[2][3] He resigned his commission in September 1941 to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) to fight the Japanese in China.
[2] In 1945, Prescott met a group of businessmen headed by Los Angeles oil magnate Samuel B. Mosher who were interested in starting a cargo airline to serve the west coast of the United States and Mexico.
[8] The National Skyway Freight Corporation was established on June 25, 1945, with Mosher as president and Prescott as managing director.
[2][3] Prescott purchased 14 Budd RB Conestoga Navy surplus cargo planes for $140,000, then sold six at a profit.
[3] However, the charter freight airline began to have financial trouble, so Prescott applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board for a certificate allowing scheduled services.
[4] In the meantime, salvation came in the form of a six-month contract with the US Army's Air Transport Command for pilots and maintenance services, later extended to November 1947.
[9] The company prospered and expanded, and Prescott remained its only president[1] and chief executive officer until his death in 1978.