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Address from the 1965 CNAC Mailing List: Thomas Nowling P.O. Box 392 Vientiane, Laos Last known mailing address was: c/o Charles Nowling 136 Helen Place Collensville, Illinois. January 1, 2003 The Tom Nowling that I knew was an OCH and was flying for Continental Air Services as late as 1975. Tom Spent several years flying out of Vietianne, Laos in C-46's, in support of the Hmong tribes. He suffered a massive heart-attack while working on his boat in Singapore. He was my friend and one Hell of a Driver. Fred Compton October 25, 2003 Please add to your CNAC page. Captian Nowling was well liked by his Chinese and American Mechanics at Continental Air Services were I was Aircraft Maintianance Supervisior from 1965-74. Captian was always a gentleman to us all in the Maintainance Department. He was one of the High Time C-46 Driver in the Far East. I think he passed away in 1975 when CASI had to abondan Vientiane in June 1975. I went to Cambodia with Bird Air and left Saigon, on 28 April 74 and the rest was history. I will ask some of the Pilots and Mechanics on our CASI Reunion sometime in Feb 04 in Las Vagas about photos of Captain Nowling. If you have time you can personlly talk to the Flight Crews that flown with him. mel dong PS I live in the New Golden Triangle--Montery Park. Alhambra and the San Gabrial Valley. Melvin Dong E-Mail troy197@gmail.com P.S. I live in the New Golden Triangle--Montery Park. Alhambra and the San Gabrial Valley. October 25, 2003 -- Here's more from Mel. Thanks Mel. Tom --- enjoyed your bio and the castle type building on the way to Repulse Bay has been torn down, I too, enjoyed the many visits to Repulse Bay from 1957 to 1961 and was there last in 2000, when I notice the Castle was gone. We always address Tom Nowling as "Captain Nowling" out of respect for this find Pilot and Gentleman that reminds us of the "Old Pam Am Pilots before WWII". He was flying for Bird Air on an USAID contract to drop rice to the Hmong Refugees, with old worn out C46's with high time engines and little or worn out spare parts and "Dutch" Brogasma as Chief Pilot, from the old CAT that flew in China after WWII. When Continental Airlines bought Bird Air, Captain Nowling came to us. In 1967 with so many anti-war demos, we had to take the Continental Airlines Logo off our aircrafts and painted them grey with Lao registration numbers only. We worked on some contracts with Air America and the news reporters assume we were part of Air America. My 10 years in Indo China was like "Terry and the Pirates". We had the secret CIA base near the Plain of Jars on a 5,000 feet plateu, 60 air miles behind the Lao Communist lines and if you have chance to read "The Ravens" a true story about the USAF FAC Sq that operated on the same secret base with the base known as Lima 20 A. Please add me to your list. A lot of our Chinese mechanics knew Captian Nowing in China and Hong Kong, and they have passed away too. Aviation has been good to me, and I retired from Beech Aerospace in 1993 as an tech rep. America has been good to me too, my father came from China in 1920, and I served in the Marines in July 1950. My father brought me up with the idea of joining Chinese Forces and in 1940 he would take me to the Alameda Airport to watch the Chinese voloteers from America and Canada going throught Civilian Flight and Mechanics Schools. When the US 14th Air force formed in China, these American and Canadian Chinese were offered commision in the US Army Air force, some took the offer and some remain with the Chinese Air Force and you notice that Madam Chiang Kai Shek wears the wings of the Chinese Air force, because she was the founder of the the Chinese Air Force. CASI -- Cantenental Air Services, Inc. I join CASI in June 1965 when it was formed by some Air America and CAT pilots and management to fly as an Contract Airlines to the US Aid and the CIA. Air America was own by the CIA and is subject to American Politics and when Congress Closed Air America down in 1973 and CASI assumed all the Air America's contracts until June 1975 and then all CASI aircrafts and personel went to Singapore to standby for orders to support future CIA operations in case Thailand and Malaysia should fall, but congress did not want anymore "Secret Wars". Mel April 17, 2004 -- Here's more from Mel. Tom, Yes, I heard that Captain Nowling had an heart attack while working on his boat in Singapore, in 1975, when CASI, left the mainland of Indo China and setup in Singapore in case we lost Thailand and Malaysia and to standby in case CASI was needed again, by the US Gov. and to sell off remaining aircrafts and parts. In May 75, I was offered an maintenance position with a C-130 going to S. Africa to support air drops in Angola, but I decided to go back to the States after staying in Indo China for 10 years. 1965-1975. PS we always called Tom Nowling "Captain Nowling" out of respect for this fine man and he was always the "Pan Am Captain" of the late 1930's and 40's.. Mel Dong  or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor, Tom Moore, know. Thanks! |