Anything "Warbird" you most regret losing! ...

My dad and I used to fly to Oshkosh in either his Swift or Bellanca and sleep under the wing ... great times ... I was in my early teens and once I remember going into the large swap-meet building and seeing Pappy Boyington in one area and George Gay in another area. Well I purchased a print of Boyington's F4U and waited in line for an autograph. I got up to Boyington and asked for an autograph. he said, "buy my book first" ... I was a kid and didn't respond, I just got out of line ... I went over to Gay and he smiled and signed a photo he had with him and gave it to me for nothing ... I kept that little photo of VB8 for several years until it just got lost .... what a shame now! ... ;-(

[N3Njeff]

I got 2 items like that.

When I was a kid, I got a print of a drawing of the B-25 Briefing Time and it was signed by the orig crew Navigator and bombadier..........

Also on my room wall was a Bud Davidson photo print of "Passion Wagon" and George had signed it for me.

[Brad]

A lot of really nice people I was able to know over the years.

[retroaviation]

A lot of really nice people I was able to know over the years.

Hear hear! We've lost some good ones indeed.

Gary

I wasn't looking for that kind of "deepnest" ... ;-( ... Not "warbird people" BUT "warbird things" .... I keep forgetting that some here go in different directions .... can't blame you ....

[Myles]

My dad had been a flight instructor in the Navy during WWII. After he got out of the Navy in '49 he had brought a few trinkets home from the ship, one trinket being a pilot's map board. He instructed in the Venturas, R4D's, etc. After he had had enough of flying he joined the USS Hancock in June of 1945 as an Asst. Air Officer. After the surrender my dad got to fly in the back of an Avenger for the fly-over as he wasn't carrier qualified even though he was checked out in Avengers. Growing up as a kid I used to play with this map board that my dad said came out of an Avenger. It was the one that comes out of the instrument panel. I remember it having some carrier names written on the plastic face as well as aircraft for a particular days flight. I never bothered to ask him when that flight was. Sometime after my dad passed away 20 years ago I ended up giving the map board to my friend Gus, that had owned a Catalina here in Santa Rosa 15 years ago. Gus was a real military history buff and liked to tinker with Warbird collectibles. About 5 years ago Gus passed. I may still be able to get that board back. Funny it didn't seem to be much of importance to me then as it does now.
Jim

[corsair166b]

I know Jack Cook will hate this, but.....

My grandfather, being a commercial artist for Vought during the war, was tasked with illustrating a brochure on Gregory Boyington's exploits during the war....it featured Corsairs and flaming Zeros inside it and a write up of Boyington's achievements in the F4U....somewhere over the years, it got lost.

Luckily I still have a bunch of his Corsair artwork.

Mark

[michaelharadon]

When I was in grade school in the '60's, I wrote away to every aircraft/aerospace manufacturer I could think of, asking for pictures, posters, pamphlets, etc. The packages, large envelopes, and mailing tubes I got back gave the postman muscles for a long time. I can't remember the color my room was painted, but I can still see the walls covered with the artwork and photos I received.

It was the neatest stuff imaginable and is all gone now, and I particularly miss the Phillips 66 lithographs of famous World War 2 aircraft and air battles. I think the coupon for them came out of Flying magazine back in the day when $5 (!) got you an orientation flight around the patch in a Cessna.

[airnutz]

and I particularly miss the Phillips 66 lithographs of famous World War 2 aircraft and air battles.

..I particularly miss mine too. Several hurricane evacs later and I've not been able to lay hands on that triangular
cardboard tube of "never" displayed lithographs. Gawd I hope they're not gone.

[b29flteng]

A Coca-Cola ad with a B-17 on it.

[ZRX61]

I loaned a bunch of warbird stuff to a bar/roadhouse called Wing & A Prayer in Lancaster Ca. Bar changed hands a couple of times & everythng was fine. Then it changed hands again & the new owner sold a bunch of MY stuff on ebay etc... including a new, unused R2800 cylinder..
Then he sold the place... 2 large panels from Spitfire PA908 also went awol, along with an R2800 cam ring.. but at least i got my R2800 carb back..
I know who it was & one day he'l become painfully aware of my feelings about theft...

The only reason the panel from the side of Stiletto is still there is because it was attached to the wall with tamper proof screws.... & now the new owner won't give the darn thing back..

[Jesse C.]

My Dad gave me a Zippo Lighter that a co-worker gave him to give to me.

The Zippo was on a B-58 Hustler when it set a few speed records and had them engraved on it along with a top view silouhette of the Hustler. It was very cool and I think someone snagged it from my house during a party.

I really do wish I had that back.

[John Dupre]

I miss something I never had. I was at a used book store and there was a mechanics handbook. Small black very common except this one used examples from deceased companies like Brewster, Curtiss and one other I can't remember. It was only ten bucks but I bought McDonalds instead. When I went back the book was gone.

[fritzthefox]

My lunch, in a T-34.

[Jack Cook]

A lot of really nice people I was able to know over the years.

I know what you mean Brad.....
Carl Terrana, Lars the Swede, Ed my mentor, Bob Love, Buz Buswell, Bob Morrow, Mike Smith and the list goes on....................