If you never had the chance to experience Pan Am’s first class service, you might finally have your chance. No, Pan Am is not coming back, and no I’m not talking about riding on a Pan Am 
freight train. Anthony Toth has recreated the front cabin of a Pan Am 747 in his garage, and I had the chance to go visit.
Walking up to his house in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, you wouldn’t know that anything was different about this place. But once you walk in, and head to the garage, it’s a different world. Anthony, who is the Director of Global Accounts at United these days, has painstakingly reassembled the nose section of a Pan Am 747 over the past 20 years, and he’s not done yet.
Take a look at some of these pictures. He built a frame in the garage and then bolted the panels on to the frame. (These are actually DC-10 panels, something he hopes to upgrade when he finds better ones.) Due to space constraints, he has cut out one row at the back of the cabin, and the nose is somewhat wider than in reality, but everything else is incredibly accurate.
Anthony has found real first class seats, and he has all the galley items you could want. I was treated to a 7-UP in a Pan Am glass with a Pan Am napkin. He even has peanuts in Pan Am packaging that he created himself.
He has inflight magazines, safety cards, and even old elegant menus from the bygone era. He put a flat screen TV at the front so he can relax and watch videos in there. He even wired the seats to work with headsets (Pan Am originals, of course).
This is truly a step back in time, and it’s just an incredible recreation. Anthony is always looking for some help here, and he has a wishlist of items that he needs. Here is his top 5:
- First Class pneumatic headsets from the early 80’s…picture at right
… I want like 14 of them…one for every seat! - Swatch of the clipper class fabric (you can also see this at right).
- Upper deck screen with the ship etched in gold on it.
- Clipper class headrests
- Trays. The fullsize ones used for Clipper and First meals.
If you can help, or if you’d like to donate to the cause, please email Anthony directly at ajtoth@earthlink.net. If you’re lucky, he might even take you on a tour.
