Episode 48: The Archer's...A Family of Aviators

The Pan Am Podcast

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In this episode we celebrate the Archer’s...a family of aviators.

89-year-old Pan Am Captain Stu Archer joined the airline in 1965 as an engineer after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Stu began flying the 727 and then was promoted to captain on the 747 and later Airbus A300 and A310. He stayed with Pan Am until 1991 and then went on to work for Delta Air Lines as a captain.

When he reached the then mandatory retirement age of 60 after three years as a Delta captain, he successful took the company to court forcing the airline to keep him as an engineer and worked for another seven years before retiring in 2000. Many credit his lawsuit as one of the reasons the mandatory age was raised to 65.

Stu credits his uncle, Lawerence Archer, as his aviation inspiration. Born in 1903, Lawerence was one of the early pilots trained by the Wright Brothers and was the first person to deliver mail by air in New England. Uncle Lawerence took Stu on his very first flight in a single engine, open air cockpit bi-wing plane when he was six years old and this forever changed the trajectory of his life.

Lawerence Archer gave his life in service to his country in 1945 during World War II serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Stu’s daughter Deborah Archer joined Pan Am as a flight attendant in 1979 and worked for the airline until the end in 1991. Afterward, she hung up her wing and became a nurse. She sadly passed away in 2009.

Stu’s son, Captain Jeffery Archer followed in his father’s footsteps and became a pilot for American Airlines in 1991 and became captain in 1995.

And now his grandson, Stephen Archer, Jeffery’s son, carries on the family legacy started by his great-uncle and was recently been promoted to Captain with Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
All three of these captains will be joining us to talk about their passion for flying and careers in aviation.

A special thank you to American Airlines for allowing Jeff and Stephen to participate in this interview.

If you are thinking about starting a career in aviation and want to be a pilot for American Airlines, visit the AA Cadet Academy.

The Pan Am Museum also encourages you to visit the American Airlines CR Smith Museum in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This museum is named after aviation pioneer and former President of American Airlines, Cyrus Rowlett Smith and has been open since 1993.

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A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!