I have been collecting WW2 Aviation items since the mid 1990's. This passion stems from several sources, but the prominent seed sprouts from my great grandfather Emory Lawrence Archer. His love of aircraft dates back to the late 1920's and carries with him until his death in 1968. As an airport owner and restorer of many small engine airplanes, he taught many people how to fly in the dust-filled skies of Western Oklahoma. One of those pilots included my mother.

 

Fast forward few or four decades and I find myself in conversation with aviation historian, Jon Maguire, writer of a number of books through Schiffer Publishing. Jon liked my artwork and asked me to illustrate the intro chapter pages to a book he was working on– Goonie Birds and Ferry Tales, The Story of the 27th Air Transport Group. An avid collector of old dusty stuff himself, Jon mentored me through the trenches of starting my own collection. 

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My current collection has been trimmed and gleaned in such a way that it doesn't require every variation of flight helmet or goggle used during the war, but focuses on the story. I gravitate towards flying log books, personal journals, and photographs. I do have flight helmets and goggles, but they are selected because of their rarity or named to an individual airman. The fun begins after the find as I enjoy researching the individual and the pilot's squadron, along with the operations that he carried out.