Aces high - the last of the Flying Tiger raiders

The Bangkok Post ^ | October 25, 2009 | Jack Eisner

[Doogle]

yeah, CAT when in country

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I was on a Northwest plane from Mpls landing in Chicago with a dozen Japanese tourists on board. As we taxied to the terminal, a Flying Tigers 747 Freighter with the tiger teeth paint job went past on the next runway. I thought the Japanese guys were going to blow a gasket...

[Doogle]

*smiles*

[Doogle]

[HiramQuick]

Seems Like World Airlines was another ... I was flying one of the carriers from Naha,Okinawa to Seoul ... one of the flight attendants (a she I thnk) had more facial hair than I did as a 20 year young sailor. Cutey? .. NOT. And, her demeanor was akin to a PMS’ng Drill Instructor. I had one of those at flight school Pensacola as well.

Good times ...lol

[GreyFriar]

ping

[Ready4Freddy]

I missed the original FR thread on Gen Bond, but attended the funeral. Gen Bond’s son has been a friend of mine since early college, and it was great being able to talk w/ the General over the years.

I was your typical arrogant, snot-nosed early-70s college kid back then, but I had so much respect for my uncle & his friends who fought in the Battle of Normandy that I was able to get along OK w/ Gen Bond and learn from him.

[papasmurf]

“My dad flew C-46 cargo planes over the Hump in the China-Burma-India Campaign after the fall of the Burma Road.”

My Dad was a flight mechanic on some of those flights.

BTW, I hadn’t heard that tern, “over the Hump”, used in that context since he last said it, he passed in ‘87.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The first C-46s were painted green and carried Nationalist Chinese stars. Later, he flew the silver C-46s with Army stars.
The CBI was such a hellhole that they would take just about anyone for duty including my dad who was about 38 years old. He had been a pilot for CNAC, owned by American Airlines at the time (later owned by PAA.)
He was among more than a dozen civilian pilots who wore military uniforms with the CBI patch but no rank insignia. He was referred to as "captain."
25 back and forth flights into China from India and on the last flight, a crash landing that left him with burns on his back and neck. He was flown back to the Army burn center at San Antonio and received some of the first skin grafts. He never received veterans' recognition because he had officially been a civilian.
There have been dozens of civilian pilots in war zones, up through the current day. CAT and Air America come to mind...

[Doogle]

..pretty sure I flew World Airlines ..out

[Tallguy]

Also the AVG’s initial mission was to defend the Burma Road and it’s terminal in Rangoon, most of coastal China having fallen into Japanese hands. When Rangoon fell to the Japanese, the AVG pulled back northward toward Kunming as a by-pass was constructed from India across Northern Burma (the Lido Road).

A little known alliance called ABDA (Australia, Britain, Dutch, America) was formed to defend the Dutch East Indies and the Dutch oil fields in Batavia. After Pearl Harbor the Japanese Navy just blew away the multi-national cruiser force that was the chief military asset of the alliance.

A lot of effort was expended to keep Nationalist China in the war.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Here’s a link to the museum:

http://thaiaviation.com/gallery2/v/tigers/

[zot]

Thanks for the ping.

I was surprised that so many people thought this thread was about the Flying Tiger Airline.

[TaxPayer2000]

Awesome! Thank you!

[GreyFriar]

Yes. However, I believe that Flying Tiger Airline was formed by several veterans of the AVG.

[zot]

True, but this thread was about Charlie Bond. May he rest in peace.