where we are found aloft Put on the clothing and shoes that I had been wearing befor going to war. However, these were not military aircraft, but commercial airliners under contract by the U.S. Air Force Military Airlift Command (MAC) and served by civilian crews and flight attendants. I think it is great! The soldiers on Flight 739 were on a mission to do whatever the government told them to do, Kirk said. Not one of us said a word in the dark as we watched the plane sitting there with jet engines idling. The extension allowed a 30 trip home so I had 2 Tiger flights in and 2 out. What aviation news will you check out next? Opens in a new window or tab. Flying from Clark AFB to Guam refueling then on to Travis AFB and Home. The Stewardess came back after about 10-15 minutes and asked me Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? I told her No, not really.. Top 50 best listed companies in Vietnam. The jet went faster, higher, finally the landing gear came up into the plane. We turned off our running lights to avoid ground fire.. Flying Tiger Lines Airline Related Artifacts & Collectibles Miscellaneous Airlines: America (US) Artifacts & Collectibles . a light greenish blue He wouldnt believe me until I showed him the slip of paper. All deals. (1946-1951), C-46 Gen. -- The Curtis C-46 "Commando" that Flying Tigers flew on supply missions over the Hump during World War II came home for civilian duty, joining Flying Tigers' fleet in 1949. I flew into Sea-Trac on Flying Tiger Airlines from Camh Rhan October 4 , 1971. Hard to not have an emotional moment while reading. 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. I was on those flights, twice over and back although on other carriers. The company said it needed flight attendants. Daniel Dattpla IIFFV Original Party. That sounded good to Linda Greenwalt Foster, who had just dropped out of college and was looking for an adventure. 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, Two of the incidents occurred within the span of one day. from United States Pre-Owned. Thank you and God Bless you all!!!! We all knew that some going would not make it back alive. In the hours after the Constellations takeoff from Guam, witnesses on a ship offered potential clues. I wouldnt trade the experience for a million dollars, stated Julie Kane, a flight attendant for Seaboard World Airlines. I was USAF and made that stop in Alaska. $35.00. Flying Tiger Based on the observations of civilians on a nearby tanker, the plane was between Guam and the Philippines when there was a flash and a vapor trail, indicating a midair explosion.. Click on Links for More information About Each Plane. The first two of these saw delays due to engine maintenance having to be carried out. . Wonderful memories. . My It was important to stay upbeat, to act like every one of the men was coming home. Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Great Read, I was a 26 year old man when I went to that war, I remember not sleeping on the flying tiger flight back home, and the stewardess, sat and talked to me as everyone else was sleeping, I thought the stewardess was a nice person that was concerned about my not sleeping and ask why. 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. I too was older at 25 and remember them well. Flying Tiger Attendant Wheels up lots of cheering and hope. However, radio operators in Guam were unable to contact the flight at this time. No such thing happened, as I was at that location in May of 1970. The flight attendant standing at the top said see you in a year, Ill be wearing the same dress. Thats incomprehensible. Kimberly is managing editor of FLYING digital. Now going to the USA which I had forgotten about. Mel Beers ret first sergeant . We were eventually invited to leave the club and told to not come back Welcome Home from the USAF in Kadena. The driver honked his horn but didnt get out. While it may not hold the same weight to some as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, it will forever be a special place to remember their loved ones service and sacrifice., The inscription on the monument reads: Missing in action; Presumed dead. and flew to Portland ,Oregon. Gotoff the jet and was greated by relatives. Flew over on Military Transport (think it was a 141) The flight was a complete 3 stooges movie MATS had trouble w/plane. Her byline has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Al Jazeera America, USA Today, ForeignPolicy.com and US News & World Report. Sixty years later, theres still little trace that the lives of the servicemembers were even lost to the Vietnam War. 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. Very good article. this a definitive journey 2023 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website. For some the experience changed their political beliefs, although they tried to keep politics off the plane. Thanks, DRS. She told me that there were more books in the back of the plane. All four were Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellations. 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! On the paper were words that Donald Sargents motherKirks grandmotherfound too incomprehensible to believe. 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. To kill time many of us went to the Officers Club, with the flight attendants in tow, and proceeded to party. It truly was a great feeling being headed home. War touches more people than the veterans who fought in it. I was so wrapped up in my own personal trauma that I thought they were being so nice because they were paid to, not because they wanted to. 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. Almost all US scheduled and charter carriers with appropriate equipment operated to Vietnam. If the flights to Vietnam were emotional, the flights back home could be tense in a different way. Next stop was Yokota Japan. C $142.86. CAT was an airline formed in China after World War II by Gen. Claire Chennault, leader of the Flying Tigers and Whiting Willauer of CDS. The food on the airplane had to be thrown away because there was no refrigeration on the aircraft for over 48 hours. Im still trying to figure out how to coordinate one of our own with one of theirs. In 1962, the Vietnam War was far from over. thank you. The C-47 could fly 7,500 pounds of cargo over a range of 600 miles at 150 miles per hour. The airline initially launched with 14 Navy surplus Budd RB Conestoga cargo aircraft. Curtis Smith served to disbandment and afterward returned to the U.S. Marines. Another theory is that they landed and that theyre still alive. The search by sea and air was of such an intensity and thoroughness that it can be conclusively stated that debris and survivors from the plane did not exist Consequently, after a full review and consideration of all available evidence, it has been concluded that for an unknown reason the plane plunged into the sea with all its passengers.. Was processed out of the Army at Fort Lewis, got a military standby flight for$11. The flight attendants were as depicted in this article, both going and coming home. 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. After 1970, scheduled commercial service, much of which consisted of Asian imports, rapidly overtook military related contracts as the company's primary source of income. Flying with Vietjet with thousands of tickets. No lights on the plane in the dark. I remember we had trouble on departure from Travis and then landed at Hickham and had to spend the night awaiting a replacement aircraft. In this decade the company developed an extensive global network, directly servicing all continents except for Africa, which was served through interlining. Not only told to leave, but not to come back. Established at the end of the Second World War, Flying Tiger Line made history as the first US-based scheduled cargo-carrying airline. There was no military service at the funeral. With Tigers, they said, OK, make sure your hair isnt longer than your shoulders, and get on the plane.. The team had completed its assigned mission and was waiting to . Thanks for the wonderful article. One of the seven people on boardthe flight engineerwas killed in a fire that destroyed the aircraft and all its contents. Veterans Affairs also bought a headstone marker, but even in that, the sense of military courtesy for the family seemed to evaporate, too. It would be the last radio transmission received from the aircraft. When I went back in 1970 out of McCord it was on World Airlines. 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. 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. On December 22nd, 1968, a man-eating tiger stalked an American team - part of the 3rd Marine Recon Battalion performing a patrol near Quang Tri, Vietnam. Thats funny. Result Pages: 1 Displaying 1 to 1 (of 1 products) Top Rated Seller. Free shipping for many products! (LogOut/ I very much enjoyed it and had no idea that those very attractive young ladies felt that way about us. 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. 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