President
John Burke
John was born into an airline family with family members working for many years with Mohawk and Eastern Airlines. From an early age, the “Airline” business was in his blood. After graduating from the University of Miami with a BBA majoring in Transportation Management John was fortunate enough to be hired by Flying Tigers in 1978 as a Ramp Supervisor at JFK. During John’s tenure there, he progressed to Chief Operations Supervisor and his last position at JFK was Manager Import Services.
Then …John’s dream job…He transferred to LAX as an OpsCon Duty Manager. Two great mentors helped him achieve this position (thanks to I.J. and G.V.W). And then came 1989, when John’s position was moved to Memphis, TN with FedEx where he worked in Global Operations Control until 1998. John then moved to Charter Operations and continued to work there until 2004 when he was fortunate enough to return to LAX with FedEx AOG. This was a major career change but well worth being able to come “Back West”.
John has been with AOG from 2004 to 2019 and has enjoyed the challenge. In 2019 he made the plunge into retirement and never looked back!
It has been a privilege to serve on this Board since January 2006.
Vice President & Communications
Helena Burke
Helena’s career path took her quite by accident into the aviation industry when she accepted a part-time job at Flying Tigers at LAX in 1980 at Hi-Tiger.
After many wonderful opportunities to travel with FTL, interline parties and making lifelong friends, she ended up on the Third Floor in Operations Control where she met her husband, John, and developed an interest in all things aviation. After the FTL/FDX merger in 1989, Helena and John spent 13 years in Memphis and finally made their way back to Los Angeles in 2002 working at the old Flying Tiger hangar, now part of FedEx. It is rather serendipitous that Helena ended up at Flying Tigers as her father came to the USA in 1956 on a Flying Tiger DC4 refugee mission from Eastern Europe.
Helena has two degrees in aviation (BS and MAS) earned from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and considers herself something of a perpetual student. Helena was born and raised in Los Angeles with Croatian roots and loves to travel to Croatia any chance she gets to visit with family.
Secretary
Margi Falk
Margi has been a Member of the Flying Tigers Club Board of Directors, and served as Club Secretary since May 2007. During her position on the Board she was editor of the Newsletter from May 2007 through March 2014; as well as coordinating the 500 Club Board in the Flying Tigers room at Flight Path Museum and Learning Center.
She started working at Flying Tigers in 1973 as a swing shift file clerk and part-time Hi-Tiger receptionist. She held positions in the Finance Department before moving on to Public Relations and Advertising with Nissan Davis at the helm where she was editorial assistant to Colleen Ferguson on the TigeReview, and advertising coordination under Carol Svensson.
She left Flying Tigers in 1985 to expand her experience in marketing and small business development. In 1990, she joined Airborne Express at LAX as a customer service/operations agent DHL, retiring in 2009 from DHL following a corporate merger.
Treasurer
Gary Molinari
Gary M. Molinari began his career with Flying Tigers in May of 1972. His first position with FTL was as an Internal Auditor where he performed both financial and operational audits, this experience will lend itself to the Treasurer position as solid background for creative bookkeeping and sound embezzlement techniques.
Gary’s next assignment was as Manager of Credit and Collections where he was responsible to collect on all of FTL’s outstanding accounts receivable, utilizing those same strong-armed tactics gained in this job will help to ensure all Tiger Retirement Club dues are paid on time. He then moved on to a P&L position in the Charter Department and at the time of the FedEx merger was General Manager of Contract Programs with operational and Profit and Loss responsibility for the commercial and military cargo and passenger charter business.
Gary and his family relocated to Memphis in 1989 and continued with FedEx as the Managing Director of Charters until his retirement in June of 2008 and returning to the Los Angeles area.
Membership Director
Antonia Ill
Toni began her Flying Tigers career in Customer Service at O’Hare Airport Chicago August 1970, coming from a two year engagement at Eastern Airlines Cargo. In 1972 she relinquished her position of Supervisor and transferred to Customer Service at LAX to enjoy the sun of California. Although “it never rains in Southern California” she remembers avoiding the water creeping under the door of the ground floor office at the Avion Drive terminal.
While serving our Japanese and Chinese accounts, under the wing of Anita Nakajima, she expanded her knowledge of the international side of the business. Eventually she transferred to the Operations department as the first female Ramp Supervisor, focusing on DC8 and 747 export and import flights, buildup and manifesting. Over the years at LAX she advanced to Chief Operations Supervisor-Import and Export and worked closely with U.S. Customs. In 1987 she transferred to the Quality Assurance Department at HDQ-World Way West where she supported Field Operations regarding international documentation procedures.
In 1989 she moved to FedEx Headquarters in Memphis as a Regulatory Systems Advisor where she supported 023 Cargo requirements relative to reporting interfaces between KIAC and various Customs systems both in the US and at non-US locations off shore. Having started in the Cargo business as a child, and still having lots to do on her list, she retired in May 2013 and is currently deciding what to do when she grows up.
Activities Director
Hedy Pacheco
Hedy Pacheco started her career with The Flying Tiger Line in October 1979. She accepted a position in Financial Accounting as an accounting clerk located on the second floor of Lo-Tiger. She worked her way to Sr Accountant responsible for the accounting of Fixed Assets, Aircraft Inventory, and other various financial functions over the course of nearly 10 years. At the time of the merger in August of 1989, she was offered a position at the LAX hangar as an Aircraft Inventory Analyst with FedEx because of her extensive knowledge of aircraft inventory. She remained in this position until her retirement in December 2016.
Hedy lives locally keeping near to her roots in Los Angeles and close to her family. She enjoys working with her hands and spending time her grandchildren. She has a love for cooking which is matched only with her love for eating. She is always willing to try new treats and tastes. When she is not in the kitchen, you can often find her knitting or crocheting, creating stain glass pieces in her garage or cultivating her small garden of plumerias. Hedy is always happy to have friends over to her home for a competitive game of cards or just to sit and talk in her yard in the So Cal sunshine.
Merchandise Director
Charlie Calleja
Charles Calleja started his career at Flying Tigers in November 1970 as a part time cargo handler at the Los Angeles freight terminal. He spent 19 years and worked his way up to a lead position at LAX. Prior to joining FTL, Charlie spent 4 years in the US Navy as an Aircraft Mechanic and in 1985 accepted a position as a mechanic at the LAX Hangar. Charlie became part of FedEx in 1989 and is still on the job as a mechanic.
Charlie joined the Flying Tiger Club Board in 2010 as the Merchandise Director.
Museum Director
John Dickson
John Dickson was born in Southern California and began his career with Flying Tigers on July 31, 1978 as a flight crewmember based at LAX. Becoming a professional pilot was a dream he possessed since his first flight lesson at age14 while being raised under the flight pattern of the Torrance Airport. He built his flight hours as a young commercial pilot at Hawthorne Airport and LAX and attended CSULB at night, where he earned a Business Administration degree. His boyhood dream was finally realized at age 24 after FTL hired him, training was completed, and he was “checked out” as a new Second Officer on the DC-8-63. Quickly surpassing his passion for flying was the sudden exuberance found in being part of something so dynamic – the largest air cargo airline in the world at the time. The Tiger Spirit was instantly instilled in him and has only grown stronger as time has passed.
Although not fully realized at the time, as often happens during unexpected disruptions in life, John’s most fulfilling years as a Flying Tiger came amidst the downturn in corporate profitability during the early 1980’s when he was furloughed as a pilot on April 1, 1982. Captain Dick Wilson, VP of Operations, had directed all departments to place a priority on rehiring furloughed pilots into positions they might be qualified for. John applied for a handful of openings at High Tiger and was hired as a Fuel Data Analyst in the Flight Planning Department on the 3rd floor. Under the watchful eyes of Basil Pepper and Ken Bucklee, he worked closely with flight planners, crew planners, and managers within the charter department, and was exposed to a side of FTL that most line pilots never get to see. More importantly he gained an appreciation for the close bond that existed among all employees who worked in headquarters, the Can Do attitude, the smiles and the warmth, and subsequently made many new life-long friends during his short tenure at a desk.
John was rehired as a pilot on April 1st, 1984. For the next five years he flew in various seats on the DC8, B747, and B727 and was based in MCI, ORD, and JFK. After T-Day, as a B747 First Officer, FedEx began selling aircraft, the New York crew base was closed, and he was transferred to Memphis to begin training as a DC10 First Officer. John and his new wife, Jeanne, moved from Southern California to Tennessee to begin the second part of his career eventually assuming the position of Captain on the B727, DC10, and MD11. He retired from FedEx after 38 ½ years of combined service on December 31, 2016.
John currently lives with Jeanne in Dallas, Texas and is the grandfather of three. He has kept his passion for the Flying Tiger Line alive through participation in the Flying Tiger Line Pilots Association and the Flying Tiger Club. In 2012 he was elected as President of FTLPA, a position he still holds today.
He considers it an honor to now be a Board Member of the Flying Tiger Club and pledges his dedication at helping to preserve the legacy of our great airline as the Museum Director. Like most of us, John will be forever grateful for the privilege of being a part of the Flying Tiger family. He has devoted a significant amount of time in the past decade trying to ensure that recognition of our uniquely wonderful company continues for many more years to come.
Archives Director
Fran Thompson
So who is Fran?
Fran walked into the lobby of HiTiger in July, 1980 and told Buena Cheeks on the day of her interview that she planned to retire from Flying Tigers. What a great optimist! She worked in INFS on the first and second floors of LoTiger on non-revenue accounting systems including General Ledger and Accounts Payable. She loved jump-seating to HNL, SFO and ORD. Her son grew up at Tigers making appearances at Open Houses and Tiger Cub parties and now works for FedEx as a courier.
Fran was transferred to the revenue accounting C-ARMs system after the Tiger-FedEx merger then transferred into FedEx service/ramp engineering, finally utilizing her engineering degree from UCLA.
She retired from FedEx in 2003 with many other Flying Tigers. She currently resides close to the ramp and the Flying Tiger Museum where she is the Director of Archives.
In her free time, Fran volunteers as an Ambassador at Los Verdes Golf Course, and plays and watches golf, including with some fellow Tigers on Wednesdays in the Flying Tiger Twilight League and now Fridays. Disneyland is her favorite place to take a walk. Fran is a proud NFL owner as a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers. Although she has resided in southern California all her life, her roots are in the Midwest with “da Yoopers”, pasties and Packers. Oh, and she likes to fish!
Chairman Emeritus
Polly Price
Polly Price joined the Flying Tiger family as an occupational health nurse at the LAX maintenance facility in June, 1971. She remained in that position when the merger with Fed Ex occurred, taking on the additional duties of Safety Specialist, until the nursing position was eliminated at which time she became a full time Safety Specialist.
Since her retirement in September 2003, she has kept busy with various volunteer activities. She has always been an active member of her church and the United Methodist Women. She is the secretary on the board of directors of a local food pantry (CASE) and also the coordinator of a program (TOTS) that gives mothers a morning off by providing care for their young children one day a week.
