While those simulators were a vast improvement over what preceded them, they were imperfect to say the least. They had no visual systems, their instrumentation was nonstandard and they relied on racks of vacuum tubes, which were always failing. The handling altered by the day, so the training experience was inconsistent.

All of that changed dramatically with the arrival of the digital processor. When simulators were mated with these new computers, the resulting fidelity in handling, visuals, motion, instrument readouts, sound and feel reached unprecedented levels. That's when true simulation began. It marked an extraordinary advance in the training experience. And it continues to improve every year.

In keeping with his vision of having the everything aviation company, Mr. Trippe wanted to profit from the move toward business aviation by having Pan Am market and support a brand of business jets. We investigated all the machines available at the time, and Charles Lindbergh was particularly keen on the new Mystère jet, made by Dassault, in France. It was during our evaluation of that machine that he and I roomed together in Bordeaux.