Hide Article Text (OCR)
Air AmericatoceaseBANGKOK (UPI) — Spokesmen today formally announced the impending end of operations in Thailand by Air America, the charter airline linked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in what is regarded as a profile-lowering exercise by the United States. The announcement was made following ceremonies this afternoon transferring to a local company maintenance work which had been done by Air America on Laotianand CamI l!ian Air Force planes at Udorn Air Base in northeast Thailand.At the same time, the spokesmandisclosuresconfirmedbypreviousAmerican sources that the company was ceasing its flying activities based in Thailand and closing out all operations here;The step ends involvement in Thailand by the company going back to 1962 and as far back as 1959 in neighboring Laos. Sincethose dates Air America had flown military cargoes and guerrilla troops from bases in both countries for the CIA,operationsinas well as doing charter work for other U.S. government agencies.Spokesmen said the actual transfer of the maintenance activity to Thai Airways Aircraft Maintenance Co., a subsidiary of the government-controlled domestic airline here, was scheduled for June 30. They said a transition period would start immediately.According to sources here, the local company is expected to take over many Air America employes, including a fewAmerican technical and administrative personnel. It also will operate a U.S. government-owned maintenance plant at Udorn.At the height of its activity, Air America had more than 250 American employes at its Udorn base, many of them helicopter pilots who flew Cl A-sponsored missions into I,aos and in some casesNorth Vietnam.During the early 1960s Air Americapilots also flew T28 fighters into combatDAIL'i ...r ortT, Ontario-Upland, Calif., Mon, June3,19/4 3Thailandcarrying Laotian Air Force markings, building up a swashbuckling, Terry and the Pirates reputation In recent years some pilots’ salariespassed the $50,000 a year mark, but therisks often matched the pay. Between 1970 and 1973, 17 American crewmen and a similar number of local employes were killed by Communist fire or crashes. Capt. Roy F. Townley, formerly ofOntario, is an Air America pilot, who flewout of Vientiane, Laos, on Dec. 27, 1971,and remains missing in action.
Newspaper Details
Ontario Daily Report
Ontario, California, US
Mon, Jun 03, 1974
Page 39
Full Page
Clipped by
Tim G.
USA 19 Jul 2019
Other Publications Near Ontario, California
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Ontario Daily Report
