Wheels up lots of cheering and hope. Within a matter of hours, the carriers losses would get much worse. Sometimes, when the wheels pulled up on takeoff, the whole plane would burst out in yells and clapping. 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. It was obvious the airplane had been used a lot, but it was clean and the attendants were friendly and upbeat. Thanks! Flying at 210 miles per hour, the C-54 carried 20,000 pounds of cargo over a 2,000 -- mile range. The flight attendants learned not to wake them, knowing the men might leap up with a start, imagining they were still back in the war. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. . Flying Tiger aircraft were chartered to transport troops and supplies from the United States to Asia; Flying Tigers later received a cargo route award to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. What I do remember is that the plane had a very unpleasant odor and the food was cold. The flight attendants were as depicted in this article, both going and coming home. or Best Offer. MAAG THAILAND . (1974 -1989). View Product. While there I recall them telling us that there are enemy at the end of the runway and when we take off we are pulling up as fast as we can to keep from being hit. Its a way to look back, said one woman planning to attend, Ann Price Montgomery, who joined Flying Tigers in 1968. My return flight was one of those that cheered as we lifted off. And he said, Well, can you put all that aside when youre on the airplane and taking care of these boys? Foster recalled. He wouldnt believe me until I showed him the slip of paper. They were thrown together all the time on the planes, in Saigon hotels sipping cocktails and at officers clubs on overseas military bases, where guys bought them drinks. Owing to the complex geopolitical circumstances of the mid to late 20th century, it was also involved in military charters, flying both cargo and troops to conflict zones. I was one of those Men that you brought back to the World. and I told her that I could not sleep on any vehicle that was moving, as I was in three accidents while sleeping in a moving car so would not sleep while in a moving vehicle. Imitation lets you catch up to the guy ahead, but never lets you pass." But the womens bond outlasted the death of the airline that brought them together. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. What was the worst work detail you pulled in Vietnam? March 15, 1962, marked the first day of the Vietnam War Campaign, according to U.S. Army historians. This is what I wrote when I had set up my home page on geocities which is now archived: When you went to school for Pan Am, they showed you how to do your makeup and your hair. These ladies were great listeners and very supportive. Others slept for hours, exhausted and often traumatized from their experiences in Vietnam. Like you were going to hang around. I stopped a stewardess to inquire if they had any other reading material on board. On Wednesday, families of those lost on Flight 739 gathered in Columbia Falls, Maine, for a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the loss of Tiger Flight 739. Gotoff the jet and was greated by relatives. They played cards with the guys, laughed with them. The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deep regret that your son Specialist Donald A Sargent was a passenger aboard a chartered aircraft that was reported missing while in flight over the Pacific Ocean on 15 March 1962, the telegram read. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American long-haul, mid-size widebody, twin-engine jet airliner made by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Flying Tiger aircraft were chartered to transport troops and supplies from the United States to Asia; Flying Tigers later received a cargo route award to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. It began on Christmas Day, 1950, with Operation STEM, America's Special Technical & Economic Mission, the cover for . The first two of these saw delays due to engine maintenance having to be carried out. 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. They saw so much in those soldiers eyes and dealt with some truly emotional issues. Capable of lifting 7,000 pounds over a version of the famed DC-3. Opens in a new window or tab. and flew to Portland ,Oregon. In 1962, the Vietnam War was far from over. The training had little to do with hospitality, focusing instead on emergency procedures, like how to ditch a plane after a crash or what to do if the plane drew gunfire. 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. 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. Flying from Clark AFB to Guam refueling then on to Travis AFB and Home. I sat on the left side isle with a window seat just to the rear edge of the left wing. Theyre being pushed aside to be forgotten, Kirk said. The plane very quiet, All four were Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellations. Remember the illumination flares as we were coming in on final as the sun had not come up yet. meets a very pale blue, The company said it needed flight attendants. Conditions were, however, well within the weather minimums set for the airline at the landing strip of a 400-ft ceiling and three-quarter-miles visibility, a report later noted. Quickview. That flight SUCKED., but at least I got out of that chit hole. US Army CNN The families of soldiers lost while taking part in a secret US mission during. The new Flying Tiger airline had its own military role; carrying cargo and troops back and forth to the war in Vietnam. Phnom Penh, against a background of advancing NVA troops in Vietnam, it describes the relations among the crew and their motivation and features a pet cockroach named Hiram and a 'mother' to the crew aged 13. FLYING TIGER AIRLINES - Patch - MAAG - 45th Transport - Early Vietnam War, #.500. However, radio operators in Guam were unable to contact the flight at this time. Flying Tiger Flight 739 had arrived at Guam at 11:14 GMT from Wake Island. Sixty years later, theres still little trace that the lives of the servicemembers were even lost to the Vietnam War. It truly was a great feeling being headed home. (1966-1969), The Douglas DC-8-63F was a new breed of aircraft that had a far reaching effect on the continuing growth for the airfreight industry. All rights reserved. No such thing happened, as I was at that location in May of 1970. The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Ninety-three of these were enlisted with the US Army, with the remaining three being from South Vietnam. I know there were bad times but your article brought back memories I forgot I had. There was no military service at the funeral. Onboard were 107 people, all of whom remain missing as the aircraft was never found after its disappearance. Some say it was sabotage, she said. Flying Tiger Lines Airline Related Artifacts & Collectibles Miscellaneous Airlines: America (US) Artifacts & Collectibles . Flight 739/14), from Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, to Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, with scheduled refueling stops at Honolulu, Hawaii; Wake Island; Naval Air . Photo: The aircraft departed from Andersen AFB in Guam before disappearing over the Western Pacific Ocean. It flew at 200 miles per hour, carried 13,000 pounds of cargo and had a range of 900 miles. (LogOut/ I sat looking out the window the whole flight home, never said a word. 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. Its such a part of history, and our own personal history.. The airline initially launched with 14 Navy surplus Budd RB Conestoga cargo aircraft. I flew on Trans Carribiean twice from Travis and experienced the feelings described in the piece. Mel Beers ret first sergeant . As the company grew and matured, founder and CEO Robert Prescott did also, both in his younger days as an AVG pilot and later in the role of President of the Flying Tiger Line. In 1969, during the Vietnam War, a 21-year-old Seattle woman saw a job ad for a California cargo airline called the Flying Tiger Line that had a large presence in San Francisco. The young men would leave their patches, their names, their addresses, their rosary beads and ask the crew members to write to them while they were in Vietnam. Joe Namath, Jim Otto, and, Marv Fleming on our returning flight after spending time visiting the wounded Vietnam soldiers at several hospitals. I flew out of Travis Air Force Base and was on my way to Thailand. No Longer Available! between heaven and hell. The food on the airplane had to be thrown away because there was no refrigeration on the aircraft for over 48 hours. McCord was doing maintenance on the runway. Air sorties searching for clues racked up more than 3,417 flying hours. In transit to Viet Nam via Alaska, Japan and Okinawa. A Lockheed Constellation L-1049, similar to the aircraft that disappeared. I about cried having to leave half of what might have been my last meal. 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. Thank you Flight Attendants! Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FLYING TIGER AIRLINES - Patch - MAAG - 45th Transport - Early Vietnam War, #.561 at the best online prices at eBay! In 1969, during the Vietnam War, a 21-year-old Seattle woman saw a job ad for a California cargo airline called the Flying Tiger Line that had a large presence in San Francisco. Unfortunately for me I returned in a Medevac flight from Japan Yokosuka Naval Hospital. Margi has been a Member of the Flying Tigers Club Board of Directors, and served as Club Secretary since May 2007. I would have been on Flying Tigers returning to the states. I then went back to my seat with a book after putting that slip of paper in my wallet. (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. All attempts to re-establish contact with the flight were unsuccessful.. Tiger Air Flights To Vietnam Tiger Air is one of the few low-cost airlines currently operating in Vietnam. We were goin up and up , the war down below, falling away now far behind us. Kimberly is managing editor of FLYING digital. This was a very good and interesting article. THe girls (attendants) were great cant saw much for the people of California . Put on the clothing and shoes that I had been wearing befor going to war. 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. But nothing could have prepared her for what it was like to be a flight attendant at Flying Tigers during the golden era of aviation a job so fabulous and exciting on the one hand and emotionally brutal on the other that it transformed the lives of hundreds of young women like her who were hired during the war, forcing them to confront the realities of Vietnam in ways they never expected, and bonding them to each other for decades to come. The six man recon team was on an observation mission near Fire Support Base Alpine, about six miles east of the Laotian Border. She very quickly wrote down something and gave it to me. Sellers with highest buyer ratings; 2019 by the San Francisco Airport Commission. When a positive story about the Vietnam experience shows up it helps the healing that many of us need. Each of the awesome giants flies more than 200,000 pounds of cargo at 575 miles per hour over a 3,500-mile range. It brought back a lot of memories. High over the Pacific, Despite its modest size, Vietnam attracts tourists from all over the world with plenty to offer: expansive paddy fields, white-sand beaches, modern cities, hundred-year-old temples, limestone islands rising dramatically from under the ocean, magnificent natural caves, and minority communities with fascinating cultural traits. After all the things i remember about my viet nam year , i never remembered about the flight to or from . Im still trying to figure out how to coordinate one of our own with one of theirs. 60 Years Missing: The Mystery Of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 In the opening days of the Vietnam War, an aircraft carrying 107 people went missing as it was en route to Saigon on a secret. This allowed for more extensive geographic capability and cargo capacity. And he said, I gotta get out of Cornish. We began to realize OK, these guys are going off to die, Breen recalled. "We packed our bags we never knew when we were coming home," Wright. That sounded good to Linda Greenwalt Foster, who had just dropped out of college and was looking for an adventure. She has more than 20 years reporting experience, much of it covering aviation and defense issues. English. Sky Marks 1/200th scale SKR828 Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 2014 colours. It was the first time I was truly surrounded around military men, and I was overwhelmed by their commitment and belief in their mission. This presumed death toll made it the worst accident involving the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. Flying off Course has established itself over the years as the indispens-able guide to the inner workings of this exciting industry. WELCOME to The FLYING TIGER Antiques & Vintage Historical Artifacts Website!!! Vintage Flying Tigers Airline 1981 Timetable from/to Greece - Flying Tiger Line. 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. Carrying 50% more cargo than the DC-4 and carrying it 70 miles per hour faster, the company's gross revenues quickly reached the $25-million mark in 1953.