This biography was such a long read, it felt like passage on the Pan Am China Clipper. But the story of Juan Trippe was worth the ride. Here is a man whose career in aviation spanned the years between the World War I rag wing Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" to being instrumental in the development of the Boeing 747 as the launch customer. An American Saga is a fascinating read on the commercialization of airplanes, so often overshadowed by war stories. ( )

Very good book. The growth of Pan Am makes for a good story and the author told it well. The vision displayed by Juan Trippe was impressive. The way he pushed for the new generation of aircraft was amazing. The author interviewed Trippe extensively, so the book is fairly slanted in his direction but not egregiously. ( )

Best history of Pan Am empire ( )