AVIATION: Domesticated Tiger

When Major General Claire Chennault, wartime commander of World War II's famed Flying Tigers, decided to start an airline in the Far East in 1946, most professionals gave him about as much chance of survival as a turkey in a typhoon. He had only a few war-weary transports, a handful of his old U.S. fighter pilots and a $1,000,000 loan (at 10% interest) from the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, which wanted to fly food and medicine into China. But last week, as Chennault's Civil Air Transport got ready to celebrate its tenth anniversary, few airmen would recognize the...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!