Warbird Information Exchange

I was at a Militaeria Show over the weekend and came across a set of Manuals for a B-24. It included the Operation and Maintanance Manuals and looked very interesting as I looked through them. However...the vendor wanted at least $500.00 for each of them...! Not something I can exactly make a impulse buy on, but it got me to thinking about these publications and I'm hoping someone here may know the answers to my questions as far as publications related to warbirds.

1. Were these issued to each individual aircraft, so that they traveled with it, or were they issued to Crew Cheifs or other crew members and were not tied to each aircraft?

2. Is there any organization for people collecting these publications?

3. Is there a known source for them?

4. If these are all insanely expensive, is there any place selling digital or scanned copies of the manuals?

5. Does anybody have inspiring "I found those three footlockers full of vintage manuals at a garage sale" stories on publications?


I have the worried feeling that I may begin collecting things like this. I seem to have already begun to dig through every vendors photos stacks at flea markets for aviation related photos...and finding a number over the last few weeks has increased my interest on collecting.


Thanks for any peice of information anyone may have!

If these were the brown leather B-24D manuals (I think there are 7 in the set along with the leather bag to carry them) you can do much better by keeping an eye on ebay. Those sets come up fairly regularly, and are not all that rare. I have seen sets go for between $350 and $500 depending on quality of the individual books, and if it comes with the case. I believe they were issued to each ground crew member.

As for people collecting the various manuals, I know that groups operating the specific aircraft is usually a good place to start.

As for digital versions, I know there was at least one person on ebay a year or so that was selling a digital copy for something like $19.95 per manual. Some people will break up the collection and sell the books off one at a time, but from what I have seen a "matching set" usually sells for more than a set of individual books. The leather carrying case will come close to doubling the value of the books. There is a copy of the "Flight Manual" on ebay right now for $15 or so.

Yes, the B-24D manual is not very rare. Between Midland and Addison, we have several sets of the B-24D manuals. However, they are not very helpful for OL 927 since it is a B-24A. It would be great if someone could find us an "A" model set. (which probably does not even exist)

When I was a C-124 crew chief, we carried the manuals on board each aircraft. It was an inspection checklist item to make sure they were always on board and current. Since we had a world-wide mission and would be gone for weeks or more at a time, we needed them while we were on the road. We carried a full 11 volume set on each aircraft. Actually there were more than 11 books in the 11 volume set. For example, the electrical volume, with wiring diagrams, was two books that were over five inches thick themselves. At one time we had 85 C-124's at Dover so there was an entire department whose sole job was to keep them updated with the numerous changes.

We'd love to get some additional KC-97G, C-97G manuals if you happen upon them...

_________________
Kevin Kearney
Vice President
Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation


C-54D "Spirit of Freedom" 43-17228
C-97 "Angel of Deliverance" 52-2718 (painted as YC-97A 45-59595)
C-54E/R5D-4 "Spirit of Freedom" 44-9144 BuNo 90414 (wfu April/2020)
http://www.spiritoffreedom.org