. Asia Pacific Low Cost Airline of the Year 2019. I too was older at 25 and remember them well. There are two main mo document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. And this aricle brought back many memories, both sad & scared, and delighted and full of joy! Many flight attendants struggled at first to contain their own emotions. I also n=mourned those I had lost there who could not return alive but were shipped home to grief stricken families. . (LogOut/ 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. I was 24, Breen recalled. It brought back a lot of memories. and flew to Portland ,Oregon. Sellers with highest buyer ratings; Flying Tigers was a mechanism of the war she opposed. I went to Nam aboard a ship which very nicely cut 21 days off my 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. 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. It would be the last radio transmission received from the aircraft. 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. FLYING TIGER AIRLINES TIGER MEN & THEIR MACHINES CIRCA 1968 ADVERTISING. Curtis Smith served to disbandment and afterward returned to the U.S. Marines. Welcome Home with many thank you for all your support of the Vietnam veterans!! 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. Result Pages: 1 Displaying 1 to 1 (of 1 products) Next stop was Yokota Japan. Offering cheap & budget flights to multiple destinations at Scoot. Various conspiracy theories regarding sabotage have arisen, but the flight's exact fate will likely remain unknown. I flew out of Travis and came home the same way 3 times during 68-70. Flying Tiger Line Country United States of America Operator Image Crash of a Douglas DC-8-63AF off Naha: 4 killed Date & Time: Jul 27, 1970 at 1136 LT Type of aircraft: Douglas DC-8 Operator: Registration: N785FT Flight Phase: Landing (descent or approach) Flight Type: Cargo Survivors: No Site: Lake, Sea, Ocean, River Schedule: God Bless you all. I have always appreciated the kindness that was shown by the stewardesses on our trip home, if only the rest could have been as kind! Her byline has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Al Jazeera America, USA Today, ForeignPolicy.com and US News & World Report. 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. Flying Tiger Line was the first scheduled cargo airline in the U.S., founded by ex-military pilots in 1945. No one was home, but a neighbor walked up to the car. Somewhere I know that she wonders if I ever made it back to the States and why I never called. A keen amateur photographer, he also recently reached the milestone of flying his 100th sector as a passenger. In the hours after the Constellations takeoff from Guam, witnesses on a ship offered potential clues. I made that trip also in Jan,1967. Vietnam-era airline crews carry memories of the men they flew to, fromwar, Videos, Film, Music, and Movies about VN War, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, A Chat Between Three Veterans [live video with author], Lest We Forget Meet the Authors & Book Signing April 4th: Cherries and Donut Dolly, Interview with author John Podlaski in Examiner Magazine, American Heroes Radio interviews author of Cherries A Vietnam War Novel, Cherries Author Interviewed on British Website, U.K. Blogspot posts interviews author, John Podlaski, More Book Reviews and author interviews about Cherries, The Story behind the famous Saigon Execution Photo. Thank you stewardesses. We were goin up and up , the war down below, falling away now far behind us. 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. Flying Tiger was my airline of choice. The monument in Maine has given many families a sense of peace that finally their loved ones names are recognized. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation propliner chartered by the United States military that disappeared on March 16, 1962, over the Western Pacific Ocean. 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! Very nice ,brings back feeling that are mostly good ones.Thank you ladies.I flew into DANANG twice the 2nd fight was with the Flying Tigars and a year later they flew me back to the states. $35.00. Each of the awesome giants flies more than 200,000 pounds of cargo at 575 miles per hour over a 3,500-mile range. Remember the pungent fish smell and heat as we deplaned. ! Not a good way to start the year! Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. May 23, 2016 by Flight 12 - Flying Tigers DC-8 Incident in Bien Hoa Vietnam Dan was kind enough to share a fascinating story from the Vietnam war involving a Flying Tigers DC-8. The airplaneand all 107 people on board it disappeared over the Pacific Ocean before it reached a planned stopover in the Philippines, becoming the biggest aviation mystery to emerge from what would become a decade of conflict. Email:jason.fagone@sfchronicle.comTwitter:@jfagone, Link to the actual article: https://bit.ly/2PbitdY. A Lockheed Constellation L-1049, similar to the aircraft that disappeared. Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. I remember the Tiger flights and their wonderful crews. or Best Offer. As the Constellation approached the runway at about 3 a.m., visibility was about 3 miles, the ceiling was at 1,000 feet and a light drizzle and fog hovered over the runway as the pilot attempted to make the approach. I sat on the left side isle with a window seat just to the rear edge of the left wing. The flight went missing while en route to Vietnam. They saw so much in those soldiers eyes and dealt with some truly emotional issues. Nothing about lithium batteries in here, but tigers did fly about every type of ammunition and explosives back in the day and it never caused an accident. A fine bunch of people. With this plane's nose-loading capabilities, Flying Tigers accommodated even more challenging air freight combinations in size, shape and quantity. where we are found aloft Nearly two hours into the flight, the pilot radioed Guam with the aircrafts position, notifying air traffic control that it was on track to land in the Philippines shortly after 3 a.m. To us, they were all beauty queens! ber 1.000.000 Bilder B-747-100 Flying Tigers was the first airline to operate Boeing 747 passenger aircraft converted into efficient air freighters. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. We all knew that some going would not make it back alive. Because they were young and energetic, they could work a 5-hour flight from Japan to Vietnam, spend an hour on the ground, turn around and fly 5 hours back to Japan, then take a quick shower and then go out dancing at a go-go club. 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. The big, glamorous airline back then was Pan Am. They were cordial but standoffish. Shared with Public Cleaning up today and found this binder. . 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. There was no indication in this message or in any other of difficulties, ICAO said. This exhibition is currently available online only. All of us silently got on the plane ,each of us finding a seat. We relied on each other and the soldiers to manage. These women allayed the fears of soldiers heading to war and offered support and reassurance to those headed home. Some say it was sabotage, she said. Itprovides a unique insight into the economics and marketing of inter-national airlines. The picture below shows a full plane of troops heading to Vietnam on a Flying Tiger Flight. English. I know the feelings, having done the flights in 68 & 70. 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. 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 extension allowed a 30 trip home so I had 2 Tiger flights in and 2 out. It brought back memories from 68. The decent angle brought the entire plane to silence while they considered the reason for that radical decent. . 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. We were eventually invited to leave the club and told to not come back Welcome Home from the USAF in Kadena. Afraid that at any moment a rocket or mortor could could take the jet down. She told me that there were more books in the back of the plane. The pilot is believed to have misjudged distance and altitude while making the final approach, a report would later conclude. God Bless those women who helped me on those hours headed home to start to feel like I might still have some humanity left in me. If the flights to Vietnam were emotional, the flights back home could be tense in a different way. Thanks, DRS. 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. The airline initially launched with 14 Navy surplus Budd RB Conestoga cargo aircraft. And after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when the war ended, they remained connected. When I went back in 1970 out of McCord it was on World Airlines. I salute you all ladies!! 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. I remember well my Flying Tiger trips. Thank You For Your Service, and It was my honor to help make your trip a little better. Not certain but I believe Delta may have been one exception. a version of Purgatory, 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. Click on Links for More information About Each Plane. With four Rolls Royce engines that developed 5,700 horsepower, it cruised at 375 miles per hour, carrying up to 60,000 pounds of cargo over a range of 3,000 miles. 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. I remember one of the attendants wishing my a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. For some the experience changed their political beliefs, although they tried to keep politics off the plane. 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. Feb.3-8, 1968. 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. They coped, as always, by leaning on each other. They were recruited to fly for the Republic of China with the quiet approval of the United States government. America's stake in the Vietnam War didn't begin as late as history books specify. Top Rated Seller. Photo: Unsolved Disappearance: The Story Of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, USAF/Mike Andriacco via Wikimedia Commons, The Asiana-Korean Air Merger Has Been Green Lighted By The UK, Up Close & Personal: Lufthansa's New Double First Class Suite, Why Ryanair Isn't Following Wizz Air To The Wider Middle East & Asia, Quadjet Prospects: Switzerland's Edelweiss Set To Receive Another Airbus A340, Engine Failure Onboard Thai Smile Airbus A320 Followed By Tail Strike, Japan Airlines Serves A Banana As Vegan Meal. A great story, even made me cry, vaguely remembering the trips each way, to and from Vietnam. I have no comment for this person, He/she is beyond help. Also those that returned with ptsd, most of us. Thats incomprehensible. Flying Tiger aircraft were getting old and worn, but their flight attendants were still top notch. She had no idea what the job entailed until she arrived for the interview and a man with the airline asked what she thought of the war. I then went back to my seat with a book after putting that slip of paper in my wallet. Thanks for the ride! Departed Bien Hoa (21 Apr 69)) on Flying Tiger (Stretch 8) with fuel stop in Japan. I went to Vietnam on a ship so we had 21 days to prepare our minds unlike the guys traveling by plane that had only a few hours to prepare! A total of 141 lives were lost on board the four aircraft and three lives were lost of people on the ground. Flying Tiger Line flight 739 was a multi-leg charter service that originated at Travis Air Force Base in the US state of California. Outstanding article! 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. SOLD!!! Know now that I was stunned , medical shock, at suddenly the war down below, behind me , was gone. 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