Yes, it's been rather quiet here. The large number of updates to the lists received (for which I remain extremely grateful) and shifting priorities meant that the backlog increased rather than the opposite. In the end I just had to take a few steps back. But not to worry, this site is still alive and will remain so for a very long time!

It seems that Joe's website is now gone, which was going to happen sooner or later. That's why I started my own website in the first place. I don't know the exact circumstances but, in the end, it could be as simple as a cancelled contract with the internet provider. Fortunately, Joe's wife has sanctioned my website, as the continuation of his life's work, and is referring questions about the original web site to here. Thank you, Judith, we will keep Joe's work alive!

Of course, this site is much more than a copy of the lists as Joe left them behind. Many, many updates and new records have been added since, thanks to the many contributions received (and some own research).

I have, or will soon, remove(d) the aircraft profiles from the menu bar as they were. I know these pages are in demand, but I just can't find the time to properly format them in a way these pages deserve. Instead, I will refer to them as they have been preserved in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Who knows, in the future I will find the time after all.

On with the show. Hopefully the next update won't take as long as this one...

Oh...and my sincere apologies for any late replies to e-mails. As said...backlog! But rest assured that no comment or update is in vain, I will get to it (eventually)!

Time flies, another month has passed. It feels like it did in the wink of an eye, but when I think of all the work done on the lists then I know better. It has been like a marathon. Literally many hundreds of records have been added or corrected. And I don't mean for cosmetic reasons, but actual data!

As stated in the previous blog post, my first priority this month would be to work on the US Navy pages. Which I did. For me this heralded the end of "phase 1": all pages related to the serial number lists were converted to the new "look".

"Phase 2" is were I am now. Although I started to incorporate the updates I was happy to receive from day 1, there still was a large backlog. Not only did it take time for me to get up to speed, but also Joe had stopped updating his website in October last year but several contributors had of course continued to collect updates and (initially) send them to him. It's a lot, and shrinking the backlog will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks, at least. Having said that, dear folks, that does not mean you should not send me more updates!

Just two of many examples: many late 1940's and early 1950's USAF jets have been added, with more to come. Another big job was the massive amount of World War II updates. For instance check out the FY 42 Douglas-built B-17 Flying Fortresses (42-2964/3563 and 42-106984/107233), they're a fascinating read in their own right.

In the mean time... The month started with some cosmetic changes. The menu bar was pimped up a bit, and some statistics added. Should you ever wonder how much work was recently done on the serial number lists then just hover your mouse over the statistics icon in the upper right corner. More statistics may be added later, but unfortunately due to the way the lists are formatted it is impossible to show the actual number of records which have been added or changed. Or even how many records are actually in the lists....

You might also have noticed another new item on the menu: "Aircraft Types". Yes I know I have said that I would not touch the aircraft type monographs Joe had on his website too. Just too much work for me. But..there were actually a lot of people interested in these, and rightfully worried they may disappear over time. I had these downloaded together with the serial number lists back in December anyway, so why not show them as well. In due time, because it is not my highest priority at this time. I feel I owe it to the contributors to work on the serial number lists backlog first. Once that is completed I will start adding the monographs. Please note however that I will not update these, they will be exactly as Joe made them, to have them preserved.

And what's more on the radar? Basically what I listed in last month's blog. I also have a prototype working (in my head at least) of a kind of navigation widget which could make switching pages easier. I just need to build and test it. Even then it might not work for everyone and in every web browser, but I think it is worth to try out in due time.

That's it for now. Back to work, more lists to be updated!

It's been a month and a bit...since I learned of Joe Baugher's passing and wondered what could be done to preserve his aircraft serial number lists. Apart from feeling the loss of a member of the aviation enthusiasts community, and having regrets for never thanking Joe for his work, I also quite egoistically worried about the loss of his valuable website. Initially I intended to just keep a copy of his website for my own needs off-line, but quickly one thing let to another, and after encouraging words by many I decided to dive in deep and try to not only keep Joe's efforts alive but also to continue his work, if allowed to do so.

One, of several things I plan to do with this web site, apart from keeping improving and updating the serial number lists, is to go into more detail on how it all came to be, quite accidentally. But more on that later.

One month into the process, and quite some work has already been done. From the very start my intend has been to keep Joe's lists as original as possible, but improve on the "look-and-feel" somewhat and make the lists much more user-friendly to use and maintain. Nothing can degrade from Joe's work, but let's just say his website building skills left somewhat to be desired... I *believe* I have found a good balance between change what needs to be changed and keep what can be kept, but I also realise it is impossible to please everyone. There probably are people around who would be best pleased if the lists were to be translated into cuneiform script... Just kidding, in the end if the majority of people can live with the new look-and-feel, and I am happy with it, then it is okay for me!

Between developing the new look of the web site, a lot of serial lists pages have already been moved. Some were given a thorough look over, others were merely copied for a future more thorough revisit. I started with the US Coast Guard page, because that was small enough to quickly get a feel of how the end result would look like. Then I tackled all the Air Force pages. They have all been moved but oh boy there is still a lot of work to do on them... I did quite a lot of work on the "Captured Aircraft" section, reorganised and improved it, and moved it to a separate page. I'm quite happy with the result there.

What is left now are the US Navy pages. There are also abbreviations, references and what else have you not which need to be looked at and decided what to do with them. Joe had other aviation-related pages as well, with aircraft type histories, but those I will not touch or incorporate for the time being, if ever.

In the mean time...I am very happy to say that I am already receiving quite a lot of updates, regularly. I have no idea how many Joe used to get, say every week, but I am not complaining. Because the web site is still under development which requires part of my time I have a small backlog with updates already, but nothing to worry about. I am hoping over time, when word continues to get around about the "move" of Joe's lists, that more and more contributors will present themselves.

To everyone already contributing, and to all who might do so in the future: I thank you! Maybe Joe made it look like it was an one-man effort (no, seriously: he always gave credit as far as I can tell), it definitely is not. I'm only the caretaker of this project, the data comes from the community.

And finally...what is happening in the near future? Or rather: what do I plan to do? Not all ideas may in the end materialise, and besides the really important bits, in no particular order:

• Get to work on the US Navy pages.
• Wrap up the left-over content (abbreviations, references, credits) and put it somewhere.
• Create an "about" page (about this website, about Joe, maybe even about me).
• Create a kind of Frequently Asked Questions page. One thing I want to elaborate on is how people can contribute, and in which form would suit me the best. I am even thinking of (hoping) that people would be interesting in "adopting" a certain type of aircraft, or unit, or something similar.
• I am aware that there was (is) a search engine for Joe's serial number lists, made by another individual. I will be taking a look into incorporating a search option of my own.
• Photos will never be a part of the serial number lists, but I am thinking of adding a few to the introductory pages.

And...I'm open to suggestions, as always.

Future blog posts will certainly not be as elaborate as this one, but that will all depend on how much is happening with the web site.

Thank you Joe, for your massive amount of work and legacy.