The Pan Am Clipper, a Pan American seaplane
Pan American Airways (abbreviated as Pan Am) was an American airline operator. They operated the Pan Am Clipper, the first transoceanic passenger service, in the 1930s.
History
Indiana Jones frequently traveled on Pan Am flights, as recognized by one of their employees, as they were the fastest way to travel around the world. Jones kept a ticket of his set of flights in 1936 between San Francisco and Kathmandu (via Honolulu, Wake Island, and Manila) in his journal, having paid $951.60 for the trip.
Jones and Williams on the plane
In 1957, Jones and Mutt Williams traveled on a series of Pan American planes as they flew from New York City to Nazca, Peru, stopping in Havana, Mexico City and Cusco. They started on a DC-3, and their final plane was a small Antonov An-2 cargo biplane, just large enough to carry the pair and Mutt's motorcycle. During the flight, Williams took care of the motorcycle that was stowed away in a wooden frame on the airplane. In the meantime, Jones set on a crate and watched Williams for a while. He then pulled his hat over his face and took a nap. Finally, the plane flew across the Nazca Lines and landed at Nazca airport, where the two left it.
Behind the scenes
James Rollins' novelization of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does not mention the airlines used, but mentions two planes: DC-3 and Antonov An-2. The real Pan Am airline never used the Soviet-made An-2, although the plane in the film was an An-2.
During the flight to Peru in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, film scenes from within the airplane alternate with scenes in which the course of the flight is indicated by a progressing red line on a map. The red line starts in New York and ends in Cusco, whereas the flight continued further to Nazca.
Appearances
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (First appearance)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sources
- From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
- Indiana Jones Adventures
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
