By Claire Hannum
September 20, 2014
If you have a tendency to romanticize the golden age of air travel like I do, you can buy yourself a ticket on a glamorous faux Pan Am flight and pretend you’re a part of the magic. Air Hollywood, the aviation-themed movie studio in Los Angeles, created the Pan Am Experience to simulate a 1970s trip on a 747 plane. Air Hollywood has an exact replica of Pan Am’s former 747s, and stewardesses greet passengers in original uniforms from the period. Every last detail on the plane, including the glassware and types of meals served, is historically accurate. As a guest on the flight, you’ll be served cocktails in your seats and enjoy inflight entertainment before heading to the upper deck for a meal. After that, you’ll be able to view the studio’s “vast collection of airline memorabilia” and check out other film sets at the studio. It sounds pretty sweet, except for the part where the plane is a set and doesn’t actually fly. Are there at least plane engine sound effects or fake turbulence for a true aviation ambiance? If you find yourself buying a ticket, report back on whether they stage a take-off and landing.