
The Boeing 747 was introduced in 1970 as a answer to handle the demanding mass tourism boom of the late 1960s. Built by the Boeing Corporation and guided by legendary Juan Trippe of Pan American airways – it allowed almost 500 people in its biggest configuration to be elegantly whisked around the world in style at 30,000 feet – without having to be a person of wealth.
The Scandinavian government owned Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) wanted in on the action and ordered two jets from Boeing. The first two arrived in Sweden in 1971 and because of their gigantic size and immense power, SAS deemed it appropriate to christen them, “Huge Viking” and “Ivar Viking” with reference to the old Norse mythology.
A few weeks ago we took the skies with news about a new ABC series centered around the iconic airline Pan American World Airways during the 1960s. Recently a promo was released, giving us a taste of what we’ll see this fall. At a first glance it looks a bit like Mad Men in the air. It is a treat seeing historic locations such as the Pan Am building, complete with helicopters and the Googie designed jet port at JFK airport in New York being brought to life with computer magic. I am excited about this, what about you guys?
Ultra Swank – Your one stop blog for retro living, style and design
Ultra Swank takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic and swank living of the 50s, 60s and the 70s. We mainly focus on the design, architecture and the lifestyle of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times. Ultra Swank is run by Chris, a Swede born in the wrong decade that currently resides in Barcelona. Read more
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The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington is nearing the end of a temporary exhibit called “Style in the Aisle: Flight Attendant Fashion.” The exhibit first began in 2008 and has become so popular that the museum has added new uniforms to the exhibit. Travel Channel has a great photo compilation of “Style in the Aisle” with captions describing each of the photos. The exhibit shows fashions from the mid-1930′s to today’s current fashions and will end May 30, 2011. Some larger photos can be seen at Amusing Planet. There are only a couple weeks left before it’s too late!

Here are some news that will surely bring a smile to any fan of aviation and travelling in style. The iconic airline Pan American is going to take to the skies again soon in the upcoming ABC tv-series “Pan Am“. A pilot (no pun intended) has been ordered and the plot is said to center around the lives of the pilots and stewardesses of the legendary airline in the 1960s.
Riding on the success of the award winning period drama “Mad Men”, the show will draw on the experiences of executive producer Nancy Hult Ganis, who was herself a stewardess in her youth. The first episode is slated to premiere later this year and we will be seeing Christina Ricci in the lead role who will apparently play a undercover agent. Good or bad decision? Time will tell.
The first Concorde prototype takes to the air in this British newsreel clip from 1969. The first flight with passengers took place seven years later in 1976. It flew successfully over the globe until it met its fate in 2003.
However, there are plans to take it up in the air again for the 2012 London Olympics. Until that happens – here’s the trailer for the less-than-good movie The Concorde: Airport ’79. Although the first two movies in the series should not be dismissed that fast if you are a fan of 1970s drama movies. (Via)
Isabel Rose, comedienne and performer salutes 1960s aviation among many things in her first ever music video. If you are a fan of Ann-Margret, Doris Day or movies such as Catch Me If You Can you will surely be entertained and impressed with both Isabel and her music. Her album “Swingin’ From the Hip” blends big-band, jazz, cabaret and pop and can be purchased through iTunes. [Thanks Jeffrey]
A somewhat kitschy promotion video from Pan American airways, made in the early 1970s that takes us around the world and back again in less than 25 minutes. The video was most likely produced to showcase how easy it was to travel around the world with Pan Am, take in the sights and then be back again in the afternoon to enjoy tea at the Ritz. If you recognize some of the music cues that are played in the background, they are sourced from several KPM records. The same kind of library music that can be found on many of my music compilations here. Footage provided by the lovely people at The Travel Film Archive.



















