Tag Archives: Pappy” Boyington

Baa, Baa .45

Posted on by One comment

While on the ground at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas last month, we came across a Government Issue .45 1911 that looked more at home in the South Pacific in 1943. 

As part of its Air Aces Series, Auto-Ordnance had its new Black Sheep 1911 on display. Crafted by the folks over at Outlaw Ordnance, the artists start with an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 and then apply a carefully researched red, white, and blue Cerakote finish that emulates a World War II aircraft associated with famed Marine air ace Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. 

A functional work of art, underneath the custom Cerakote finish, the Black Sheep 1911 is still an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 in .45 ACP. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Note the “rivet” pattern, the sheet of Rising sun victory stencils, and the correct “Lucybelle” nose art. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

lso, note the “belly” of the gun is left in the white to emulate the aluminum body of an F4U Corsair. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The aircraft Boyington was photographed with in November 1943, White 86 (BuNo.18086), was an F4U-1A Corsair of the same type he flew with the Black Sheep. Ironically, no records confirm he ever flew it in combat and the bird was made up specifically for the photoshoot. As such, it included 20 Kyokujitsu-ki rising suns, one for each confirmed Japanese aircraft he had shot down by that time, his name, and the nickname (“Lucybelle”) of his then-girlfriend, Lucy Malcomson. He would later fall out with Malcomson, leading to a bitter court case and, when the 1970s TV show “Baa Baa Black Sheep” would recreate this plane, Boyington, then on his fifth wife, advised the producers the plane was named “Lulubelle” instead.

A late model Goodyear FG 1D Corsair (BuNo 92246), one of only about 100 Corsairs left, is painted to emulate White 86 and is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com) 

It has Boyington’s name stenciled under the cockpit but no “kill” flags or Lulubelle/Lucybelle nose art. I guess NNAM didn’t want to wade into that controversy

x

Farewell, to those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines

Posted on by Leave a comment

The AVG Flying Tigers Association posted the terrible news this weekend:

“Frank Losonsky, the last living AVG Flying Tiger, headed West today, on 6 February 2020. RIP Frank, a Crew Chief of the 3rd Squadron “Hell’s Angels” was 99 and would have celebrated his 100th birthday this coming October. Frank had an early celebration of his 96th birthday at our Atlanta Reunion by performing two barrel rolls in a P-40. Frank was in the back seat and gave the pilot his usual “thumbs up”. Frank was the Eveready Bunny who never stopped…!!”

1941 AVG Flying Tigers 3rd Pursuit Squadron in front of a P-40C Tomahawk fighter.

Meanwhile, the Times reports that Wing Commander Paul Caswell Powe Farnes, DFM, AE, the RAF fighter pilot and the last surviving ace of the Battle of Britain, chalking up eight kills in Hurricanes and Spitfires, died on 28 January in West Sussex, England. He was 101. There are reportedly just two surviving members of The Few.

Wing Commander Farnes

In semi-related news, actor Robert Conrad, who portrayed legendary Marine Maj. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington in the Baa Baa Black Sheep tv series, died Sunday at 84.

The show guaranteed the oft-maligned F4U Corsair will be forever remembered and that the Marines will always have a VMF-214, a squadron that currently flies AV-8Bs out of MCAS Yuma and plans to shift to F-35Bs next year.