Warbird Information Exchange

Yep, brain cramp. I would claim a typo but the C and L are too far apart on the keyboard.

My prized possession is the logbook of an RCAF Spitfire XII pilot who flew with both 41 and 91 squadrons. His wife had given it to me as he'd passed away. I took it back to England with me to the 41 Squadron reunion in 1985 and it was signed by 20 or so surviving Spitfire pilots.

Second place is a copy of the book that got me started as a little kid. "Great American Fighter Pilots of World War II" I think I was the only kid to check it out of the elementary school library back then. I found a copy years later and it has been signed by Jimmy Swett MOH and Gabby Gabreski.

I have some others but those two stand far above the rest.

I too collect books, photos, prints, etc that are signed. Probably have over 500 easy. The majority of mine are from the Golden Age of aviation however and many of you may not recognize the names since your main interests are warbirds. A few are as follows: Roscoe Turner, Frank Hawks, Joe Mackey, Art Davis, Johnny Livingston, Bite Livingston, Len Povey, Monty Chumbley, Art Killips, Lowell Bayles, Pancho Barnes, Elinor Smith, Annette Gipson, Freddie Lund, Bettie Lund, Maj. Al Williams, Jimmy Doolittle, Gabby Gabreski, Bud Mahurin, Gunther Rall, Eric Hartman, Eddie Rickenbacker, Florence Klingensmith, Paul Tibbets, Robert Morgan, George Gay, Pappy Boyington, Edith Foltz, Francis Marsalis, Helen Richey, Hans Eckhard-Bobb, Johannes Steinhoff, Gerhard Barkhorn, Robert Johnson, Tony LeVier, Harold Neuman, Thor Solberg, Douglas Corrigan, Robin Olds, Chuck Yeager, Tex Rankin, Charlie Meyers, Lady Grace Hay Drummond Hay, Princess Caproni, Countess Caproni, Richard Cole, Tom Griffen, Frank Kappler, Ed Horten, Davey Jones, David Thatcher, Bill Bower, Robert Hite, Chase Nielson, Louise Thaden, Olive Ann Beech, Clayton Brukner, Eldon Cessna, Vincent Bendix, May Haizlip, Jimmie Haizlip, Louis Greve, Jimmie Wedell, Casey Jones, Walter Carr, Walter Hinton, Charles Thompson, Martie Bowman, Charles Lindbergh, Bobbie Trout, Adolf Galland, Don Blakeslee, Johnnie Johnson, Geoffrey Page, Ken Jernstadt, Dick Rossi, Bob Layher, Charlie Bond, Peter Wright, John Rumer, Walter Krupinski, Dieter Hrabeck, Jerry Johnson, Bob Hoover, Hub Zemke, Richard Byrd, Tex Hill, R. T. Smith, Bud Anderson, Masajiro Kawato, Johnny Miller, Jack O'Meara, David Ingalls, Roger Don Rae, Spud Manning, Bob O'Dell, Pat O'Brian, Douglas Corrigan. These are just off the top of my head. You have to keep in mind that I have been collecting about 40 of my 47 years. I have had the fantastic opportunity to meet a huge number of these people, which thinking back now is quite incredible.

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President National Waco Club
Curator for the Waco Historical Society Air Museum
Writer for VINTAGE AIRPLANE, SKYWAYS, BARNSTORMERS.COM EFLYER

RALL/BLAKESLEE/GABRESKI/ZEMKE/ANDERSON/FOSS/ILFREY/GOODSON/GOEBEL/GROSS.........DOOLITTLE RAIDERS/357TH/56TH AND A AMERICAN FIGHTER ACES ALBUM WITH OVER 200 SIGNATURES.............ALL THE SIGNED ART IS ANOTHER MATTER
GARY

Group,

Along with al my other aviation collectables (aircraft, manuals, flight gear, ect), I also collect autographed Avn books.

A Mig 15 to freedom; Kenneth Rowe
A Train; Ltc Charles W. Dryden
Ace; Bruce Porter
America To Young to Die!; Maj. Alexander P. Seversky (Autographed to Gen Spatz)
Baa Baa Blacksheep; Col. Gregory Boyington
Benjamin O. Davis; Jr. American
Crash and Burn, The survival Story of a Fighter Pilot; Jack Edward Wright
Doorknob Five Two; Fredric Arnold
Fire, Fear and Guts; Raymond W. Clanton
Forever Flying; RA Hoover
Gabby, A fighter Pilot's Life; Francis Gabreski
God is My Co-Pilot; Col Robert L. Scott
Longburst and the Flying Tigers; Jim Dumas
Mission with Le May; General Curtis E. LeMay, USAF (Ret.)
Mustang Ace; Robert J. Goebel
The Soviet Air Force; Asher Lee (Autographed to Gen Spatz)
Tale of a Tiger; Robert T. Smith
Yeager; General Chuck Yeager
Press On; General Chuck Yeager
Winged Warfare; Maj. W.A. Bishop
Zero; Masatake Okumiya, Jiro Horikoshi, Martin Caidin
Wild Blue Yonder, An Air Epic; Don Clark
When Hell was in Session; Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr. (autographed to Ken Curtis, Festus from Gunsmoke)
Wings and Warriors, My Life as a Navel Aviator; Donald D. Engen
I also have an Air & Space Smithsonian with 25-30 signitures on the aircraft flown.

These are jut the autographed books in my collection, I have many more books that are not autographed.

Laterrrrr
Avn-Tech

I've got a bit over 75 autographed aviation books, the majority are WWII, and another bunch of books with Aces signatures. One of my prized autographed books is "I'm no Hero" by Charles Plumb who was shot down in Vietnam and spent four years in the hanoi Hilton.

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Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.

Yes, I just about fell off my chair! What was he thinking?

Another outstanding collection!!

As you have seen - Yes!

I've been acquiring these for 15 years or so - there are a lot more that I would like to have.

George Gay - "Sole Survivor" - 1 signed and 1 inscribed to someone
Col. Clarence "Bud" Anderson - "To Fly and Fight, Memoirs of a Triple Ace"
Gen. Chuck Yeager - "Yeager" Inscribed and signed to someone by Chuck and "Glamorous" Glennis
R.A. "Bob" Hoover - "Forever Flying"
Gregory Boyington - "Baa Baa Black Sheep" - 1 signed and inscribed to me and 1 to someone else
Joe Foss - "Top Guns" signed by Jim Swett
Eddie Rickenbacker - "Rickenbacker"
Hubert Zemke and Roger A. Freeman - "Zemke's Wolfpack" signed and inscribed to someone by both of them
R. Bruce Porter - "Ace" (2)
Joe Foss - "A Proud American: The Autobiography Of Joe Foss" inscribed to someone
G.P. Birdsong Jr. - "Stormy Weather - A Trilogy" inscribed to someone
Philip Ardery - "Bomber Pilot" inscribed to someone
John P. Henebry - "The Grim Reapers"
James G. Carroll - "Sopac Holiday" inscribed to someone
John H. Mitchell - "In Alis Vicimus: On Wings We Conquer"
Roger A. Freeman - "B-26 Marauder at War" inscribed to someone
James T. Murphy - "Skip Bombing"
Steve Birdsall - "B-17 in Action" Signed by several notable members of the 91st BG including Tony Starcer
Herb Alf - "Petals of Fire" (2)
Lawrence J. Hickey - "Warpath Across the Pacific"
H. Phillip Causer - "Missing in Action"
James C. Warren - The Tuskegee Airmen Mutiny at Freeman Field" - inscribed to someone
Alan Shepard - "Moon Shot" - had 2, sold 1

Some of these, like the Yeager, Foss and Shepard, I have found in thrift stores for .50 to $1. Others have been somewhat pricier.

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Dave

i have many aviation autographs, but the only autographed book i have is by general steve ritchie. i had fred olivie's book but sold it a few years ago. as to other sigs regardless of pics pieces of paper etc, i have.......

a canceled check from eddie rickebacker

the main gang from the original avg flying tigers

admiral byrd

general tibbetts

john glenn

robert morgan

cook cleland

dick becker

saburo sakai

bruce porter

robin olds

joe kittinger

scott crossfield

actor cliff robertson

& still more!! i just listed the warbirders!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Just what is an auRograph anyway?

i just knew some smart keester wise guy would take the bait on that typo!! i noted that i spelled rickenbacker's name wrong when scrolling to the reply!! obergrafeter you & i are on the same page!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Wow, there are some great collections out there.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Typo fixed.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Signatures in books and on photos:

Jimmy Doolittle - no explanation needed
Chuck Yeager = no explanation needed
C.E. "Bud" Anderson = P-51 ace, Chuck Yeager's friend
Neil Armstrong = no explanation needed
Jim Lovell = Apollo 13
George Gay = no explanation needed
Paul Tibbets, Thomas Ferebee, Theodore VanKirk = no explanation needed
David McCampbell = top Navy ace WWII
Hub Zemke = P-47 Zemke's Wolfpack
Francis Grabeski = P-47 Zemke's Wolfpack
Robert Johnson = P-47 Zemke's Wolfpack
R.T. Smith = P-40 Flying Tiger
Robert Morgan (pilot), James Verinis (co-pilot) = Memphis Belle
Jane Dyde Millee (spelling) = WASP
Marshall Harrison = OV-10 FAC "A Lonely Kind of War"
Ken Bell = F-105 "A Hundred Missions North"
Hugh Mills = OH-6 Loach "Low Level Hell"
George Marrett = A-1 Skyraider (Sandy) "Cheating Death"
Terry Kupovitz = UH-1 "Dustoff 608" - 800 Vietnam combat missions/3000 casualties saved. Friend.

Below - No signatures just memories of the numerous guys/gals I've met or worked with:

Jolly Green Giant Flight Engineer - Silver Star mission 15 miles outside of Hanoi in broad daylight.
Numerous USAF Pararescuemen
USAF Helo pilots & flight mechanics
USAF vietnam pilots/crew members
Vietnam Huey pilots/crew members
B-26 Marauder pilot
PBY Catalina mechanic - Uncle
Various USAF, Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard - fixed wing & fling wing mechanics & pilots. From peacetime to WWII to present wars. All types of aircraft.
Many more folks (memory fades)

All the above were regular people. The aircraft & equipment stay behind but the people who make it happen fade away. Document their stories. Photograph them.

Larry
ex-Jolly Green Giant crew chief/flight mechanic. A lot of other aviation doings. Happy to have been in their presence.