Black Sheep forming up for filming during the show. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
Forty years ago to the day, on September 23rd, 1976, the famed TV-series Baa Baa Black Sheep first aired on television in the United States. It was a seminal moment for many of us who follow vintage military aviation today, especially if we were kids at the time. Here to tell a little of the story about the making of that show, and the aircraft involved is Stephen Chapis, revisiting an article he originally wrote some years ago for Warbird Digest. We at WarbirdsNews thank him, and all of the other contributors who made this piece possible!
POOR LITTLE LAMBS
by Stephen Chapis
photos (all via Stephen Chapis)
The short-lived TV-series Baa Baa Black Sheep turned many young American boys into life-long fans of the famed Corsair, including the author who was just five years old when the show debuted in September 1976. What follows is not a biography of Pappy Boyington, a history of VMF-214, or a debate about the historical accuracy of the series. It is simply a history of the Corsairs used on the show and a collection of memories from the four surviving Baa Baa Black Sheep pilots: Thomas Friedkin, Steve Hinton, Steve Rosenberg, and the late-Bill Yoak.
Some of the pilots on the set of Baa Baa Black Sheep: (l-r) Frank Tallman, unk, John Schaffhausen, Tom Friedkin , unk, Junior Burchinal, Dan-Friedkin. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
THE REAL STARS
While actors Robert Conrad and John Larroquette may have thought they were the show’s stars, the real stars of Baa Baa Black Sheep (later syndicated as Black Sheep Squadron) were clearly the Corsairs. A total of eight Corsairs, of varied backgrounds, participated in the filming: four FG-1Ds, two F4U-7s, one F4U-1A, and one F4U-4. Five were combat veterans, two have turned hot laps at Reno, and two later became Oshkosh Grand Champions. Since the conclusion of Black Sheep in 1978, one FG-1D and one F4U-7 have been lost. Of the remaining six aircraft, four are actively flying, one is maintained in airworthy condition but not flown, and the last is awaiting restoration to airworthy condition.
The ‘Real Stars’, behind the stars on the set of Baa Baa Black Sheep. (photo Steve Guilford via Stephen Chapis)
Filming the Corsairs. (photo by Frank Mormillo via Stephen Chapis)
THE DEARLY DEPARTED:
GOODYEAR FG-1D CORSAIR Bu.No. 92433
Junior Burchinal’s FG-1D Bu.92433. Note the crudely formed rear cockpit! (photo by Jim Sullivan)
The Navy accepted this FG-1D on July 11th, 1945, and although its record card is nearly impossible to read prior to 1950, the fighter appears to have served as a pool aircraft in San Diego and Jacksonville. From 1950 through 1955, 92433 flew with VF-101 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia and Reserve squadrons in Dallas, Minneapolis, and New York. In November, 1955, it moved to the storage facility at NAS Litchfield Park in Arizona. The Navy struck her from their records on January 7th, 1957 after she’d logged 2,307 flying hours.
An old shot of 92433. (AAHS archive)
In April 1959, it was one of 40 Corsairs listed on an Invoice/Shipping Document from Alu-Net Smelters of Long Beach, California. Frank Tallman purchased the aircraft from Alu-Net on May 7th, 1959 and returned it to flight in 1962, at which time it had only flown three hours since its military retirement.
On September 16th, 1969 the late Isaac Newton Burchinal (aka Junior) of Paris, Texas bought the Corsair for his Flying Tigers Air Museum where he had it modified with a rudimentary second cockpit and flight controls, covered by a crude Plexiglas canopy.
FG-1D Bu.92433 at Kissimmee in 1979, not too long before her demise in a hangar fire. (photo by Bill Thomas)
In early 1976, Junior flew ‘433 to California for Black Sheep. This Corsair is easily identifiable on screen by the tinted rear canopy, ADF “football” antenna under the fuselage and extended tailwheel. Sadly, in 1979 a hangar fire consumed this Corsair at Addison Airport in Dallas, Texas.
VOUGHT F4U-7 CORSAIR Bu.No. 133693
Bu.133693 (as 693) during her Aeronavale days on the deck of a French aircraft carrier. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
This Corsair was the 41st of 94 F4U-7s that Chance Vought produced at their plant in Grand Prairie, Texas for the French Navy (Aeronavale). Delivered through the Military Assistance Program (MAP), ‘693 arrived at NAS Karouba, Tunisia in the spring of 1953, where it served with Flotille 12F and later Flotille 15F. There is circumstantial evidence that she was aboard CVL La Fayette during France’s final combat missions in Indochina during 1956. In October 1956, ‘693 was again aboard La Fayette in the eastern Mediterranean Sea during Operation Musketeer (Suez Crisis) where it participated in an attack on Egyptian airfields near Cairo on November 3rd, 1953. Later in its career, ‘693 joined Flotille 14F, where it may have seen action in Algeria. Her final assignment saw her flying as a target tug with Escadrille 10S.
Bu.133693 fresh off the factory production line in 1952. (AAHS archive)
Tired Aeronavale F4U-7 Corsairs in storage in France. Bu.133693 is visible third from left. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
Bu.133693 at NAS Norfolk on April 13th, 1967. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
Bu.133693 undergoing maintenance at NAS Norfolk on April 13th, 1967. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
The Corsair returned to the United States in early 1967 for refurbishment at NAS Norfolk, Virginia. The French Navy had just received their brand new F8U Crusaders, and retired their venerable Corsair fleet. After a short stint with the Air Museum of Canada, Bob Guilford purchased the -7 in April 1970. He named her Blue Max and raced the fighter for the next 17 years. In 1976, Blue Max’s bold markings were covered in overall dark blue in preparation for her roll in Black Sheep with Steve Rosenberg at the controls. On August 19th, having flown just three sorties for the cameras, Blue Max suffered a catastrophic engine failure which ended her Black Sheep career.
Bob Guilford sitting on the wing of his Corsair. (photo Steve Guilford)
Bu.133693 as Blue Max. (photo Steve Guilford)
Black Sheep cast with Blue Max in the background. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
On May 10th, 1987, Marshall Moss took a well-deserving female air show volunteer for a ride in Blue Max near San Diego, California. While performing low-level aerobatics, the Corsair crashed in an inverted attitude, tragically killing Moss and his passenger.
STATIC & UNDER RESTORATION:
GOODYEAR FG-1D CORSAIR Bu.No. 92132
FG-1D 92132 with fresh-paint in San Fernando, CA circa-1959. (Jim Sullivan Collection)
The naval record card for this Corsair is sadly another which is impossible to read for dates prior to 1950. The U.S. Navy took delivery of ‘132 on May 26th, 1945. She spent most of her career with Reserve units in Jacksonville, Florida and Columbus, Ohio. The Corsair flew to Litchfield Park in December 1954, and the Navy struck her from their records on January 7th, 1957 with 1,533 flying hours logged.
FG-1D Bu.92132 at NAF Litchfield Park in 1958. (Ed Maloney via Jim Sullivan)
On October 20th, 1959, Alu-Net Smelters purchased the aircraft for $485.67. Planes of Fame founder, Ed Maloney, saved her from destruction though, and placed the venerable fighter in storage. The late David Tallichet’s Military Aircraft Restoration Corp (MARC) purchased the Corsair on June 17th, 1971 and brought it up to airworthy status in April 1975. When she began flying on Black Sheep, 92132 had only flown 16 hours since the Navy retired her 19 years earlier. The airframe flew an additional 30+ hours during filming. She remained in the MARC collection until Henry ‘Butch’ Schroeder and the Midwest Aviation Museum in Danville, Illinois acquired her on February 3rd, 1994.
FG-1D 92132 at The Air Museum, Ontario, CA circa-1962. (Jim Sullivan Collection)
FG-1D Bu.92132 at Van Nuys on August 11th, 1976. (photo-Bill Curry via Jim Sullivan)
FG-1D Bu.92132 at Chino in her movie paint, with other Corsairs from Black Sheep in February, 1977. (photo by Frank Mormillo)
Schroeder changed his plans for the Corsair and sold her on to the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 1st, 2003, where she is undergoing restoration. When complete, the Corsair will wear the historically correct markings of her former Columbus Naval Reserve unit.
GOODYEAR FG-1D CORSAIR Bu.No. 92629
FG-1D Bu.92629 in formation with the Planes of Fame P-40N. (photo by Frank Morello)
This Corsair was in the last batch of 2,302 FG-1Ds to roll off the Goodyear production line in Akron, Ohio. After acceptance on August 18th, 1945, the Corsair joined the aircraft pool at NAS Alameda, California. Following two years of storage in Georgia, the fighter spent six years in Naval Reserve units in Norfolk, Seattle, Alameda, Columbus, and New York as well as VF-713 at NAS Moffett Field, California. Flown to Litchfield Park in June 1955, ‘629 was stricken in January 1957 with a mere 778 hours flight time.
In late 1957 ‘629 was one of 20 FG-1Ds pulled from storage and sold to El Salvador, where she saw action against Honduras in July, 1969 during the 100 Hours War (sometimes referred to as the Soccer War). Dr Bill Harrison brought the fighter home to the United States in October 1974. John Stokes purchased the fighter on February 8th, 1975. A year later its colorful VF-84 markings disappeared under a new coat of navy blue for her role on Black Sheep. This aircraft is also easily identifiable on screen, as it has a white arrow on the right upper wing and light blue undersides.
FG-1D Bu.92629 in Fresno, CA on August 19th, 1976. (William T. Larkins via Jim Sullivan collection)
FG-1D Bu.92629 in her Baa Baa Black Sheep livery at Van Nuys on August 11th, 1976. (Jim Sullivan collection)
In July 1983, the aircraft suffered extensive damage in an off-airport landing following engine failure on take-off. A recovery crew loaded the wreckage onto a truck for the journey to “Fighter Rebuilders” in Chino, California. Steve Hinton’s team had the fighter airworthy again a year later. Today, this warhorse is on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California. It is maintained in airworthy condition, but has not flown since 2006.
THE FLYERS:
VOUGHT F4U-1A CORSAIR Bu.No. 17799
F4U-1A Bu.17799. ( photo by Frank Mormillo)
Due to its long association with the Planes of Fame (POF) Museum in Chino, California, this F4U-1A is arguably the most well known of all the Black Sheep Corsairs. She rolled off the Vought production line in Stratford, Connecticut on August 31st, 1943, making her one of the oldest surviving Corsairs in the world, and the oldest currently flying. During her short military career, ‘799 served with VF-84, VBF-14, VBF-98 & VBF-84. The Navy struck her from their records on August 31st, 1944 with an unknown numbers of flying hours.
F4U-1A Bu.17799 at the MGM back lot in Culver City, CA during January, 1970. (photo Bruce Orris via Jim Sullivan)
In 1946, MGM Studios purchased the Corsair as a movie prop. She slowly deteriorated into disrepair until Ed Maloney saved her from almost certain scrapping, and placed the fighter in storage during 1970. In 1974, the original ‘Chino Kids’ Steve Hinton and Jim Maloney began gathering parts to bring the Corsair back to flying condition. In the fall of 1977, 31 years after she ‘officially’ retired, ‘799 joined the merry band of planes and pilots on the Black Sheep set at Indian Dunes Airport near Valencia, California. During filming the aircraft wore an overall dark blue scheme with star-and-bar insignia and no special markings. In the early 2000’s John Maloney performed a mild restoration on ‘799 and applied the beautiful tri-color paint scheme it wears today. This pristine example of an early Corsair is a regular flier at POF airshows and special events.
F4U-1A Bu.17799 at The Air Museum in Ontario, CA on March 7th, 1970. (photo Tom Piedimonte via Jim Sullivan)
For quite some time, POF officials, particularly volunteer historian Cory O’Bryan, suspected that their Corsair had seen combat with the famous VF-17 Jolly Rogers in 1943, but they could never find evidence to substantiate their beliefs. That all changed in early 2016 thanks to children’s author Michele Spry who had a chance meeting with a 94-year-old, WWII US Marine Corps veteran named Ferrill A. Purdy who had flown Corsairs in combat with VMF-441 Blackjacks. Michele interviewed Purdy for her second book, which involved an Honor Flight veteran traveling to Washington, D.C. with a youngster. While studying his logbook, she compared it to Corsairs that had survived to the present day. She found one … Bu.No.17799!
F4U-1A Bu.17799 in her Baa Baa Black Sheep livery during June, 1978. (photo by Wally VanWinkle)
This discovery led Michele to another Blackjack veteran, John H. Tashjian, who traveled to Chino in August 2016 for a Living History Event where he reunited with “his” old Corsair. Although POF continues to fill in the blanks in the wartime career of 17799, they can now proudly claim that their Corsair is a bonafide combat veteran.
GOODYEAR FG-1D CORSAIR Bu.No. 92106
FG-1D Bu.92106 with Vintage Wings of Canada in Gatineau, Quebec in 2011. (photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Bu.92106 joined the Navy on May 17th, 1945. This Corsair was amongst the last sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations, but it never saw combat and returned to the States in early 1946. During its eight-year Navy career, 92106 was a pool aircraft in Norfolk and Jacksonville and also flew with the Naval Reserves in New Orleans, Seattle, Grosse Ile, Dallas, and Spokane. The Navy struck her on September 9th, 1954 with 1,437 hours on the clock.
FG-1D Corsair Bu.92106 at Chino in February, 1977. (photo by Tim Gann)
Len Berryman purchased the Corsair for his amusement park/playground in Bridgeport, Washington in 1958. The fighter sat in the park until 1973 when the late-David Tallichet saved the aircraft from an uncertain fate and returned her to flying condition. She began flying on Black Sheep in 1976 and is considered the lead aircraft for she appeared in 22 of the 37 total episodes. After the show’s conclusion, Tallichet placed the Corsair in storage.
Bu.92106 in her Baa Baa Black Sheep livery at David Tallichet’s MARC compound in Chino, CA. (photo by Al Hansen via Jim Sullivan)
Gary Kohs acquired the aircraft in 1990 and shipped her to Airpower Unlimited in Jerome, Idaho. John Lane Jr’s team spent 17,000 man-hours and 13 years restoring the Corsair to its original factory configuration and set a new benchmark in Corsair restorations during the process. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 the Corsair rightly earned the Grand Champion WWII Trophy and the Airpower Unlimited restoration team received the Gold Wrench Award. Later that year, 92106 received the Rolls-Royce Aviation Heritage Invitational and People’s Choice Trophy’s at the Reno Air Races.
Dave O’Malley (right) and a colleague applying the decals to transform FG-1D Bu.92106 into Robert Hampton Gray’s Corsair IV. (photo by Peter Handley)
Bu.92106 taking off during the Wings Over Gatineau air show held at Gatineau Executive Airport in Gatineau, Quebec, and organized by Vintage Wings of Canada. (photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Mike Potter’s Vintage Wings of Canada (VWoC) flying collection purchased the Corsair in June 2007. VWoC already had a -4 Corsair on the books at the time, but had been searching for an earlier, -1 variant to more appropriately honor Canada’s naval fighter pilots who served within the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm during WWII. Using specialized vinyl decals, VWoC applied markings to represent Corsair KD568 (115/X), the Corsair which Lt. Robert Hampton Gray flew on that fateful August 9th, 1945 mission over Japan for which he received, posthumously, the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honor. Today, this Corsair is a fitting tribute to the dedication of Goodyear employees, the courage of Lt Robert Hampton Gray, and the patriotism of all Canadian veterans.
VOUGHT F4U-4 CORSAIR Bu.No. 97359
F4U-4 Bu.97359 while in storage with Bob Bean at Mosely Field in Arizona during 1960. (photo via Jim Sullivan)
Upon acceptance by the Navy on March 12th, 1946, F4U-4 Bu.No. 97359 immediately entered storage for the next 17 months. Afterwards, the aircraft spent a few months in the aircraft pool in San Diego. It then served with several units around the country, including VMT-2 at MCAS El Toro, California.
On January 28th, 1953 the Corsair joined VF-44 Hornets at NAS Jacksonville, in Florida and saw extensive action from the decks of USS Lake Champlain and USS Boxer during the closing months of the Korean War. In the final years of her military career, ‘359 served with VF-74 at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, VX-2 at NAS Chincoteague, Virginia and Naval Reserve squadrons in San Diego and Olathe. The Navy removed her from their books at Litchfield Park in July 1956 with 1,798 flying hours logged.
F4U-4 Bu.97359 while in storage with Bob Bean at Mosely Field in Arizona during May, 1970. (photo by Hank Rappone via Jim Sullivan)
In November 1957, Bob Bean purchased the fighter for $1,500.99 and stored her outside for 19 years. When Tom Friedkin purchased the Corsair on November 19th, 1975, she hadn’t flown since her military days, but logged an incredible 300 hours during her career on Black Sheep. On screen, her four-bladed propeller and six 50-caliber guns can clearly separate this Corsair from the others.
F4U-4 Bu.97359 in her Baa Baa Black Sheep livery at Van Nuys airport on August 11th, 1976. (photo by Bill Curry via Jim Sullivan)
Bu.97359 while undergoing maintenance when owned by Dan Friedkin. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
The Corsair remained in the Friedkin collection until January 1988 when he sold her to the Duxford-based Old Flying Machine Company, where she flew in Royal New Zealand Air Force markings. The Corsair returned home to the USA in 1992 and went through several owners over the next 20 years including Norm Lewis and Max Chapman. In 2006 she briefly reunited with her former Black Sheep co-star, FG-1D Bu.92106, at VWoC in Gatineau, Quebec. In March 2008, Doug Matthews purchased her and repainted the fighter to represent the Corsair flown by VF-32 pilot Lt (j.g.) Thomas Hudner during his Medal of Honor mission on December 4th, 1950.
Bu.97359 in her RNZAF livery while flying with the Old Flying Machine Company out of Duxford, England in July, 1991. (photo by Anthony McGhee)
In 2010, someone discovered that Charles “Obie” O’Brien, a pilot flying with the Virginia Beach-based Military Aviation Museum, had flown this Corsair on three combat missions over North Korea in June 1953 from the deck of the USS Lake Champlain. In 2010, at 83 years old, O’Brien was the last Corsair combat pilot in the world still actively flying the type six decades on. When Doug Matthews, a former naval aviator himself, heard about Obie O’Brien he said without hesitation, “Well he has to fly it again.”
Bu.97359 in Thomas Hudner’s markings while owned by Doug Matthews. (photo via Stephen Chapis)
It took nearly three years, but in September 2012, the author, Warbird Digest editor Greg Morehead, and Obie were finally headed to Ramona, California, where Obie would reunite with his old combat steed. The last time Obie was in Bu.97359 was on November 20th, 1953 when he flew the Corsair ashore to Port Layute, Morocco while USS Lake Champlain was transiting through the Mediterranean Sea on her way home from the war zone. When the hangar doors opened and Obie set his eyes on the pristine F4U-4, his first comment was, “It sure looks better now than it did back then.”
Obie’s reunion flight took place during an NATA FAST clinic hosted by Doug Matthews and the word quickly circulated around the airport that a pilot that flew Doug’s Corsair in Korea was in town to fly it again … 59 years later!! Greg Morehead and the author had designed a special patch to commemorate the event and Obie spent the weekend shaking hands, answering questions, posing for pictures, and signing patches.
Doug Matthews racing Bu.97359 at Reno. (photo by Frank Mormillo)
On Saturday, September 22nd, 2012, Obie climbed aboard Bu.97359 and expertly brought the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 to life. In the previous ten years, Obie had logged over 100 hours at the controls of MAM’s FG-1D, but this flight was different. It was special. He was once again about to fly the very same Corsair that he flew into the teeth of Communist AAA nearly six decades before. Dough and Greg had already taken off in the T-6 camera ship and as they came around the pattern, Obie poured the coals to the 2,000-hp radial and climbed into the clear California sky. At breakfast that morning, Doug jokingly said he’d arranged to have an LSO by the runway to grade his landing. There was no LSO, but at the completion of the photo flight, O’Brien made a crisp overhead break and flew a textbook arcing carrier pattern to a perfect landing.
When Obie shut down the Corsair in front of Doug’s hangar, there were cheers and applause for the silver-haired warrior. After more backslaps, handshakes, and pictures, Obie sat down in a lounge chair with a cold drink of water. While the FAST participants began briefing their next flight, Obie stared at “his” Corsair parked on the ramp. One could almost see the memories that were racing through his mind. In the years that followed this historic and emotional event, Obie quietly retired from flying and Doug Matthews sold the Corsair to a new owner.
VOUGHT F4U-7 CORSAIR Bu.No. 133710
F4U-7 Bu.133710 at NAS Karouba, circa 1953. (photo Claude Requi)
This second F4U-7 to appear on Black Sheep rolled off the Grand Prairie production line 17 aircraft behind Blue Max, and arrived at NAS Karouba, Tunisia on November 20th, 1953. Although it cannot be confirmed, it is believed that ‘710 was involved in combat operations in Indochina, Egypt, and Algeria.
<img class="size-full wp-image-26992" src="http://www.warbirdsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/F4U-7-133710-Arrives-MCAS-Quantico-VA-AUG-1964-1.jpg" alt="Bu.133710 arriving by barge at MCB Quantico in August, 1964. (photo via Stephen Chapis)" width="1400" height="1259" srcset="http://www.w