More Little Lambs – Baa Baa Black Sheep Revisited

UPDATE: The Baa Baa Black Sheep book is currently in the works, the expected release date is September 21, 2024. If you would like to be notified and get your copy before anyone else, please click here

More Little Lambs – Baa Baa Black Sheep Revisited

by Stephen Chapis

Back in 2013, Warbird Digest #49 published my article Poor Little Lambs, which detailed the histories of the eight Corsairs which appeared in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep. The article also included never-before-published anecdotes from four of the pilots who flew those wonderful Bent-Wing Birds across our television screens in 36 episodes between September 1976 and April 1978. Those nearly 5,000 words resulted from nearly two years of personal research and interviews, but once they were published, I put my notes away and moved on to the next project. I had no plans to revisit the subject, but every so often Baa Baa Black Sheep found its way back onto my computer screen. Sometimes it was the discovery of a new photo or a random nugget of information, but other times it was an e-mail or phone call from someone who was once associated with the show. I filed each new detail away, mostly out of personal interest – but slowly the archive of Black Sheep lore built up, seemingly awaiting another time for me to visit the story anew.  

And that time arrived on September 21st, 2016. On that day, the 40^th anniversary of the premiere of the show’s two-hour pilot, Flying Misfits, we posted my Poor Little Lambs story, in its original form, on back then WarbirdNews.com. Within hours, it became the most popular article ever published on either platform. And on every September 21st (two-hour pilot episode known as Episode 0) and 23rd (The series’ first one-hour episode – Episode 1 – BEST THREE OUT OF FIVE) since then, we have re-posted the article on social media – and each time its popularity has grown. It seemed clear that Baa Baa Black Sheep, despite its many faults, had a tremendously positive influence on thousands of young people during the 1970s.  

So in 2017, I decided that my ever-growing collection of Baa Baa Black Sheep-related information and photographs needed to be shared. However, there was simply too much information to fit into an anyone magazine article, so this archive will now form the basis of a book dedicated to the series – and that book is currently in the works! Presented here, on the 45^th anniversary of the airing of Episode One, Best Three Out of Five, is a sneak peek of what will feature in this in-depth, behind-the-scenes book about Baa Baa Black Sheep. I can’t wait to share the rest! The Baa Baa Black Sheep book is currently in the works, the expected release date is September 21, 2024. If you would like to be notified and get your copy before anyone else, please click here

UPDATE: The Baa Baa Black Sheep book is currently in the works, the expected release date is September 21, 2024. If you would like to be notified and get your copy before anyone else, please click here

Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor)

Website

Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.

After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.

Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.

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