Everything about Flying Tiger Line totally explained
Flying Tiger Line, also known as
Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo
airline in the
United States and a major military charter operator during the
Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The company was started by
Robert William Prescott.
The airline was named after the
Flying Tigers fighter unit of
World War II, officially the 1st American Volunteer Group. Ten former AVG pilots formed the Flying Tiger Line (originally called National Skyway Freight) after returning to the United States in
1945, using a small fleet of
Budd Company C-93 Conestoga freighters purchased as war surplus from the
United States Navy. For the next four years, Flying Tiger Line carried air freight on contract.
Over the years, Flying Tigers carried a number of unique cargoes, including the famed orca
Shamu and the torch of the
Statue of Liberty.
History
In
1949, the
Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Flying Tiger Line the first commercial air cargo route in the U.S., a transcontinental route from
Los Angeles and
San Francisco, California to
Boston, Massachusetts. Shortly afterward, the company began chartering passenger aircraft for group travel as well; its
Lockheed Constellation,
Douglas DC-4 and
DC-6 fleet comprised the largest trans-Atlantic charter operation through the 1950s.
During the
Korean War, 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. 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.
Flying Tiger Line adopted the
Canadair CL-44 swing-tail aircraft in
1961, becoming one of the first carriers in the world to offer aerial pallet shipping service. In
1965, Flying Tiger Line began operating jet aircraft (the
Boeing 707); in
1974, the airline took delivery of its first
Boeing 747.
By the mid-1980s, Flying Tigers operated scheduled cargo service to six continents. It surpassed
Pan American World Airways in
1980 as the world's largest air cargo carrier after acquiring its rival cargo airline
Seaboard World Airlines on 1st October, 1980.
It also operated military contract services, most notably
Douglas DC-8 routes between
Travis Air Force Base, California and
Japan in the 1970s, followed by weekly
Boeing 747 passenger service between
Clark Air Base, Philippines, and
St. Louis,
Missouri via
Japan,
Alaska, and
Los Angeles during the 1980s.
Federal Express purchased Flying Tigers in December 1988. On August 7th
1989 Federal Express merged Flying Tigers into its operations.
Flying Tigers also made livestock carriers for Airplanes. They often made animal carriers that are comparable in size and shape to the standard AMJ container used in the
FedEx flight operations.
Fleet
At the time of its sale Flying Tigers was operating the following aircraft:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Flying Tiger Line'.
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