Celebrities Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergan helped to load Christmas shipments of gift packages to Travis Air Force Base destined for hospitalized U, S, Korean War veterans.
In 1951 FTL placed an order with Douglas for Delivery of seven DC-6A, with delivery dates in 1953. The initial order was for $7 million dollars. It represented the first purchase of a non-military surplus aircraft. It would have a payload of 30,000 pounds.
"In the fall of 1952 all eight DC-4s were pulled off the Atlantic and put on the Korean Airlift. Prescott was still looking around for more airplane."
The certificate renewal of Route 100, in 1955, finally allowed the airline to carry mail and air-express shipments, a milestone victory in the company's battle against the passenger carriers.
From 1955-1957 Flying Tigers played a major role in setting up the Distant Early Warning system- The DEW line was part of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) system providing surveillance and warning from Midway to Iceland. It was called Project 572, and employed the resources of fifty Canadian companies and thirty one American Companies.
- The first planeload of Hungarian refugees to the United States arrived by Flying Tigers in December of 1956
- 1956- For the first time, the airline, previously operating on a yearly renewal, was granted a four year certificate