Old CAF magazine

Canso42 · **Posted:** Sun May 13, 2007 9:10 pm

I have one for you CAF guys. Or maybe you can network me to someone else.
I have a CAF Ghost Squadron magazine that I'd like to nail down the publication date on. I found it in a house I moved into in Aug. 1985 with some other left-behind-by-the-previous-renter magazines.
The cover is all sky and clouds with Ol' Red Nose comin' at ya. The bottom of the cover says American Air power 1939-1945.
Inside the front cover is a two page spread of Lil' against the sunset. It's 49 pages long and on page 47 is a shot of crowds on the flightline at AirSho '77. That obviously dates it as at least late-'77.
Can any of you further date this for me? It has some good photography of planes I recognize, though sadly some I recognize as no longe with us. On page 33 is a color photo of the B-23 "...just out of the shop in new paint and markings." taxiing towards the camera.

Thanks,
Canso42

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Sun May 13, 2007 10:33 pm

That kind of sounds like a CAF publication that was not really a magazine, but more of a softbound *book*.

There was kind of an internal name for it, but I don’t recall at the moment.

Django · **Posted:** Sun May 13, 2007 11:01 pm

I had that book when I was a kid. I wish I knew what happened to it. It's got to be at my parent's house...

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 1:24 am

I've seen that one many times..not sure if I have a copy or not. I believe it dates from the late '70s, and was often sold at air shows.

I've got a similar book I picked up at an airshow in 1977..it's got a solid blue cover with a set of CAF wings on the cover. I thought I remembered seeing the one you have also on sale, but if yours has pics of Airsho '77 it must be a later publication.

SN

Swiss Mustangs · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 2:50 am

I have one (IIRC from 1972) in my collection... (actually two, i.e. one as spare to trade)... will check and post details soonest....

*EDIT*... check here for an even earlier issue:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ghost-Squadron-of-t ... dZViewItem

and here's the one in question:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Confederate-Air-For ... dZViewItem

Martin

Swiss Mustangs · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 3:02 am

this is the 1977 issue:

http://www.tias.com/11384/PictPage/1922777869.html

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 8:42 am

Swiss Mustangs wrote:

this is the 1977 issue:

http://www.tias.com/11384/PictPage/1922777869.html

Hmmm. I got a beat- up old copy of that rag. Was this an annual kind of thing?

T J

Ztex · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 8:54 am

Quote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Confederate-Air-Force-GHOST-SQUADRON_W0QQitemZ270108522468QQihZ017QQcategoryZ4717QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I have one of those...I got it at the 1978 or 79 Sho..

I'll have to look at my pictures

Z

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Mon May 14, 2007 10:55 am

Blue Books, that’s what we called them. Thanks for jogging my memory. We had a few cartons of ‘em in the back of the plane that we sold at airshows.

Canso42 · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 8:24 pm

Swiss Mustangs,
Your second listing is the one I have. So guys what do I call it in CAF parlance? A '78 or '79 'Blue Book' ?
Mine's in pretty good shape too. Thanks for the feedback.

Canso42

Jase · **Posted:** Wed May 16, 2007 10:38 pm

Doug:

The book you have, and both that were posted above by Martin, are different versions of the "airshow" 30 or 40 page "brief history".

The real "Blue Book" is about 200 pages, hardbound with a sky-blue cover, coffee table sized book. It's a great history of the CAF and a time capsule...

I'll see if I can post a pic of mine tomorrow.

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Wed May 16, 2007 10:53 pm

Jase, I never heard of a hardbound copy, so my post above is probably inaccurate. It just seemed what we called them, and I can’t recall what I had for lunch today.

My apologies, all.

Elroy13 · **Posted:** Wed May 16, 2007 11:04 pm

Canso,

Is it the CAF Dispatch magazine??? I think Ive got it at the house...but thats a big stack if CAF Dispatches to pilfer through.

Jase · **Posted:** Wed May 16, 2007 11:21 pm

Eric, no worries!

Elroy, it's not the Dispatch. Dispatch is probably what grew out of what I call the "airshow" book, which seems to be what's under discussion here. This is a thumbnail history of the CAF and the various planes thereto, usually sold to the public, or signed and given to local VIP's etc.

What I've always heard called the "Blue Book"is the coffee table sized tome, I mentioned above.

Randy Wilson · **Posted:** Thu May 17, 2007 8:33 pm

Is this the publication in question?

If so, it is often simply called the "blue book" by members and even at HQ or "Wings Of Freedom" book. My understanding is that a very large quantity were ordered originally and that many were made available to units and aircraft for sale in their PXs at a very reasonable price over the years. This was a while back.

The Dispatch is the quarterly color magazine and there was also a hard bound "History of the Ghost Squadron" book that was published in the mid-1970s (1975?) in a couple of editions, some with member's names on the front hard cover. Its bindings were a light blue in color and could be part of the confusion of the name "blue book". Hope this helps. If not, fire away!

Randy

Warbird Information Exchange

Old CAF magazine

Who is online