Gravy for the Flying Tigers

After his return from China a year ago, Robert W. Prescott, 32, a former Flying Tiger (six Jap planes) and Hump-hopper for the China National Aviation Corp., began writing unsentimental letters to his old buddies. His letters made one point: he was looking for money and talent to build a U.S. counterpart of the C.N.A.C.

Shy, baby-faced Robert F. ("Duke") Hedman, who had shot down six Japs, and had flown the Hump 350 times, had an unemployed $10,000. Joe Rosbert (six Jap planes), who once crashed in the Himalayas and walked out in 46 days, threw in $10,000, took a job as chief pilot. J.R. ("Dick") Rossi, also a six-plane man, got his letter in India after his 600th Hump crossing. Wrote Prescott: "Rossi, put that drink in your left hand and tell me what you're doing." Rossi joined up.

By July 1945, Prescott had raised $87,000 from flyers, another $87,000 from businessmen. In Washington he had used his veteran's priority to buy a DPC-owned fleet of 14 surplus Conestoga twinengine cargo planes for $401,000 ($90,000 down). He promptly got most of his down payment back by selling six of them for a profit of $80,000. Then National Skyways Freight Corp. took off.

Race Horses & Chicks. In three months, Skyways' seven ace-manned Conestogas (on which California's Bank of America now holds a $58,000 mortgage) have hopped all over the U.S. barnstorming for cargo to fly. President Prescott has fixed his own fat prices ($1,600 for a full-plane, coast-to-coast trip), charged shippers double the one-way price when planes have had to deadhead to Skyways' base in Los Angeles.

The Conestogas have flown football teams, furniture, baby chicks, penicillin, fruit, vegetables, furs and race horses (see cut}. Last month, when the cruiser Astoria docked after 15 months in the Pacific, 120 of her crew chartered five Conestogas, whisked home in great style.

Skyways has had but one accident. In Detroit a plane caught fire taking off, burned with a furniture load after an emergency landing.

Although Skyways has flown hard indeed, it has flown mostly in the red. The first month, Skyways lost $21,000; the second, $12,000. Last month, the Flying Tigers finally flew over the Hump. They broke even.

But last week, things looked up sharply. President Prescott landed his first big contract -- a $200,000-a-year deal with California Flower Shippers to fly flowers from California to Chicago at $1,440 a planeload. Said Prescott: Skyways should now be able to expand in a more dignified fashion.

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