Book excerpt: Some of the finest military warbirds in American aviation history are still flying in the Southern State of Alabama. Many of them are on display in a number of excellent air museums, or they have been mounted on pylons to stand as memorials to the many military aviators who called Alabama home. This handbook is designed to provide aviation enthusiasts with a simple locating guide on where to find Alabamays retired warbirds within the state. Many of the aircraft can be found in the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham; the United States Army Aviation Museum; the US Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville; Battleship Memorial Park at Mobile; Maxwell AFB Park at Montgomery; or in the hands of private owners and collectors. The handbook provides photographs of many of the aircraft preserved in Alabama, along with a brief description and history of its service within the US armed forces. The aircraft are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and aircraft type. Famous aircraft found on display in Alabama include the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird, and a number of very rare flying machines such as the gigantic one of a kind Boeing Vertol XCH-62 Heavy Lift Helicopter not found in other aviation museums.