302/3 Kim Ma Street, Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Today. Sixty years ago, as the U.S. was becoming more involved in the opening salvo of the Vietnam War, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation was making its way west. 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 Station Agana, Guam; and Clark Air Force Base, Luzon, From Tokyo we flew to Anchorage where we were grounded another 18 to 20 hours due to a snow storm and for some reason, Anchorage did not have deicing capability. Thank you Jason for a story well told. I for one of many of us flew Tiger Airlines going and coming. . As one observer put it, "Nobody brings in mail like those Tiger birds". 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. Answer (1 of 28): There is a guy who claimed that when he landed at Bien Hoa Airbase in May of 1970 that they came under rocket an mortar fire, and that two of his comrades were wounded. It was obvious the airplane had been used a lot, but it was clean and the attendants were friendly and upbeat. He settled into a niche with the "Flying Tiger Line", an airline started by pilots that gained fame by trouncing superior, in number, forces of Japanese warplanes. Nonetheless, it reached Guam as planned on March 15th. The Army did pay out life insurance for Donald, but it was only $264. I have just relived a very important part of my young life, thru these articles and the loving responses. Flying Tiger was my airline of choice. This article was greatdefined exactly how it was when we flew homeI left Vietnam on or about the 5th of January 1968 & Flying Tigers was my carrier! I flew out of Travis Air Force Base and was on my way to Thailand. 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. Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Detected Over the U.S. DARPA Narrows Down Liberty Lifter Design Competition, USAF Awards Electra $85M Contract for eSTOL Aircraft, Navy Awards Textron Aviation $113M Contract for Multiengine Trainers, AOPA Names Regional Flight School, Instructor Award Winners, Biden Makes Unprecedented Surprise Trip To Ukraine, NTSB Launches Investigation Into 777s Sudden Loss of Altitude. 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. In accordance with the government directives and in the interest in protecting the health of our visitors, the Aviation Museum & Library is currently closed. Despite her personal beliefs, Foster reasoned that nobody needed better care than men heading to a war or coming back from one, and she decided to sign on. Email:jason.fagone@sfchronicle.comTwitter:@jfagone, Link to the actual article: https://bit.ly/2PbitdY. Veterans Affairs also bought a headstone marker, but even in that, the sense of military courtesy for the family seemed to evaporate, too. Finally the plane started to move down the runway faster and faster. But soon after they started working troop transports to Southeast Asia, the women realized that the job required a whole different set of skills. The soldiers onboard were flying there not to fight, but to help train South Vietnamese forces. Flight 7816, a cargo flight, was enroute from Travis Air Force Base, California to Japan. I flew over to Vietnam out of Travis October 3, 1970 on Airlift International. We were there to take care of our passengers, Foster said, and have the best time we could. As it turned out, they excelled at both. I also n=mourned those I had lost there who could not return alive but were shipped home to grief stricken families. 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. 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. In this decade the company developed an extensive global network, directly servicing all continents except for Africa, which was served through interlining. Sky Marks 1/200th scale SKR828 Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 2014 colours. Not one of us said a word. A Lockheed Constellation L-1049, similar to the aircraft that disappeared. Shamu the whale took a first ride on Flying Tigers. We were eventually invited to leave the club and told to not come back Welcome Home from the USAF in Kadena. Pre-Owned. Others ordering aircraft include Cebu Pacific, Tiger Airways, 40-percent owned by Singapore Airlines Ltd, Garuda Indonesia's low-cost unit Citilink, and the Qantas Airways Ltd-owned Jetstar and its affiliates such as Singapore-based Jetstar Asia. I missed my 21st birthday completely. At 11:15PM June 29, 1968 I left Bien Hoa airport on a Trans International DC-10. To kill time many of us went to the Officers Club, with the flight attendants in tow, and proceeded to party. These ladies were great listeners and very supportive. Based in Norwich, UK. For the Vietnam generation of U.S. military veterans, this phrase meant only one thing; the aircraft that brought them home at the end of their tours. It was her name, address and telephone number with the instructions that if it didnt work out between me and my fiance after I came back to give her a call because she saw something in me that she had been looking for. I went over in February 1970. Within a matter of hours, the carriers losses would get much worse. Flying from Clark AFB to Guam refueling then on to Travis AFB and Home. Flying Tiger history began during World War II when the original aircrafts were small fighter planes. 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. As their deaths did not occur in the Vietnam combat zone, their names were . 15 March 1962: Flying Tiger Line Flight 7815/13 was a chartered flight for the Military Air Transport Service (M.A.T.S. But the womens bond outlasted the death of the airline that brought them together. Thank you for taking care of us. What were the life expectancies of soldiers during the Vietnam War? 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 . Jason Fagone is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. (1974 -1989) After 1989 Mr Narita 806 in Polar Colors HISTORY The part Ill always remember is the wonderful round eyes that tolerated us nervous troops as we headed for the unknown going both over to Vietnam and returning to the US. Shared with Public Cleaning up today and found this binder. It would be the last radio transmission received from the aircraft. 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. The picture below shows a full plane of troops heading to Vietnam on a Flying Tiger Flight. 2019 by the San Francisco Airport Commission. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In the Vietnam airlift, Flying Tigers provided strategic flights from the US to numerous military bases throughout the Pacific and Southeast Asia geographic region. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was a Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft, which is pictured here. Meanwhile, the flight attendants were becoming like a family. Others supported the war, sympathizing with the soldiers and resenting those who scorned their service. It was never seen or heard from again, despite an extensive search operation. Thanks to all of you that attempted to make our journies more comfortable. Carrying 32,000 pounds of cargo at 275 miles per hour with a 2,000 mile range, the DC-6A carried more, cheaper and faster than any other aircraft flying at the time. The aircraft operating the flight was a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation registered as N6921C. I remember well my Flying Tiger trips. All reports of debris sighted were investigated, but nothing was found that could be remotely associated with the plane, Lambert wrote to Sargents parents in a letter more than a month later. 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. WELCOME to The FLYING TIGER Antiques & Vintage Historical Artifacts Website!!! each of us inside were scared because for the first time non of us were wearing helmets, flack jackets, no weapons or ammo. Entdecke FLIEGENDER TIGER LINE AIRLINES AUFNHER in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! They were again ordered to Vietnam with Marine Aircraft Group 36 at Phu Bai in 1969 and remained there until their return . Ninety-three of these were enlisted with the US Army, with the remaining three being from South Vietnam. Opens in a new window or tab. JW, beautiful poem. Afraid that at any moment a rocket or mortor could could take the jet down. It was the first time I was truly surrounded around military men, and I was overwhelmed by their commitment and belief in their mission. On Wednesday morning in Sacramento, as many as 30 former flight attendants for the airline are reuniting to honor servicemen killed in the war. Sources: ATDB.aero, Aviation Safety Network, The Free Lance-Star. They wanted to cry but stifled the impulse. for the first time, when I read this article, I remembered the cheer that went up spontaneously when we pulled up to about 10,000 feet and realized we were safety out of rocket/mortar danger and headed for home. And after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when the war ended, they remained connected. I went to Nam not on a Flying Tiger plane, and made it back home in one piece with no PTSD, only a parasite from the veggies. {Photo: Ruth As]. If not for you, the World would be much worse off. I do not dwell on the negatives of that war , but there will always be a part of those of us that served in Vietnam that we would prefer to live without. As the company celebrated its first year of Transpacific service, ground breaking for Flying Tigers first Asian terminal took place in Tokyo, Japan the companies hub for Asian operations. I about cried having to leave half of what might have been my last meal. From 1979 to 1980 the Flying Tiger Line passed Pan Am to become the world's number one air cargo carrier. The search for Flight 739 sparked one of the largest searches recorded at the time, covering more than 200,000 square miles. My birthday is January 1st. (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. 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. This is what I wrote when I had set up my home page on geocities which is now archived: Early that morning Thomas was piloting Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a military-chartered transport plane that disappeared over the Pacific Ocean with 107 people aboard, including 93 American. That motto lasted until the airline was taken over by Federal Express in the late 1980's. Circa 1968-1972 Vietnam War CASI Continental Air Services Inc Shirt Type 1st Officer Wing RARE Item: aircw60001sw. Thank you so much angels. Another theory is that they landed and that theyre still alive. If the flights to Vietnam were emotional, the flights back home could be tense in a different way. For military personnel, it was a deeply emotional journey in both directions. A true airfreighted with a unique swing-tail design, the CL-44 permitted the straight-in loading of freight no other plane could carry. Theres nothing, no trace of anything, said Jennifer Kirk, niece of an Army Ranger who was on board Flight 739. Its a way to look back, said one woman planning to attend, Ann Price Montgomery, who joined Flying Tigers in 1968. It was a vivid reminder we were entering a war zone. Additional terms apply. With Tigers, they said, OK, make sure your hair isnt longer than your shoulders, and get on the plane.. 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. On the other hand, airlines from Australia, Singapore, India, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Russia all fly direct to Phuket - Thailand's . Touching essay. Ardith (Vignati) Willner Opens in a new window or tab. She told me that there were more books in the back of the plane. Specifically equipped with weather monitoring equipment and scientific instrumentation, one 707 (Aircraft N322FT), gained fame as the "Pole Cat." America's stake in the Vietnam War didn't begin as late as history books specify. Top Rated Plus. As Flying Tiger Line flight attendant Andee Wright recalled, There was no special training by the airlines or the military about how to handle it. The men were superstitious that the plane would crash it would be just their luck to die in a dumb accident on the verge of getting home. (1968-1989), B-747-100 Flying Tigers was the first airline to operate Boeing 747 passenger aircraft converted into efficient air freighters. From there the plane, often a stretch DC-8, would fly west to Anchorage, then to Japan, then to the Philippines or Vietnam, dropping the troops off at military bases. How much is the cheapest flight to Vietnam? In the 1980's, the B747-200F series was introduced to the fleet. I flew over on Continental..We had a flight attendant come to one of our VVA Chapter meeting and tell us about her time. This represented a significant transition for the Flying Tigers, and paved the road to future success. This exhibition is currently available online only. The pilot is believed to have misjudged distance and altitude while making the final approach, a report would later conclude. Indeed, having begun in November 1955, it wouldn't come to an end until almost two decades later, in April 1975. Budd Conestoga Gen. -- Flying Tiger Line's first aircraft was the Budd Conestoga, an all -- stainless steel, rear--loading, twin--engine aircraft. Dont remember who flew me over my second trip in Dec. 71. On the paper were words that Donald Sargents motherKirks grandmotherfound too incomprehensible to believe.