Any ex-Saturn/TIA Herc drivers out there?

[El Piloto Chido]

Just wondering if any Saturn or TIA alum are out there- flying or not.
I met alot of the guys when I was a kid and dad flew the Hercs. BTW,
he went from Aaxico to Saturn to TIA to TransAm & retired before the company folded.

 

[LearLove]

I just flew with a guy who was a TA Herc guy in the 80's.

FWIW when I was a line guy at my local airport back in high school there was an airport bum (retired) who flew Hercs for Saturn. He flew Hellcats in WW2. When Nixon visited China he flew all his support equipment in a week prior. Him and his crew were first "free Americans" to officially set foot in China under Mao.

 

[El Piloto Chido]

Wow, cool story. I wonder if I met that guy- sounds oddly familiar. Saturn/TIA did some unique flying. I remember in the early 80s one of their Hercs was destroyed on the ground in Angola during the diamond wars- or whatever they were fighting over at the time. The crew was taken hostage and forced on a long road march in the semi-desert. They were able to make it back to the US some months later as I recall- I'm not not sure if our gov't intervened, or if the company paid a ransom, or what.
I just remember our buddy Al coming by the house, but a big part of him was missing. It was his BEER gut- I think he'd been wanting to slim down for a long time. He joked that at least something good came of it.

I think one of the crew didn't make it back though

 

[pilotyip]

Wow, cool story. I wonder if I met that guy- sounds oddly familiar. Saturn/TIA did some unique flying. I remember in the early 80s one of their Hercs was destroyed on the ground in Angola during the diamond wars- or whatever they were fighting over at the time. The crew was taken hostage and forced on a long road march in the semi-desert. They were able to make it back to the US some months later as I recall- I'm not not sure if our gov't intervened, or if the company paid a ransom, or what.
I just remember our buddy Al coming by the house, but a big part of him was missing. It was his BEER gut- I think he'd been wanting to slim down for a long time. He joked that at least something good came of it.

I think one of the crew didn't make it back though

I flew the L-188 for Saturn/TIA/TA during that time. There was joke about the Herc crew after there ransom/release. They put in for per-diem for thesix months in the basic POW compound. Only to be told; food and lodging provided by Host Nation,no per-diem authorized. As far I know they aall got out.

 

[fr8doggie]

Co-pilot was killed

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-03-17/news/mn-35350_1_angola-rebels-release

 

[PHXFLYR]

There where quite a few ex-TIA/transAmerica guys that migrated to AWA after TIA closed shop in 1986. I had the pleasure of flying with quite a few of them .

2 where Ex-Saturn guys that flew the C130/L100 out of Mirimar NAS flying the NAVY "quiktran" contract they had for the military at the time while the rest finished up their career flying the DC8s ,DC10"s or 747's they had.

As a matter of fact mycrashpad landlord is there former DC8 Chief Pilot while one of my earlier roomates when I first moved in was a one of their former DC8 Capt"s All where great guys to fly with and had some real interesting flying stories to tell for those of us who liked that kind of thing

Most have retired over the last several years and the last time I looked at a west seniority list I think there are no more than one or two who are still actively flying with us. They will be missed.

PHXFLYR