POV: You Just Boarded the LEGO® Icons Douglas™ DC-3™ PAN AM® Airliner

*Tiny throat-clearing noises*

“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, bonjour.

Welcome aboard flight PA 11378, operated by a Douglas DC-3™ in the iconic ‘Globe’ livery of the World’s Most Experienced Airline.

If you could kindly make your way to your seats at your earliest convenience… You, sir. Yes. The gentleman with the gargantuan steamer trunk. How on Earth did you get all of that past the gate agent?

Ah. Of course. Because we’re in the golden era of aviation, and this is Pan Am®. Flying is the epitome of luxury; service standards are sky-high, and that will never, ever change.

You are in the capable hands of your crew of four:

That includes the captain at the pointy end of the plane; two impeccably dressed flight attendants in the passenger cabin, and me, your purser.

You may notice that we are wearing historical Pan Am uniforms from… different decades. This is entirely intentional, and most certainly not because Loretta turned up at the pre-flight briefing inexplicably wearing the deep-blue crew uniform of the late 1960s. Which, as you will no doubt know, is in the future.

I still have questions, Loretta. Ha. Ha.

A little fun fact about your crew today: when we are not crisscrossing the globe on a DC-3, we reside in a swanky Pan Am-branded minifigure display stand.

Another fun fact: Doris’ 1950s pale-blue pillbox hat is a brand-new LEGO® element, designed for this very flight. Super exclusive. No other set has one like it. Not even Loretta, who appears to live decades ahead of us all, don’t you, Loretta?

Now, a brief word about the aircraft itself:

The top of the plane is removable. This is perfectly fine. Possibly eyebrow-raising if it were to occur in mid-flight, not going to lie – but rest assured it is entirely safe and allows for an excellent view of the cabin interior.

And what a cabin interior it is. The seating, the aisle, the colors. Historically accurate, and not a stain on the carpet.

The cockpit cover, too, may be removed. After all, if one is permitted to admire Doris dropping a trayful of drinks across the galley at the first hint of turbulence, then one should also be allowed to observe the captain doing his job at the controls.

(Oh, relax, Doris. Remember the Miami run last month? The carpet remembers.)

The crew will now indicate your nearest features and details:

There’s one lav– what’s that, madam? “Onboard Wi-Fi?”

I’m afraid I don’t quite... Really? What a rather odd concept. No, we do not have that. What we do have is one lavatory at the rear of the aircraft, with a seat and everything.

You may also notice the landing gear. It is fully retractable, wheels and all, folding neatly into the frame by turning the little wheel in the belly of your DC-3.

The captain has just informed me that we’re ready to leave the stand. That’s the display stand, which comes with an information plaque. Your DC-3 can be easily detached from it, should you wish to display it separately. 

Finally, you may find 3D building instructions in the LEGO Builder app. None of these words mean anything to me, the purser of this vintage flight that predates the jet era. But I see Loretta nodding approvingly, so make of that what you will.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight. We are en route to the home of someone with impeccable taste and a flair for retro; a traveler who knows that the golden age of aviation was never about getting there quickly, but about arriving in style.

“Was?” Listen to me speaking about this golden age of aviation in the past tense. Who am I, Loretta and her time machine? Ha. Ha. No, seriously, Loretta; we need to talk about that uniform when we land.

On behalf of Pan American World Airways® and the LEGO Group, thank you for flying with us.”