Black Sheep Squadron

It’s a fun, rather harmless show…just remember it’s not The World at War.
I have trouble with everyone having disco-era blowdried hair….must have dried their hair in the propwash behind the Corsairs.

Back in 1979-80 I was visiting Los Angeles and a friend rented a Cessna 182 to fly us across the valley to Oxnard to eat at an excellent aviation themed airport resturant* (the salad bar had a T-33 canopy over it).

Behind the counter at the FBO was an autographed photo of Robert Conrad, the series star. I asked about it. The FBO guy said “Did you see that huge motorhome in the parking lot?”. We did and he said, that’s where he’s living for a couple of months. He had just gotten divorced and was taking flying lesssons there. Since Van Nuys was close to the studio, and he was using what little free time he had flying, he was just living there for awhile.

If this seems odd, remember the LA basin is a huge place. He once rented a plane from Van Nuys to fly to the (then) Orange County airport to pick up his sister who had just flown in on a private Piper Navajo Chieftain. It was easier to rent a plane thanto drive three hours across town.

I’ve read a section in a book on Corsairs about Pappy Boyington and his escapades as a pilot and then his historical moments as the boss of the ‘Black Sheep Squadron’ and found it to be one of the best WWII documented events ever, next to the Battle of Britain of coarse!! 😀

Greg Boyington was a technical advisor and actually appeared in later seasons as the crew chief on “pappy’s” aircraft.

I think Pappy was still alive and had some idea about the show.He was a larger than life sorta guy.Many books have been written about him and the black sheep but finding the truth could be harder.

I haven’t seen it since I was about 17. I had mixed feelings then, great aircraft but the stories seemed so crap – overblown typically American rubbish is what we all thought. Plus really bad editing of stock footage.

However I’d love to have the opportunity to see it again some day and judge again with a more mature eye.

I know Pappy Boyington was a real pilot. But I wonder, was any storyline in this series ever actually based on real events? It just seemed so Gung Ho and far fetched.

Were the other characters real too? Was the reason for the squadron true too, all the guys no-one else wanted?

I’d also like to know, was Boyington (and any other pilots portrayed if they were real) still alive when this show was made? If so, what did he/they think of it? Were they happy? What did other veterans and veterans groups think I wonder?

BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON

I remember they used to show it on sky one and there was lots of footage from almost any colour war film in it, but do remember that the whole warbird community owes the programme a thank you as we would not have so many corsairs flying today if it was not for that show.

curlyboy

Oh, christ, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, kids….having watched this series OVER and OVER again you can see snippets of film that were also used in the movie ‘Midway’, some from ‘Tora Tora’, lots of other bits form other films and ad=viation movies…and sometimes, LIKE in Midway, they show a plane on a bombing run and it’s not even a Corsair, but what the heck..it was only a TV series. It has’nt hit my video store yet, but it will or I will order it. My fave episode was the one with Boyington Vs. Harachi called ‘Devil in the Slot’, where they both take off at a pre-appointed time to do one on one battle with each other in the skies over the Slot…cornball stuff but GREAT flying sequences (which is why ANYONE should buy this series)…and some guest appearances by other planes that still exist here and there…and some that unfortunately don’t.

Mark

There is a small goof (?) in the first episode, when Pappy and the pilots fly with the C-47 to Vella LaCava. You can see a blue pick-up-truck driving in the background, shortly before the C-47 touches down on the airstrip.

Black Sheep squadron! Darn……….I thought that perhaps the chaps at the Masham brewery had sponsored the Old Flying Machine Company for a season 🙂