons who were on Pan Am’s record-setting around the world Clipper Liberty Bell flight on May 1-3, 1976.
In addition to Captain Mullikin, the crew of record on the Polar flight were Capt. A. A. Frink, Staff Vice President-Flying: First Officer Stewart W. Beckett, Jr., a New York-based 747 pilot who also is vice-chairman of Pan Am Council 6 of the Air Line Pilot’s Association; Flight Engineer Frank D. Cassaniti, Director Flight Engineering; and, Flight Engineer Edward Shields, Manager Flight Engineering-747.
The crew of record flew the first leg, San Francisco-to-London, then remained on board for the entire trip, Capt. Lawrence N. Brown, Director Flight Operations and Chief Pilot-New York, headed the relief crew on the London-Capetown leg; Captain William P. Monan, Director Flight Operations and Chief Pilot-San Francisco, headed the relief crew Continued on page 8
The October 28-30 flight was a fitting windup to Pan Am’s 50th anniversary celebration.
billed as Pan Am’s “Polar Expedition,” the specially named “Clipper New Horizons” flew around the world via the North and South Poles in a record elapsed time of 54 hours, 7 minutes and 12 seconds. The new mark slashes nearly 8 hours off the previous record of 62 hours, 27 minutes and 35 seconds set in 1965 by a 707.
The globe-girdling journey, which covered a distance of 26,706 statute miles and made stops at London, Capetown and Auckland on its San Francisco-to-San Francisco run, also claimed six other international aviation records, including a spectacular 7,550-mile never-before-done hop between Capetown and Auckland via the South Pole.
All of the records must be certified by the Federation Aeron-autique International—the agency which keeps track of such records—but Earl Hansen, the FAI representative aboard the flight, said at the end that “they all look good to me.”
As flight 50 taxied to the gate at San Francisco, Capt. Walter H. Mullikin, Vice President & Chief Pilot, who headed the 20-man cockpit team and 50-member flight service staff, got on the Public Address System to announce the final touchdown time, then asked the passengers: “Would you do it again?”
The hard work, resourcefulness and perseverance of Pan Am’s employees over the past half-century is typified by the recent success of the 50th Anniversary Polar Flight of the Clipper New Horizons.
The celebration of Pan Am’s 50th birthday is much more than the recognition of a business venture; it is a salute to the employees who perform the day-to-day jobs in keeping our company viable, productive and consistently able to provide a public service.
All of this made Flight 50 work ... all of this makes Flight 100 work ... as well as Flight 815 ... Flight 212 ... Flight 186 ... Flight 160 ... and the rest of them.
The various anniversary celebrations Pan Am has held over the past few months has brought congratulations and best wishes from many different quarters. I couldn’t begin to list them here. But most of them are similar to those views expressed by A.E. Raney of Florida, a passenger on the Polar Flight, who wrote that “... a flight like this made us realize the many attributes that keeps your company on top.”
Mr. Raney’s message is for all Pan Am employees.

Isamu Kitafuji (right), Pan Am passenger services agent in Tokyo, presents Chairman Seawell with the 1978 Aware calendar. For the past three years, the employees’ group has been producing the colorful calendar as a major fund raising project, and Seawell called this year’s effort “the most impressive Aware calendar yet.” All photos in the calendar were taken by Kitafuji and include scenes from around the world. Calendars are $3.00 each and can be purchased from local Aware committees. At left is Ted Horikawa, Aware chairman in Tokyo.
Low fares for Pacific, Rome
Pan Am will introduce full-Service Budget Fares on a number of major transpacific routes and on its New York-Rome flights, with savings of up to 51 percent off current economy class fares.
The new Pacific fares will be effective January 15; New York-Rome, on November 25. Both are subject to U.S. and foreign government approvals.
In the Pacific, the new fares will be offered from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle to Bangkok, Guam, Hong Kong, Manila, Okinawa, Osaka, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo.
The one-way budget fare from New York to Tokyo will be $349, a saving of 49 percent off the current economy class fare. From West Continued on page 3