Robert William Prescott
Robert William Prescott | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1913 Compton Junior College |
| Years active | 1939–1942 |
| Known for | Founder and CEO, Flying Tiger Line Flying ace Pilot, China National Aviation Corporation |
| Aviation career | |
| Air force | United States Navy American Volunteer Group |
| Battles | World War II |
Robert William Prescott (May 5, 1913 – March 3, 1978) was an American aviator and
Early life
Prescott was born in
Aviator
In 1939, he quit studying law and enlisted in the
In 1943, he returned to Asia and, as an employee of the China National Airways Corporation, made over 300 supply flights over "the Hump" into China.[2][4] After returning to the United States in 1944, he married Helen Ruth.[4] He was the co-pilot of the "Mission to Moscow" flight of US Ambassador Joseph E. Davies.[2]
Flying Tiger Line
In 1945, Prescott met a group of businessmen headed by Los Angeles oil magnate Samuel B. Mosher who were interested in starting a cargo airline to serve the west coast of the United States and Mexico. He convinced them that it would make better business sense to cover all of the continental United States instead. They agreed to match whatever funds Prescott could raise. He raised $89,000[2] and recruited nine of his Flying Tigers pilot buddies, many of them fellow aces: William Bartling, Clifford Groh, C. H. "Link" Laughlin, Thomas Haywood, Robert Hedman, Ernest "Bus" Loane, Robert J. "Catfish" Raine, Joseph Rosbert and Richard Rossi.[8]
The National Skyway Freight Corporation was established on June 25, 1945, with Mosher as president and Prescott as managing director.[4] The new company's motto was "We'll Fly Anything, Anywhere, Anytime".[2][3] Prescott purchased 14 Budd RB Conestoga Navy surplus cargo planes for $140,000, then sold six at a profit.[1][4]
Their first shipment took place in July.
In 1947, the company's name was changed to Flying Tiger Line.[1][4] It was "the nation's first regularly scheduled transcontinental all-freight company".[9] The company prospered and expanded, and Prescott remained its only president[1] and chief executive officer until his death in 1978.
Death
Prescott died of cancer at his home in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 64.[2] His 11-year-old son, Peter, was killed in a Learjet crash near Palm Springs in 1965; he also had two daughters. Prescott's widow, Dr. Anne Marie Bennstrom, invented the "V-bar" physical therapy device while a physical medicine intern in Sweden. It achieved significant commercial success when marketed under the "Thighmaster" name.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d C. Gerald Fraser (March 5, 1978). "Robert Prescott, Ex‐Fighter Pilot And Founder of Airline for Cargo". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Richard Pearson (March 5, 1978). "Robert Prescott, Head Of Flying Tiger Line, Dies". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zalaz, T. J. (2002). "An Aviation First" (PDF). The Starliner. 3 (2). Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society, Inc.: 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-16.
- ^ ISBN 0954889606. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ Olynyk, Frank J. AVG & USAAF (China-Burma-India Theater) Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft in Air to Air Combat, World War 2. Aurora, Ohio: Privately published, 1986. Figure obtained from warbirdforum.com.
- ^ "American Volunteer Group Aces, World War II, 1939–1945". American Fighter Aces Association (americanfighteraces.org). Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ "Robert Prescott". flyingtigersavg.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ "The Founders". Flying Tiger Line Pilots Association (flyingtigerline.org). Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Robert Prescott: Founder of the Flying Tiger Line, Inc". Lone Star Flight Museum.
- ^ "Obituary: Dr. Anne Marie Bennstrom Prescott 1928-2018". Idyllwild Town Crier. Retrieved 24 September 2019.