The Golden Age of Aviation | Monocle

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The Golden Age of Aviation

A new series from Monocle 24 chronicling and celebrating all that was good about commercial-airline travel in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. We’ll hear about technological developments and engineering innovators, meet the fearless individuals in boardrooms and cockpits who defined a new era of travel, learn about the storied brands that embodied the essence of the golden age and talk with the marketers that sold the world a dream.

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Latest episode

Is the future golden?:

Tom Edwards sits down with Tyler Brûlé, Monocle’s editor in chief, and contributing editor Tristan McAllister to discuss what made this era of aviation “golden” and how the industry can soar to new heights.

Latest episodes

EpisodeDateDescriptionDownloadPlay
827 Jun 2019
25 min

Is the future golden? 

Tom Edwards sits down with Tyler Brûlé, Monocle’s editor in chief, and contributing editor Tristan McAllister to discuss what made this era of aviation “golden” and how the industry can soar to new heights.

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713 Jun 2019
30 min

Is the future supersonic? 

We discuss the highs and lows of the groundbreaking supersonic technology for commercial aviation that emerged in the late 1960s, as Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144 took flight. Plus: the perks of travelling faster than the speed of sound.

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631 May 2019
32 min

Design icons 

Meet the Californian with a major collection of Pan Am memorabilia, discover the significance of Canada’s Gander International Airport as a beacon of mid-century design and find out why Alitalia is an icon of the skies.

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516 May 2019
30 min

Selling the aviation dream 

We learn about a musical campaign for Cathay Pacific in the 1970s with the pop star Frances Yip, and talk iconic poster designs with author of ‘Airline Visual Identity 1945-1975’, Matthias Hühne.

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42 May 2019
34 min

In-flight fashion 

With the help of Laudomia Pucci, we learn about the space-age cabin-crew uniforms that her father, Emilio Pucci, designed for Braniff in the 1960s. We also meet Hawaiian Airlines’ first female pilot, who also led the first all-female commercial flight in the US, and hear from former flight attendants about what it was like to be on board during the heyday of aviation.

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318 Apr 2019
29 min

Taking flight 

In New York we learn about the iconic TWA Flight Centre at JFK airport, meet an ANA chief purser whose 25-year career on planes was inspired by the golden age, visit the Swire Archive in Hong Kong to discover the history of Cathay Pacific and find out why Australian airline Ansett was a leading force for in-flight service.

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24 Apr 2019
26 min

Soaring in Seattle 

Monocle contributing editor Tristan McAllister heads to Seattle, the birthplace of Boeing, to find out its role in the world of aviation. He heads to Teague – the design agency responsible for some of the most iconic plane interiors – and the Museum of Flight, and meets the people for whom the industry has unlocked a life of adventure.

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121 Mar 2019
33 min

Ready for take-off 

A soaring start to our new series as our experts discuss the unrivalled era of aviation from the 1950s to the 1970s. We meet the man responsible for the savvy marketing of one of the most prestigious airlines of its time: Pan Am. Plus, learn what it was like to fly into Hong Kong’s notorious Kai Tak international airport and hear from a woman in Japan whose collection of 1960s airline cups tells the design stories of many countries.

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