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). A Boeing 747-400 of Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ... The Cold War (Russian: Холодная Война Kholodnaya Voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between capitalism and communism, centering around the global superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, and their military alliance partners. ...

The airline was named after the Flying Tigers volunteer fighter unit of World War II. Ten pilots from the Flying Tigers formed the Flying Tiger Line 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. This article concerns the American Volunteer Group, a World War II unit usually known as the Flying Tigers. For other uses of the term see Flying Tigers (disambiguation). ... This article is becoming very long. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. ... The Budd RB-1 Conestoga was a twin-engine stainless steel cargo plane designed during World War II by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The United States Navy (also known as USN or the U.S. Navy) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ...

Over the years, Flying Tigers carried a number of unique cargoes, including the famed orca Shamu and the torch of the Statue of Liberty. The Shamu logo Shamu performing Shamu on a slideout The Shamu Jump Shamu is the name of SeaWorlds iconic orca. ... Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island Liberty Enlightening the World, known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty, is a statue given to the United States by France in 1885, standing at Liberty Island in the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all...

Former Code Data

• IATA Code: FT
• ICAO Code: FTL
• Callsign: Tiger

IATA logo The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...

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. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Governments have played an important part in shaping air transportation. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) Area    - City 600. ... Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America Location in Massachusetts Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (D) Area    - City 232. ... President Dwight Eisenhower flew in two Constellations, named Columbine II and Columbine III. The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ... The designation DC-4 was used by Douglas Aircraft Company when developing the DC-4E as a large, four-engined type to complement its forthcoming DC-3 design. ... The Douglas DC-6 is an aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1959. ...

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. Combatants Western Allied/UN combatants: Republic of Korea United States United Kingdom Communist combatants: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Douglas MacArthur Mark W. Clark Matthew Ridgway Jeong Il-Gwon Syngman Rhee Kim Il-sung, Peng Dehuai Strength Note: All figures may... A rough map of the three warning lines The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in...

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. Demonstration of the loading of the CL-44-D4 with automobiles. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. ...

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. Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Seaboard World Airlines, an international all-cargo airline based in the United States, was founded on September 16, 1946 as Seaboard & Western Airlines. ...

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. The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined jet airliner, manufactured between 1959 and 1972. ... Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air field in the Central Valley of California, near Fairfield, CA. Called the Gateway to the Pacific, Travis handles more cargo and passengers than any other military air terminal in the United States. ... The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. ... Clark Air Base is a former U.S. Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, now known as the Clark Special Economic Zone. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: Country State County United States Missouri Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area    - City 66. ... Official language(s) None Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

FedEx Corporation purchased Flying Tigers in 1989. FedEx (NYSE: FDX), properly FedEx Corporation, is a company that offers overnight courier, ground, heavy freight, document copying and logistics services. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Flying Tigers also made livestock carriers for Airplanes. Often they made animal carriers that are comparable in size and shape to the standard AMJ container used in the FedEx flight operations. FedEx (NYSE: FDX), properly FedEx Corporation, is a company that offers overnight courier, ground, heavy freight, document copying and logistics services. ...

Fleet

At the time of its sale Flying Tigers was operating the following aircraft:

• 13 Boeing 747-100
• 17 Boeing 747-200

The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. ... The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. ...

External links

• Flying Tigers Boeing 747 Fleet Detail
• Flying Tiger Line Pilots Association