Great article .. enjoyed it more than my flight to Vietnam,but, what a wonderful sight when I walked out to the plane to return home. In 1982, Flying Tigers flew relief flights to Warsaw, Poland. WebThe Flying Tigers Boeing 707 POLECAT established speed and distance records on its pole-to-pole flight around the world. In February 1947, the airline legally changed its name to The Flying Tiger Line, Inc. Elsie the Cow was one of the airlines first celebrities when the Borden Company chartered a plane especially equipped for the bovine for a one-month tour. After the aircraft failed to arrive at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the flight was declared as having gone missing on the morning of March 16th, 1962. Web346 views 9 months ago. merging Ocean and Sky. And after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when the war ended, they remained connected. Read about what they talk about at their reunions. Free shipping for many products! Flew over on Military Transport (think it was a 141) The flight was a complete 3 stooges movie MATS had trouble w/plane. The new Flying Tiger airline had its own military role; carrying cargo and troops back and forth to the war in Vietnam. Nobody wanted to take anybody over there who wasnt coming back.. thanks for the ride over and putting up with some of us. United States. Enjoyed the article, although my trip to Nam was aboard a C130 with alternating engines working. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for FLYING TIGERS Douglas DC-8 -Aviation Postcard Airlines-WGA-927 at the best online prices at eBay! We were eventually invited to leave the club and told to not come back Welcome Home from the USAF in Kadena. I believe it helped to constantly stay connected with the world and the amazing young ladies that always had a smile and a kind word for the troops regardless of rank or service branch. When I went over in 66, it was courtesy of the USAF on a C-141no flight attendants there, just jump seats and the infantry TOE and basic load down the center of the aircraft. On 15 November 1965, a modified Flying Tigers Boeing 707-349C made the first ever aerial circumnavigation of the Earth via the poles, in 62 hours 27 minutes. Ninety-three of these were enlisted with the US Army, with the remaining three being from South Vietnam. On March 6, 1967, Flying Tigers first DC8-63F aircraft arrived. This presumed death toll made it the worst accident involving the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. If not for you, the World would be much worse off. After a dangerous heist of a mysterious device from the FBI, the HKPD assigns Ko Ka Chun, to save Hong Kong from the imminent threat from the Black Snake Gang. Thank you and God Bless you all!!!! In April of 75, with the collapse of the South Vietnamese government, Flying Tigers evacuated its own personnel and other refugees from Saigon. As I was sitting down one of my friends who considered himself a ladies man, smarted off to me Oh, you struck out too, didnt you? I told him that I had not asked for her address that she gave it to me. It was the first time I was truly surrounded around military men, and I was overwhelmed by their commitment and belief in their mission. I just stood there in my bedroom looking out the window for a very long time,saying to myself Did that really happen??? In accordance with the government directives and in the interest in protecting the health of our visitors, the Aviation Museum & Library is currently closed. My LOTS FOR SALE! The flight attendant standing at the top said see you in a year, Ill be wearing the same dress. According to the Aviation Safety Network, it first flew in 1957, and had amassed a total of 17,224 hours. Contact Thank you to all who came out to join us for our BBQ Fly-in! Thanks so much to all the people that participated in this adventure and thanks for helping us all get there and back. To kill time many of us went to the Officers Club, with the flight attendants in tow, and proceeded to party. In 1962, the Vietnam War was far from over. Web978 views 8 months ago Andee Wright served as a flight attendant with Flying Tiger Line from 1967 to 1978. We relied on each other and the soldiers to manage.. We relied on each other and the soldiers to manage.. In 1964, the company graduated its first class of flight attendants. Tigers suddenly needed bodies to work those long overseas flights, and when it put out calls for flight attendants, adventurous women answered. Flying Tigers already had terminals at San Francisco, Burbank, San Diego, Chicago, Cleveland and Newark. The aircraft was operating a MATS charter flight from Gander to Frankfurt. The young men on the way over were full of Bravado and Spirit, and many on the return trip were just grateful to finally be going home and overcome with gratitude about leaving that hell hole in one piece. This was a very good and interesting article. I now have a new group of Vietnam vets to admire and respect. Thanks to all of you that attempted to make our journies more comfortable. They became known for carrying a number of unique cargoes, including Shamu the SeaWorld killer whale and the torch of the Statue of Liberty. The new Flying Tiger airline had its own military role; carrying cargo and troops back and forth to the war in Vietnam. Interesting. December 31st, 1968 at the age of 20 we flew from Travis AFB to Anchorage Alaska. 7 Aug 1989. When you went to school for Pan Am, they showed you how to do your makeup and your hair. My return flight was one of those that cheered as we lifted off. It broke my heart the way they were treated a few years later, especially knowing I had been in attendance on their flight into a war zone, and wondered how they had faired in the return to the USA. There was more to this exciting excursion. When we got ready to land at Bien Hoa airbase the pilot said there would be a slight delay because they were shelling the airfield. Medical suplies and staples were aboard the first airlift of relief supplies to reach Poland since the imposition of martial law in November of the previous year. I missed my 21st birthday completely. Great article, spot on! I didnt use Flying Tigers going to and from my two tours in Vietnam, but I DID fly with them in 1963 going home from a two-year stint in Korea. This allowed for more extensive geographic capability and cargo capacity. a version of Purgatory, United States. Airline Founded. [3][4] The pilots and two ground crew provided half of the initial investment, with the balance coming from California oil tycoon Samuel B. The aircraft was operating a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) cargo flight from Travis AFB to Kadena Air Base. Flying Tigers continued to fly military troops and cargo into Vietnam during the war years. Ceased operations. Ardith, I know we GIs werent always gentlemen, but thank you so very much for all that you and your sister attendants did for us on our flights too and from that hell hole of a war in SAE. As the war worsened, and the airline continued hauling scared young men into Vietnam and bringing broken men out, the Flying Tigers crews found themselves wrestling with anger, confusion and sadness. In March 1962, one such personnel-carrying flight went missing en route to Vietnam. In the Vietnam airlift, Flying Tigers provided strategic flights from the US to numerous military bases throughout the Pacific and Southeast Asia geographic region. In June 1946, the Budd Conestogas were replaced by C-47s. After an almost three hour delay, the airplane is back in the air and en-route to our final destination Vietnam. Coming home was great while everyone mentions the cheering on wheels up on departure no one mentions the deafening silence as the aircraft started down the runway on departure until wheels up I remember one of the attendants wishing my a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WebFlying Tiger Airport: Home Real Estate About Things to do FAQ's FAA Info. During 1969, the CL-44s and B707s left the fleet as the addition of DC-8s took their place. The airline also played a major role in the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line, flying equipment to remote outposts in northern Canada and Alaska. (1974 -1989). A true airfreighted with a unique swing-tail design, the CL-44 permitted the straight-in loading of freight no other plane could carry. Marilyn Breen was 24 when a girlfriend called her from Japan, bragging that she had gotten a job with a different charter airline and was now sitting in Tokyo having her nails done for $1.50. Ceased operations. Mr. Fagones article is very touching and reminds us that many more people than just we former service men and women are veterans of the Vietnam War. After an almost three hour delay, the airplane is back in the air and en-route to our final destination Vietnam. This is what I wrote when I had set up my home page on geocities which is now archived: Flying Tiger was my airline of choice. I know that I should have written to her while I was in Vietnam, but like things go I had more important thoughts on my mind such as surviving and looking out for my men. Know now that I was stunned , medical shock, at suddenly the war down below, behind me , was gone. Country. I was Infantry so I knew I had reason to be worried, but these ladies put us all at ease, as much as was possible .. one of the truly great memories Im thankful to have .. We went out to the airstripvery early in the morning in a vehicle. There were also 11 crew members onboard, giving a total occupancy of 107 people. McCord was doing maintenance on the runway. Having climbed to a cruising altitude of 18,000 feet, the aircraft reported its position as being 1340N 1400E just under an hour and a half into the flight. Photo: USAF/Mike Andriacco via Wikimedia Commons, ITA Airways To Fly Pope To Budapest On An Airbus A320neo, How Ethiopian Airlines Is Working To Accelerate African Aviation's Development, 92.8%: Scoot Posts Its Highest Ever Load Factor In March 2023. The estimated duration of its westbound flight to the Philippines was reportedly around eight hours, although the aircraft had enough fuel onboard to fly for another hour on top of that. One day in Vietnam, waiting on the tarmac before a homeward-bound flight, she saw men loading body bags into the belly of the plane. As in Korea, these flights carried both cargo as well as military personnel and their dependents. The return to the States from RVN was like being in a decompression chamber. On November 9, 1977, President Carter signed into law the legislation which deregulated airfreight in the U.S. On March 3, 1978, one month after Flying Tigers was named the largest airfreight carrier in the free world, the airlines founder, Robert W. Prescott, died. Marine leaving from Da Nang Jan 31, 1971 to Okinawa Japan, 3 days later back to the World by way of Alaska to Nortin AFB. Travel the world, the ad said. WebThe Flying Tiger Line Incorporated. The company was started by Robert William Prescott. Touching essay. The Boeing 707 remained in the fleet only few years, and later sold, upon arrival of the higher-payload Douglas DC-8, the largest civilian airliner until the Boeing 747 entered service. From 1979 to 1980 the Flying Tiger Line passed Pan Am to become the world's number one air cargo carrier. The flight attendants were as depicted in this article, both going and coming home. A mysterious gang, The Black Snake Gang, is rising throughout the world. For some the experience changed their political beliefs, although they tried to keep politics off the plane. A mysterious gang, The Black Snake Gang, is rising throughout the world. It also operated military contract services, most notably DC-8 routes between Travis Air Force Base, California and Japan in the 1970s, followed by weekly 747 passenger service between Clark Air Base, Philippines, and St. Louis, Missouri via Japan, Alaska, and Los Angeles during the 1980s. Sometimes, when the wheels pulled up on takeoff, the whole plane would burst out in yells and clapping. To say thank you which could never cover the range of emotions In 1974, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747. Flying Tiger Line was ramping up operations in Vietnam, too, and its believed maintenance standards dropped as a result of increased demand. (1953-1958), Constellation Gen. -- The Lockheed Super H Constellation, airlifting 43,000 pounds of freight at 300 miles per hour over a 2,500-miles range, helped Flying Tigers revolutionize the marketing map of the United States with the first nonstop, transcontinental airfreight schedules. Notable among the Tigers' achievements were their participation in both the Korean and Vietnam airlifts. Long overseas flights, and its believed maintenance standards dropped as a flight attendant standing at top. On each other and the soldiers to manage.. we relied on each other and the soldiers to..... 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