Sign up | Sign in. Email:jason.fagone@sfchronicle.comTwitter:@jfagone, Link to the actual article: https://bit.ly/2PbitdY. In a review of evidence, investigators later determined that access to flight line and ramp areas in Honolulu, Wake Island, and Guam allowed unchallenged access to anyone desiring entry, including non-military aircraft. Thank you for taking care of us. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two underwing turbofans. They were long, boisterous flights full of bravado and joking the men going off to war were trying to psych themselves up. Notable among the Tigers' achievements were their participation in both the Korean and Vietnam airlifts. But some homeward-bound passengers were belligerent, unpredictable. The flight from Guam to the next layover was to take about 6 hours and 20 minutes, but the Constellation had enough fuel for nearly 10 hours of flight, according to an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) accident report documenting the incident. Thank You For Your Service, and It was my honor to help make your trip a little better. ber 1.000.000 Bilder Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I sat on the left side isle with a window seat just to the rear edge of the left wing. You have my deepest sympathy during this trying time. It was signed by Maj. Gen. J.C. Lambert, The Adjutant General of the U.S. Army. If you've . No folded flag was presented to the family. The soldiers onboard were flying there not to fight, but to help train South Vietnamese forces. It would be the last radio transmission received from the aircraft. English. It was reported that the aircraft was left unattended in a dimly lighted area for a period of time while at Guam where total transit time was 1 hour and 33 minutes, ICAO said. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Thank you stewardesses. As Captain Dwight Small, a pilot for Flying Tiger Line, recalls, It was pretty hairy, especially in the early days. (1974 -1989) After 1989 Mr Narita 806 in Polar Colors HISTORY I have no comment for this person, He/she is beyond help. View Product. I for one of many of us flew Tiger Airlines going and coming. . During the Korean War, Tigers planes provided air transport services for personnel and cargo from the west coast of the US to various military bases throughout the Pacific area. To us, they were all beauty queens! 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. For military personnel, it was a deeply emotional journey in both directions. By this time the airline's personnel had gained such expertise in shipping challenging pieces of freight that the attitude in the industry was, "if Tigers can't move it, nobody can." Sweet Jesus, I was back in the USA ; She then asked me Why of all the Corpsmen/servicemen on this plane was I the only one that didnt ask for her address and telephone number? I told her that (1. By the mid-1960s, it was flying scheduled transpacific all-cargo routes and in the late 1980s, it was acquired by Federal Express. I only wish that I could stand before these wonderful ladies. meets a very pale blue, Flying Tigers continued to fly military troops and cargo into Vietnam during the war years. En route to Saigon, the flight was set to make several refueling stops. 302/3 Kim Ma Street, Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Adding their names to the Vietnam wall alongside their 58,318 brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War is a fitting tribute to these men and a reminder to all of us that our freedom is oftentimes secured by men and women who serve in silence, said Joe Reagan, director of military and veteran outreach for Wreaths Across America. Flying Tiger Line 747-200 In April of '75, with the collapse of the South Vietnamese government, Flying Tigers evacuated its own personnel and other refugees from Saigon. Arrived Travis in daylight and was struck by the absence of bomb craters from my aerial view. (LogOut/ Thanks for a great story. The extension allowed a 30 trip home so I had 2 Tiger flights in and 2 out. June 69. Related thread from 2010: However, Kadena was not able to resupply the galley but the crew got a lot of junk food to hold us over till we got to Tokyo where we were off-loaded again and the plane was serviced. Flying off Course has established itself over the years as the indispens-able guide to the inner workings of this exciting industry. Sixty years later, theres still little trace that the lives of the servicemembers were even lost to the Vietnam War. The aircraft was transporting 93 U.S. soldiers and three South Vietnamese from Travis Air Force Base, California to Saigon, Vietnam. Over 20 families gathered in May to witness the unveiling of a new memorial in Columbia Falls, Maine, dedicated to the victims of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739. The years after the Vietnam war saw continued growth for the Flying Tigers. Flying from Clark AFB to Guam refueling then on to Travis AFB and Home. To this day, I send emails to friends who are Vets, and the young people in the airports who are recognizable by their uniforms and sincerely Thank them for thier Service. After just under two hours on the ground, The Free Lance-Star reported that the flight departed Guam just before 21:00. Mel Beers ret first sergeant . Flying Tigers was a mechanism of the war she opposed. Thanks so much to all the people that participated in this adventure and thanks for helping us all get there and back. Top Rated Seller. The C-47 could fly 7,500 pounds of cargo over a range of 600 miles at 150 miles per hour. Several of these commercial flights left daily from military air bases on the west coast, ferrying newly trained soldiers across the Pacific Ocean to war - replacements not only for those injured and killed soldiers, but also for those young men who survived their twelve month war and were now going home. That year, Flying Tiger Line lost four aircraft in incidents, the bulk of which while operating charters for the U.S. military. Knowing the outcome of the war - and how the US Congress of that era abandoned the people of Cambodia and South Vietnam - helps take the sting away, if only a little. This is what I wrote when I had set up my home page on geocities which is now archived: The women say its what helped them keep their sanity, a support network that allowed them to face the heartbreak of the job as the true cost of the war emerged. During the "American war," he worked for a CIA contractor, flying unarmed bush planes in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Thank you! Not one of us said a word. between heaven and hell. Air sorties searching for clues racked up more than 3,417 flying hours. Was processed out of the Army at Fort Lewis, got a military standby flight for$11. The motto in the beginning was "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere". 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. An aspect of nowhere, This exhibition, based on extensive interviews with the key participants of the airlift operations, provides insight into their experiences serving aboard the Freedom Birds. Search and rescue operations began promptly, catalyzed by a Liberian tanker ship's reported sighting of an explosion around the time of the plane's disappearance. I about cried having to leave half of what might have been my last meal. 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. (LogOut/ Not only told to leave, but not to come back. They cant be forgotten.. I flew out of Travis Air Force Base and was on my way to Thailand. I do remember the door opening and it was like a blast furnace! I commented, and the person deleted my comme. The C-47 could fly 7,500 pounds of cargo over a range of 600 miles at 150 miles per hour. During her position on the Board she was editor of the Newsletter from May 2007 through March 2014; as well as coordinating the 500 Club Board in the Flying Tigers room at Flight Path Museum and Learning Center. A very vulnerable feeling with out a weapon. When I went back in 1970 out of McCord it was on World Airlines. The airline had its humble beginnings in Long Beach California with the Budd Conestoga, but by 1969 had upgraded its propeller-driven, piston engine fleet to one consisting entirely of jet freighters. The soldiers on Flight 739 were on a mission to do whatever the government told them to do, Kirk said. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Patch , 45th TRANSPORTATION Company FLYING TIGER AIRLINES Vietnam War Patch , s4 at the best online prices at eBay! Thank you ladies, Im one of those boys. I dont remember the faces of the flight attendantsprobably because I was so overwhelmed by my own emotions going to war and coming home. MAAG THAILAND . Yes, it was a memorable 4 day flight. (1974 -1989). Onboard were 107 people, all of whom remain missing as the aircraft was never found after its disappearance. (1949 - 1961), C-54 Gen. -- The C-54, first of the four--engine air freighters, was used by Flying Tigers in the largest, longest airlift ever flown by a private contractor -- supplying the American Occupation Forces in Japan. By all accounts, the predawn hours of March 15, 1962, were dreary at Adak Naval Air Station in Alaska as a Flying Tiger pilot attempted to make a refueling stop. The other airlines that that had the contracts to take service men to that war zone in South East Asia was Seaboard World Air lines it was rumored to be own by lady bird Johnson as she was on the Board of directors of Braniff International air ways and that they and Tiger Airlines got those troop movement contracts back in the day; The old boy network was in bed with the men sitting in the white house: Flying Tiger 707 (March 68) from Travis to Anchorage (refuel), on to Okinawa (refuel), and finally to Bien Hoa. Eventually, in 1988, FedEx bought the airlines parent company, absorbing its routes and bringing the rough-and-tumble era of cargo aviation to a close. (1947 -- 1957), The acquisition of seven DC-6s represented the largest single purchase the airline industry had ever seen. The team had completed its assigned mission and was waiting to . The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. They coped, as always, by leaning on each other. I remember the silence upon arrival and cheering when wheels went up leaving. Flying Tigers Line Flight 739, a Lockheed L-1049H, was chartered by the United States military. He was pulled back in on a special mission, handpicked by [President] John F. Kennedy, Kirk said. I went and returned on a Flying Tiger plane and remember very well the sensitive and kind treatment from the stewardesses both directions. If not for you, the World would be much worse off. Many of these people became valuable members of the Flying Tigers family. Welcome Home with many thank you for all your support of the Vietnam veterans!! This represented a significant transition for the Flying Tigers, and paved the road to future success. The names of those who gave their lives and who remain missing are inscribed here so that they will be said aloud and their memory will live on.. Opens in a new window or tab. Somewhere I know that she wonders if I ever made it back to the States and why I never called. This Is Your Captain by Reyne OShaughnessy, Flying Tiger Memories by Guy Van Herbruggen & Charles Kennedy, Tiger 747 by Guy Van Herbruggen/Charles Kennedy, DC-8 & The Flying Tiger Line by Guy Van Herbruggen & Charles Kennedy. Welcome home with many thank you for your Service, and it was mechanism. Base, California to Saigon, Vietnam acquisition of seven DC-6s represented the largest single the! 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