During the latter half of 1941, a little more 300 young men and two women nurses made their way by at least five different ships to Rangoon, Burma, and then by train to an auxiliary British airfield just outside Toungoo, Burma. The men, recently discharged from the U.S. military by special order from the President […]
Art Report
A hard-won tribute: Painting captures a moment in time when a B-29 crew finds a safe haven
Aviation art often tells the story of a particular aircraft by depicting a specific moment in time. It can tell whatever the artist wants it to say – the beauty of flight, the horrors of war, or those last exhausting, but exhilarating, moments of flight when man finally returns to Earth after a very long […]
What is the greatest airplane?
First, you have to define “”greatest;”” that is, the greatest airplane in what respect? Bomber, fighter, transport, general aviation or the greatest fun to fly? The greatest bomber has got to be the Boeing B-52. It’s been our first-line bomber for nearly 60 years and, with modifications and upgrades, it’s expected to be around for […]
Bill Lear and surplus WWII aircraft-what’s the connection?
Finding the real story behind a specific work of art often can be as satisfying as a good mystery thriller, especially when seemingly unrelated events leads one to the image being depicted. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but there I was talking on the phone to William P. Lear Jr. During the conversation […]
A Brush With History
Popular Canadian artist Robert Bailey has finally come out with a book of his art titled “”A Brush With History.”” Not only does it tell about his circuitous route to becoming an aviation artist, it also provides background stories of how the pictures came into being and includes insights into World War II written by […]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
There is an old cliché, “”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”” This is especially true with art because it determines what a person surrounds himself with and enjoys every day on his walls. However, with aviation art, what one person likes is not necessarily the artistic style that appeals to another. So I’m […]
Sikorsky’s S-38: The Beauty and the Beast
Dave Paulley, who is known for Western art as well as aviation art, has an affinity for stories of the Golden Era of aviation – the late 1920s and 1930s. One of his favorite subjects is seaplanes because of their artistic beauty and the adventuresome stories they have to tell. One plane in particular, the […]
‘Black Cat’
Every picture has a story behind it and this one is no exception. In fact, it has more than one story. “”Black Cat”” by William Phillips is one of 10 paintings the artist did for the United States Postal Service for a series of stamps that depict “”American Advances in Aviation.”” A series of stamps […]
Where are the warbirds?
Someone recently told me that there are only 15 B-17s that are considered flyable today and less than three dozen more that are either on static display or are restorable derelicts. Can you imagine what an impressive sight it would be to see a formation of 12 to 15 B-17s fly by? However impressive such […]