Pan American Airway pilot caps

[Dixon Cannon]

Hi All, I'm back with a great subject of deep intrique - the official uniform caps of the flight crews of Pan American Airways. I have a couple of friends that are real PAA aficionados and know their subject very well, but even they were at a loss to answer some of the questions that come up about PAA pilot hats. We ALL thought that the flight crews, even from the early years, wore WHITE uniform caps - there are many, many photos of crews, even up to the demise of the carrier ALL wearing white uniform caps. Yet, every once in a while a photo emerges of a Captain wearing a BLACK cap. At first we thought the photos were of PURSERS, perhaps but further research uncovered captioned photos of Captains in the BLACK uniform caps. I've attached a couple of those images here. Does anyone know the history of Pan American Airways (Pan American World Airways) uniforms and the hats that flight crews wore? Why do some wear BLACK hats while the vast majority wear the WHITE caps that we've come to identify as Pan Am? Also, we found a photo of a JR. PILOT(?) [not a child passenger] wearing what appears to be a TAN/KHAKI cap! What gives? Commence discussion now. -dixon cannon

Pan Am inflight crew (Stewardesses and Purser):

(click to enlarge)

 

[Dixon Cannon]

(click to enlarge)

PAA Captain George F. Knuth, pilot
of doomed Flt.214

 

[Dixon Cannon]

(click to enlarge)

PAA Captain Robert Evans in BLACK cap and Captain A.L. Ueltschi, PAA Jr. Pilot in what appears to be a KHAKI/TAN cap

 

[Dixon Cannon]

(click to enlarge)

Our favorite, Capt. Eddie Musik, PAA
in the traditional WHITE cap.

 

[Slobo]

Picking up this old thread. I believe the dark caps were dark Navy blue eyes to match the DB jackets and trousers. At least I believe this to be the case in the 30s and 40s. I saw a reference recently from a Pan Am radio operator to Navy blue uniforms. He flew on Clippers from 1942. The white vs. Navy hat may have depended, much as in the U.S. Navy, on season and orders.

I am looking for Pan American Airways pilot and officer breast pins from that era but have had difficulty finding photos online.