This collection consists of the technical files and papers of John G. Borger (1913-2011), who served as Pan American World Airways, Inc.'s Vice President and Chief Engineer. His materials document the development and acquisition of: Boeing aircrafts, including the 377 Stratocruiser, B-707 and B-747; the Douglas DC-6B, DC-7B, and DC-7C, the DC-8 jet; the Lockheed Constellation and the L-1011; the Convair CV-240; the Dassault Falcon 20, 10, and 50; the Pratt and Whitney and Rolls Royce engines, including the JT9D; and the Supersonic Transport (SST) aircraft.
Types of materials retained in the collection include: pamphlets, programs, engineering information, studies, evaluation reports, manuals, personal notes taken by John G. Borger, lectures, typescripts, correspondence, diagrams, flight path drawings, periodicals, research, articles, ephemera, newsclippings, and 3D material objects.
Ione Wright, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Miami, researched the development of Pan American Airlines' Transpacific service. The Ione Wright papers contain documents, oral histories, photographs, operations manuals, maps, and other materials related to the history of Pan American Airlines, including materials related to Victor Wright and materials documenting the establishment of routes in the Pacific.
The topical files document a variety of subjects related to Pan American Airlines, dating from 1920-1986. Ione Wright compiled many of the files during her research on the airline’s activities in the Pacific, including correspondence with former Pan Am employees and oral history transcripts. Also included are photographs, files related to the China Clipper, and a variety of Pan Am publications.
The collection also contains navigation manuals and operations manuals for Pan Am airplanes, including the B-727, the DC-4, the DC-6, and the DC-7, as well as operations manuals for Pan American Airlines’ Latin American Division.
Also included a variety of maps and aviation charts for parts of the United States, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as route maps for Pan American Airlines, and a map of the United States by John Melish from 1816.
Clipper Pioneers is an organization of former Pan Am pilots and flight crew. This collection includes Pan Am records such as memoranda, flight manuals, and accident reports as well as clippings, log books, pilot files, scrapbooks and photographs.
The L. J. Easterbrook Papers contains Pan American World Airways, Inc. aerospace engineering manuals. Subjects include flight controls, hydraulic and landing gear systems, and maintenance. Personal accident insurance pamphlets are also included.
