Boun Oum Airways
Encyclopedia
Boun Oum Airways or BOA
, was a Laotian Airline owned by Prince Boun Oum
of Laos
. After 1965 BOA expanded using aircraft on loan from Continental Air Services, Inc
(CASI). BOA's aircraft did not carry any logo or titles and their Thai
pilots were integrated with CASI by early 1967.
of Laos and was created with the intention of flying missions in Laos with Asia
n crews (as opposed to Caucasian
crews) allegedly for plausible deniability
. BOA was based at Savannakhet, Laos.
Boum Oum Airlines (sic) reportedly lost two Dornier Do28s on 12/03/67 and in 05/67.
Due to its high aircraft loss rate, BOA was fully integrated into the CASI by mid-1967 and ceased to officially exist.
Boa
The Boidae are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in America, Africa, Europe, Asia and some Pacific Islands. Relatively primitive snakes, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Two subfamilies comprising eight genera and 43 species are currently...
, was a Laotian Airline owned by Prince Boun Oum
Boun Oum
Prince Boun Oum was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassack and also Prime Minister of Laos.-Early life:...
of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. After 1965 BOA expanded using aircraft on loan from Continental Air Services, Inc
Continental Air Services, Inc
Continental Air Services, Inc, better known as CASI, was a subsidiary airline of Continental Airlines set up to provide operations and airlift support in Southeast Asia. CASI was formed as the South-East Asia Division of Continental in April 1965 with operations starting in September 1965 using...
(CASI). BOA's aircraft did not carry any logo or titles and their Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
pilots were integrated with CASI by early 1967.
History
The CIA created BOA in 1964 by using resources from both Air America and Bird & Son. BOA was ostensibly owned by Prince Boun OumBoun Oum
Prince Boun Oum was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassack and also Prime Minister of Laos.-Early life:...
of Laos and was created with the intention of flying missions in Laos with Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n crews (as opposed to Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
crews) allegedly for plausible deniability
Plausible deniability
Plausible deniability is, at root, credible ability to deny a fact or allegation, or to deny previous knowledge of a fact. The term most often refers to the denial of blame in chains of command, where upper rungs quarantine the blame to the lower rungs, and the lower rungs are often inaccessible,...
. BOA was based at Savannakhet, Laos.
Boum Oum Airlines (sic) reportedly lost two Dornier Do28s on 12/03/67 and in 05/67.
Due to its high aircraft loss rate, BOA was fully integrated into the CASI by mid-1967 and ceased to officially exist.
Incidents
- November 1964, a Bell 47Bell 47The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
G-3B-1 Sioux helicopter crashed on its first mission. - December 1965, a C-47 crashed after takeoff from Vientiane.
- April 1966 a C-47 disappeared while dropping supplies near Ban Song, a town in Surat Thani ProvinceSurat Thani ProvinceSurat Thani is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
, Thailand. - In 1967, a Do-28 flown by a CASI pilot, C.V. Stone crashed into a hangar on take-off.
- May 1967, a Dornier Do-28s was lost in a heavy rainstorm near MahaxayMahaxay DistrictMahaxay is a district of Khammouane Province in mid Laos....
, Laos, while dropping supplies.
Aircraft
- Beech TradewindBeechcraft Model 18The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
x 1 - Bell 47Bell 47The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
G-3B-1 x 1 - Dornier Do 28Dornier Do 28The Dornier Do 28 Skyservant is a twin-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier Flugzeugbau GmbH. It served with the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger and other air forces around the world in the communications and utility role....
x 2 - Douglas C-47s x 2
- Helio CourierHelio CourierThe Helio Courier is a light C/STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company. During the early 1980s, new owners made an attempt to build new aircraft with direct-drive Lycoming engines,...
x 1 - Piper PA-18 Super Cubs x 2
Further reading
- War in Laos by Kenneth Conboy(Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc.) 1994.