Air America

[gnow]

I just finished watching the video Air America and would be interesting to know if there are any Ppruners that had served in this very interesting CIA outfit. I bet after all these years it would have been declassified. When I was a young pilot in the late 70s, I used to have a friend by the name of Armit Tilgner who told me he had worked in Air America for the money. It seems they were being paid USD 1000.00 per sortie flying there.He did about 500 sorties, survived (infact he survived a few crashes in Korea before this ) but sad to say he crashed a Bell 206 in Sarawak and died. A great guy.

[redangeltx]

Hello
I am VERY interested in talking to you. I am Armit Tilgner's daughter Helen.
PLease contact me through this forum and we can go into a different mode of communication, VIA e-mail, telephone ASAP
Sincerely,
Helen Tilgner

[Droopy]

Was the crash early 1982?

[Tmbstory]

Gnow and redangeltx:

I saw your posts, maybe I can assist with some information.

Please send a Private Message to me.

Tmb

[gnow]

Dear Helen and Tmb..sorry I did not read your post. Yes please contact me on my private email. Helen, I met Armit Tilgner in 1978 and we were good friends. He was at that time with Hornbill Skyways.

Gnow

[Tmbstory]

It was a tragedy that happened, he was a good and respected pilot, liked to tell stories and could navigate (not like many of his contempories from the Vietnam war).

A sad loss.

Tmb

[gnow]

Yes, I totally agree that he could navigate VERY WELL. One of his favorite topics of discussions with me was "Precision Navigation" before the time when we had any electronic navigations. His precision navigation equipments consisted of strips of OHP slides about 1 inch wide and marked with the distance which he would travel at a given estimated Ground Speed (checked with known ground ref). This strip was placed over a map for his intended route. In the B206 he had a modified clip board to hold the maps that was held between the instrument panel and the front seats. Very practical nav aid!
Of course nowadays with a $100.00 GPS we can have all the precision navigation that we want!!

[Possum23]

Hi Helen,
This is Tom, an Australian pilot who joined Hornbill Skyways in Kuching, Sarawak in 1978. I knew Art very well and he often came around to our place for dinner. Art helped me get up and running and we flew all over Sarawak carrying govt. ministers to and fro on "gummint" business. Later we took over a flying doctor service from Wira Kris Schreiner and "somehow" ended up with their Bell 206 helicopters.
I agree completely with Art's navigation skills and remember his having to get special permission to get 1:50000 maps to cut his strips as there were still a few CTs(communist terrorists) in the jungle and the govt. didn't want them getting any detailed maps. My wife had just had a new baby and Art often volunteered to take the overnight (3-4 days) trips away so I could take the local runs and be handy if I was needed.
Art lived a pretty frugal life, living on his per diem payments and saving his salary to eventually build a boat and refurb a S-62 helicopter to operate off it as a business. At least that was one of his dreams.
Art left the company in late '79 I think it was, and I left in late '80. He was not back then. I heard some time later from Mike Kirton, the chief pilot, that Art came back to Sarawak and had crashed into the jungle on a repositioning flight and not found 'till some weeks later. He had perished in the crash.
My wife and I cried that night as Art was a good man, a good friend and a joy to our three kids. I wasn't until years later that I found out that some of his "tales" of special flights after dark into enemy territory turned out to be quite accurate, this coming from some old Air America pilots I ran into.
I hope you get this note as I am proud to have counted Art as one of my friends and still remember fondly his serious focus on life and his generous heart.
Regards, Tom

[Saint Jack]

For what it's worth.... there used to be a small handful of ex-Air America pilots who settled in Singapore, his would be around the 1980's. I understand that only one is still there and he runs a restaurant near Seletar Airport.

[SASless]

I belong to American Legion China Post 1, Shanghai, China (Operating in Exile)....
which has yet quite a few Ex-Air America Pilots and related kinds of folks as members.

I can post a note if needed.

[ramblingrotors]

Possum,

I was with Hornbill maintenance department, 1980/1981 in Kuching.
Worked briefly with Art on his return to Hornbill, a true gentleman.
Was in Kapit briefly with him.

[Niner Lima Charlie]

I belong to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, 16,000+ members, and there are quite a few Air America pilots. Most were US Army pilots first, then transferred over to Air America after arriving in country.