It has a new cover, new chapter-opening illustrations, a greatly expanded index, a new publisher and a new ISBN. Otherwise, it's the same collection of fascinating stories of the PBY Catalina's accomplishments in World War II, as told by her crewmembers.

Mel Crocker, an aviation radioman in PBY Squadron 12 (VP12) in the South Pacific, spent eleven years collecting stories from crewmen who grew to love and respect this versatile aircraft. The result was Black Cats and Dumbos; WWII's Fighting PBYs, published in 1987 by Tab Aero Books.

The book saw two relatively small printings, but was well received, even inspiring one of the PBY web sites online today..

Mel Crocker's eldest son, Gary, was encouraged for several years by PBY veterans and aircraft enthusiasts to make it available to the public once again. Gary and his wife, Lynda, have released it through their multimedia business, Crocker Media Expressions.

Black Cats and Dumbos can be purchased online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble as well as other book dealers.