by Paul F. Whitman
Large Format Landscape 13 x 11 in, 33 x 28 cm format, 240 pages.
In 1980 I joined the Confederate Air Force based at Harlingen, Texas as a means of getting involved with WWII aircraft. Being of a photographic bent, I figured that being included in their Photo Team would give me an advantage in getting rides, and it did.
I also figured that my trip to the US would be my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue warbirds. Fortunately, I was misinformed, and other trips followed. (Yes, I am one of those tragics who not only stops and looks at airplanes, I will fly six thousand miles and drive a few thousand more to do so.)
The Photo Team had a downside, though. We were required to shoot slide film exclusively, and all films had to be turned in after each assignment. "Private shots" were verbotten on aircraft, and private images were allowed only out of official hours. So I took home many more memories than I had photographs to show. Consequently, more than 35 years later, this retrospective has some holes in it. Nonetheless, I hope this collection gives a hint of just how much fun it truly was.
This book isn't about the CAF, nor even about my journey in 1980. The CAF was just the front door. Entering it, I encountered my "flights of fantasy" - those seeds of imagination which remain with me still.
As an Author's draft, this has not been released for sale.
