William Bird founded Bird Air in 1960 to support Special Operations Forces stationed in Southeast Asia. From 1960 until US withdrawal in April 1975, Bird Air and is complement of brave and skillful pilots flew many overt and covert missions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. The CIA sponsored some operations, but many of these missions supported American special operators involved in the Vietnam War.
Between 1963 and 1965, Bird's aircrews supported Hmong tribesman fighting in Laos and flew missions with the Royal Laotian Army. These missions earned Bird's pilots the respect of these fierce operatives working as US allies.
In 1965, Bird's pilots and crews flew their most notable mission, the Cambodian Airlift operation. Their chief objective was to resupply Phnom Phen after it was cut off and isolated by enemy forces. Many planes and crew members were lost in this mission.
Today William Bird and the members of his crack airlift company are regarded as legendary figures. Their fearless knack for flying
into the most perilous mission "any time...any place" is a hallmark of Special Operations aviation history.
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