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American Aviation Art
America-Art-Prints  Aviation Art |
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Aviation art prints of the United States Air Force by renowned aviation artists. |
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Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian. The relief of Bastogne turned the tide in the Battle of the Bulge and Hitlers final great offensive of World War II lay in ruins. P47 Thunderbolts of the 406th Fighter Group, in company with P38 Lightnings, support the advancing armor of General George Pattons US Third Army as they prepare to relieve the battered 101st Airborne Division from their heroic defence of Bastogne during the final climax to the Battle of the Bulge, 24 December 1944. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest land battles of WWII with more than a million American, British and German troops involved, incurring huge casualties on all sides and this release pays tribute to the sacrifice of Allied Forces, during this important milestone in World War II. Published 2005. |
The Navy Earns its Wings by Stan Stokes. Stunt pilot Eugene B. Ely, a former race car driver, worked for the Curtiss Aircraft Company as a demonstration pilot in 1910, only seven years after the Wright Brothers first flight. Ely, a tall, lantern-jawed, individual was excited about the possibility of flying an aircraft off a ship. Glen Curtiss believed that such an attempt wood be fool hearty, and the Secretary of the Navy refused to allocate any funds for such a stunt. Although Ely couldn't swim, the pilot exuded the cocky self-confidence typical of early flyers. Ely persisted in his quest and finally got the Navys first Director of Aviation to allow Ely to utilize the USS Birmingham for one day. On November 14, 1910 an 83-foot ramp was constructed over the ships forecastle. Ely readied his Curtiss pusher biplane for the momentous attempt. As bad weather began to close in the impatient flyer decided that he could not wait for the Birmingham to get underway. Ely, appropriately suited in a football helmet, fired up the engine of his fragile aircraft, strapped himself aboard, and signaled for his plane to be released. The Curtiss pusher rumpled down the short ramp, which was unfortunately downward sloping. The observers gasped as the small airplane dropped over the bow, and skimmed over the waves, and finally made it into the air. A few months later in January of 1911 Ely was determined to make the first landing of an aircraft on a ship. This time the event would take place in San Francisco harbor, and the landing would take place on the USS Pennsylvania. The date was January 18, 1911 and the exact time was 10:00 AM. A platform of about 120 feet in length was build on the stern of the Navy cruiser. A series of ropes connected to sand bags on either end were run across this ramp. Ely took off in his Curtiss pusher from a local Army airfield in San Bruno. He was bundled in heavy clothing, and because he could not swim, Ely had fashioned a bicycle inner tube into a self-made life preserver. The pilot made his way out into the Bay in his fragile craft. Spotting the Pennsylvania surrounded by dozens of spectator ships, Ely lined-up his fragile craft with the stern of the vessel, which was crowded with seamen anxious to see a first. About fifty feet short of the deck, Ely cut his throttle, but a gust of wind ballooned his flying machine. Not losing his cool, Ely held his landing altitude and snagged the 26th rope with his simple landing hook. The Curtiss stopped in about thirty feet. The sailors and onlookers cheered the event, which was declared a milestone in flight by both the ships Captain and later that day by the San Francisco press. After a nice lunch with the Captain, Ely fired up his engine and took off from the Pennsylvania, having become Americas first naval aviator. |
Show of Strength by Stan Stokes. Following The War to End All Wars military expenditures were severely curtailed, and only limited funds were available to support new military aviation projects. A number of important issues, which would influence the future of aviation, were debated in both public and private forums during this period. One related to the general importance of the role of aircraft in future military conflicts. A second was the relative importance of bombers vs. pursuit aircraft, and another issue affecting aviation was the rivalry between the Navy and the Army. One of the tactics utilized by the Armys Air Corps during this period to generate positive public support for its efforts, was the massing of large airborne armadas to impress the general populace. Many such fly overs took place during this period, and many were quite extravagant in terms of the sheer number of aircraft assembled for the displays. In Stan Stokes painting appropriately entitled A Show of Strength, one of these fly overs takes place over Boston in the mid-1930s. The aircraft featured in the scene is the Martin B-10 bomber. This aircraft, although a bit funny-looking by todays standards, was unique in many respects. Designated by its designer as the Martin Model 123, it was designed as a speculation by Martin, and a prototype was given to the Air Corps for evaluation in 1932. Called the XB-907 by the Army, the prototype could attain a top speed of 197-MPH. Later modifications included more powerful, cowling-covered, Cyclone engines, and a slightly larger wing surface. A gun turret was also added to the nose, and the top speed was enhanced to 207-MPH, an impressive figure for that time. Martin won the coveted Collier Trophy for this design, but more important to the company was the award of an initial contract for 48 production versions of the aircraft. The aircraft began to reach operational units in 1935, and additional orders for more than another 100 B-10B variants were placed. Powered by twin 775-HP 9-cylinder radials, the B-10B could carry a maximum bomb load of 2,200 pounds, had a range of 590 miles, an operational ceiling of 24,000 feet, and a maximum speed of 213-MPH. This was a good sized aircraft for the time with its 71-foot wingspan and 45-foot length. In 1936 the Government authorized the B-10 for export and more than one hundred B-10s were sold overseas, with the largest numbers going to the Netherlands Antilles, Argentina, Turkey, and China. Some of these models were modified to utilize one long green house canopy instead of the two utilized on the fuselage of the standard versions. The production life of the B-10 was cut short by the introduction of the Douglas B-18 and Boeing B-17, which were more advanced designs. Also shown in Stans painting escorting the B-10 bombers over Boston are two 1930 vintage Air Corps pursuit planes; the Boeing P-26 pea shooter monoplane, and the Curtiss P-6 Hawk biplane. |
Fortress at Rest by Richard Taylor. The bomber crews of the US Eighth Air Force rightfully earned their place in the annals of aviation history through heroism and devotion to duty. Flying their first mission from England on Independence Day, 4th July 1942, using A-20 Havocs borrowed from the RAF, until their final full scale mission of the war on 25th April 1945, the bomber crews of the Eighth had become one of the most highly decorated military organisations of the war with 17 Medal of Honor recipients and 66 Distinguished Unit Citation awards. By the end of the war, the Mighty Eighth was the largest air unit ever assembled, and their heroic efforts had played a major role in the destruction of Hitler's Third Reich. But, with almost 6,000 heavy bombers lost, the cost of victory had come at an enormous price - only one in three airmen had survived the air battle over Europe. Here, a brief moment of reprieve for the bomber crews as deep overnight snow temporarily grounds the Mighty Eighth during the bitter winter of 1944. With the morning sunlight glinting across the snow-covered landscape, a B-17G Flying Fortress of the 398th Bomb Group stands quietly near the perimeter of RAF Nuthampstead, awaiting the thaw that will allow the flying to begin again. |
Tail End Charlie by Stan Stokes. E.W. Bruce was a B-24 Liberator commander with the 704th Bomb Squadron, of the 446th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force. His squadron was based at Bungay in East Anglia. On the morning of January 29, 1944 a hush falls over the bomb crews in Bruces squadron as the intelligence officer unveils the mission map for the days activities. An all out maximum force raid on Frankfurt. When formation positions are assigned the tail-end-charlie spot goes to Bruce piloting the Hula Wahine. Low clouds are expected at 5000 feet, and the bombing run will most likely be made with radar. Hopefully the weather will keep the Lufwaffes fighters on the ground. Bruces group is at the end of the formation, so he is the last plane of several hundred on the bomb run. The group increases air speed and altitude as it approaches Frankfurt. Within minutes of the target Bruces B-24 loses the supercharger on its No.2 engine. They begin to trail the formation and lose altitude. Suddenly the supercharger fails on the B-24s No 3 engine. Shifting to full power on the No 1 and No 4 engines, a condition they can maintain for only a few precious minutes, Bruces crew delivers its payload over the target. Seconds later the turbos give out on the two remaining engines, and Bruce puts his B24 into a fast power dive. He needs to get down to low altitude feet so his engines will function. As the B-24 hurtles towards the earth at 300MPH two Me-210 fighters close in fast. The Liberators right waist gunner, Sgt. McLaughlin opens fire and sets one of the 210s afire, while the other leaves the scene with a P-38 on his tail. The B-24 makes it safely to the relative comfort of cloud cover and a course is set back to England. After several minutes the Liberator leaves the protective cloud cover, and Bruce elects to fly at tree-top level to avoid detection. Sgt. Jones, the left waist gunner yells bandits at 8 oclock! All hell breaks loose for a few moments. Sgt. McGuire, the engineer and top gunner, is injured as well as both waist gunners during the attack. Bruce unsuccessfully attempts to radio for potential friendly fighter support. The B-24 flies on around the outskirts of Liege, and closer to home. Minutes later they have a bandit at 6 oclock. The tail gunners guns are not firing properly, and an Fw-190 opens up with everything its got. The Liberator flies on in a virtual sea of tracers. Time seems to slowdown, as Bruce sees a thatched roof, half-timber farmhouse dead ahead. The B-24 is dead center with the upstairs bedroom window, as the 190s tracers tear across the farmhouse roof. Bruce puts the B-24 into a steep bank, and misses the farmhouse by a few feet. The prop wash blows chickens and chicken feathers everywhere. For a moment it feels more like a pillow fight than a life and death struggle. The 190 breaks off to make another run. Bruce turns directly into him, and the surprised 190 pilot wings over and flies parallel again. On his next pass, Bruce banks steeply and rolls out fast. Its now a free for all - somebodys going to die. The 190 approaches again without firing. Possibly out of ammunition, the 190 appears to be attempting to ram the B-24. Bruces bombardier/nose gunner, Lt. Pretty, opens up on the Jerry. The B-24s bullets tear into the 190s engine, across the fuselage and into the cockpit. The 190 spins out of control and goes down. Bruce manages to get his bird back to England, and puts her down in a belly landing at Depling. The crew is awarded a Silver Star, a DFC, two Air Medals, and four Purple Hearts for the mission; a routine day for a Tail-End Charlie. |
Opening Sky by Robert Taylor. With the morning sun glinting on their fuselages, P-51 Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group cross the Dutch coastline far below, as they head back towards their base at Duxford, England at the end of a long sweep east of the Rhine crossing, Spring 1945. The final months of the war in Europe lie ahead, and for the P-51 pilots victory is within sight. Finally, after years of toil, the sky was theirs. |
Lockheed SR-71A 64-17973 of 9th SRW, USAF by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item |
Devastating Thunder by Brian Bateman. Colonel Steve Pisanos and his wingman in their P-47 Thunderbolts take an opportunity to attack a German train in France, 1944. |
Roam at Will by Anthony Saunders. Returning to base after an arduous escort mission, Captain Art Fiedler leads a flight of P51 Mustangs from the 325th Fighter Group - the Checkertail Clan - through the Po Valley in northern Italy seeking out targets of opportunity amongst the retreating Axis forces, July 1944. When in December 1943 the 325th Fighter Group, the Checkertail Clan, had moved into south-eastern Italy they were soon escorting American bombers on long range missions deep into occupied Europe. In two years of air combat the Checkertails soon became one of the crack units in the Fifteenth Air Force, destroying a staggering 537 enemy aircraft in the air, and accounting for many more on the ground. |
USS Ranger by Ivan Berryman. Two F14 Tomcats of VF-1 pass in close formation over the stern of the veteran USS Ranger (CV-61) |
Sentimental Journey by Stan Stokes. The distinctive tri-tailed Lockheed Constellation, viewed by many as the epitome of piston-engine airliners, was the brain child of Howard Hughes who controlled Transcontinental & Western Airlines. Hughes drew up the initial specifications for this aircraft which was designed under the guidance of C.L. Kelly Johnson. As one of the largest airplanes designed up to that point, the Connie had a number of firsts including hydraulically boosted controls, high lift wing flaps, and a fully pressurized cabin. The prototype was completed in 1942, but all production was shifted to military applications. Designated the C-69 by the USAAF, the Connie carried Orville Wright on his final flight during its service trials. The aircraft was well received and immediately set a number of performance records. With the end of the War, and the onset of the post war recession, the Connie was almost canceled. FAA certification was granted on October 14, 1945. For safety purposes, due to past fire problems with the R-3350 engines, fire detection and extinguishing systems were added. The Model 49 had a maximum takeoff weight of 86,250 lbs. Eighty-eight Model 49s were sold, with TWA and Pan Am accounting for more than half the sales. The Constellation did not have a good safety record in its first few years of operation. One unusual accident occurred when the Plexiglas astrodome broke while the navigator was taking a fix. The navigator was, unfortunately, blown out of the aircraft. With the Model 649 Lockheed utilized more powerful engines, and for the first time utilized a rubber barrier between the inner and outer skins to reduce vibration. The 649 was faster, more economical, and had a much more comfortable cabin than the first Connie. Eighteen of these aircraft were delivered to Eastern. An improved version of the 649 was introduced in response to the DC-6, and was designated as the Model 749. This model had much greater fuel capacity and range. More than one hundred of these airliners were delivered. The Model 1049, or Super Constellation, was first delivered in 1952. It was basically a Model 749 which had been stretched some eighteen feet. Increased fuel capacity and more powerful engines were utilized. Unfortunately, the initial 1049s, with a gross maximum takeoff weight of 120,000 lbs, were slower than the DC-6. Only twenty-four Model 1049s were built. In 1953 Lockheed incorporated turbo-compound engines on the Model 1049C. This upped cruising speed to nearly 300 MPH, and takeoff weight by an additional 10%. Forty-eight of these aircraft were built, but the engines suffered from reliability problems. The major production model of the Super Connie was the 1049G. The G had 609 gallon wing tip tanks which added an additional 700 miles to the Connies range. The G Model also utilized square windows. The first 1049G flew in 1954. TWA purchased 28 of the 102 Super-Gs which were built. A total of 856 Connies, including military versions, were produced. The aircraft was phased out by major airlines prior to its useful life being reached because of the introduction of passenger jets. TWA phased out all its Constellations by 1963. In Stan Stokes magnificent painting, a TWA Super Connie departs San Francisco in 1957 for points unknown. |
Victory Flyover by Robert Taylor. The mass flyover, Toyko Bay, 1945, heralding the surrender on board USS Missouri. |
USS Independence by Randall Wilson. USS Independence launches multiple aircraft, RA5C Vigilante from the waist cat, and a Crusader from the bow while deployed in the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam. |
Berlin Bound by Anthony Saunders. In 1944 Berlin was probably the most defended city in the world. The Luftwaffe had kept what reserves it had for planes to defend Berlin. On March 6th, 1944, The USAAF were involved in the massive air raid on Berlin, 69 B17s were lost - but the Luftwaffe lost 160 planes. Whereas the US 8th Air Force could recover from these aircraft losses, the German Luftwaffe could not. By the end of the war, the 8th Air Force and the Royal Air Force had destroyed 70% of Berlin. |
First Strike on Berlin by Nicolas Trudgian. The first successful daylight raid on Berlin. Nicolas Trudgians painting relives the fearsome aerial combat on March 6, 1944, as B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 100th B.G. are attacked. Screaming in head-on, Fw190s of II./JG I charge into the bomber stream. With throttles wide open, 56th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolts come hurtling down to intercept. B-17 gunners are working overtime, the air is full of cordite, smoke, jagged pieces of flying metal and hot lead. We are in the midst of one of the fiercest aerial battles of the war. |
Miracle in the Sand Dunes by Stan Stokes. Orville and Wilbur Wright were two enterprising Americans from the Midwest who made a living operating a bicycle shop. They were fascinated with the possibility of flight and they built their first glider in 1900. They were inspired by the work of a German, Otto Lilienthal, who had studied the wing and had built effective gliders that had reached more than 1000 feet in altitude. Following Lilienthals death the torch of aeronautical progress was passed to an American civil engineer named Octave Chanute. The French-born Chanute had come to America in 1838, and only became interested in flight in 1889. In 1894 he published a book entitled Progress in Flying Machines, which became the reference manual for all potential future aeronautical pioneers. Another early pioneer was Samuel P. Langley. He was a professor who became Secretary of the Smithsonian in 1887. In 1891 he began to experiment in aeronautics, and by 1896 he had developed a number of large powered flying models that he launched from a boat on the Potomac River. Langley received $50,000 from the War Department in 1897 to build a man-carrying aircraft. By October of 1903 Langleys Aerodrome was completed and prepared for a catapult launching on the Potomac. Despite careful preparations a line snagged during take off and the craft immediately crashed. Two months later on December 8, 1903 Langley made a final try with a rebuilt Aerodrome. This time the aircraft split into two upon launching. The Wright brothers developed a rudimentary wind tunnel to test their glider designs. This also helped the Wrights understand how to control an aircraft during flight, a small detail often overlooked by other early pioneers - sometimes with fatal consequences. On December 17, 1903 the Wright Brothers took their latest aircraft powered with a small petrol engine to the Kill Devil Hills sand dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Winning the coin toss Wilbur won the honors for the first flight. On a cold and windy December morning the small engine was started and the aircraft was launched down a short wooden monorail track. The machine lifted into the air and remained airborne for about 12 seconds. Covering a mere 120 feet. Three more flights occurred that day, the last lasting nearly one minute and covering more than 850 feet. History would mark this as the beginning of the aviation age, as the advent of controlled powered flight in heavier than air aircraft. By 1908 the Wright Brothers had received an Army contract for more than $30,000 to build Wright Flyers. Unfortunately, the Wrights would spend most of their latter years in legal patent fights with aviation pioneer Glen Curtiss. Curtiss went on to build a successful aviation company, whereas the Wright Brothers were relegated to a lesser role. |
Above and Beyond by Philip West. The SR-71 Blackbird is the worlds fastest and highest flying jet aircraft. For over 23 years, the SR-71s gathered highly classified intelligence around the world for the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon and other governmental agencies, allowing them to make crucial decisions during the Cold War. |
Greek Victory by Brian Bateman. Steve Pisanos, flying P-47 QP-D, is depicted pulling away swiftly after a victory over an FW-190 in late December 1944 over northern Germany. This was Steve's fourth victory, one victory short on an ace, which would come later in the P-51. |
The Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. The 56th Fighter Group was led by some of Americas greatest fighter leaders of World War II and was home to many of its leading fighter Aces. Under successive commanders Hub Zemke, Robert Landry and David Schilling, the 56th destroyed more enemy aircraft in combat than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force. Arriving in England in January 1943 under the command of Colonel Hub Zemke, a master tactician and fearless leader, the 56th quickly emerged as an outstanding fighting unit. The only Eighth Air Force Group to fly P-47 Thunderbolts throughout the war, the 56th spawned more fighter Aces than any other USAAF group - legends such as Gabby Gabreski, Robert Johnson and the colourful Ace Walker Bud Mahurin. Under Hub Zemkes mercurial leadership they became known and feared as Zemkes Wolfpack. On 26 November, 1943, the P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group were tasked to escort B-24 Liberators of the 392nd Bomb Group on a dangerous mission to attack the heavily defended industrial and dockyard facilities in the German port of Bremen. Zemke knew the Luftwaffe would be waiting for them as they approached the target, and they were - in force! It was to become a day of high drama. With the Luftwaffe throwing all the fighters they could muster at the American heavy bombers, a massive aerial battle ensued. In the running dogfights high over Bremen, the Wolfpack claimed their most successful action of the war with 23 confirmed kills, 3 probables, and 9 damaged, creating an all-time record in the European Theatre. The 392nds B-24 Liberators could not have been in safer hands on that eventful day. |
B-17 Memphis Belle by Keith Woodcock. The Memphis Belle, a Boeing-built B-17F-10-BO, manufacturer's serial number 3470, USAAC Serial No.41-24485, was added to the USAAF inventory on 15th July 1942 and delivered in September 1942 to the 91st Bombardment Group at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. She deployed to Prestwick, Scotland, on 30th September 1942, moving to a temporary base at RAF Kimbolton on 1st October, and then finally to her permanent base at Bassingbourn, England, on 14th October. Each side of the fuselage bore the unit and aircraft identification markings of a B-17 of the 324th Bomb Squadron (Heavy); the squadron code 'DF' and individual aircraft letter 'A'. Captain Robert K. Morgan's crew flew 29 combat missions with the 324th Bomb Squadron, all but four in the Memphis Belle. The aircraft's 25 missions were: 7 November 1942 - Brest, France 9 November 1942 - St. Nazaire, France 17 November 1942 - St. Nazaire, France 6 December 1942 - Lille, France 20 December 1942 - Romilly-sur-Seine, France 30 December 1942 - Lorient, France (flown by Lt. James A. Verinis) 3 January 1943 - St. Nazaire, France 13 January 1943 - Lille, France 23 January 1943 - Lorient, France[ 14 February 1943 - Hamm, Germany 16 February 1943 - St. Nazaire, France 27 February 1943 - Brest, France 6 March 1943 = Lorient France 12 March 1943 - Rouen, France 13 March 1943 - Abbeville, France 22 March 1943 - Wilhelmshaven, Germany 28 March 1943 - Rouen, France] 31 March 1943 - Rotterdam, Netherlands 16 April 1943 - Lorient, France 17 April 1943 - Bremen, Germany] 1 May 1943 - St. Nazaire, France 13 May 1943 - Meaulte, France (flown by Lt. C.L. Anderson) 14 May 1943 - Kiel, Germany (flown by Lt. John H. Miller) 15 May 1943 - Wilhelmshaven, Germany 17 May 1943 - Lorient, France 19 May 1943 - Kiel, Germany (flown by Lt. Anderson) |
Tribute to Clyde East by Ivan Berryman. Clyde East joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and by 1942 was flying P-51 Mustangs with No.414 Sqn RCAF in England. He then transferred to the US Air Force, joining the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He is shown here in P.51D Mustang 44-14306 5M-K, 'Lil Margaret', April 1945. In more than 200 missions he scored 13 victories, later serving in Korea flying RF-80 Shooting Stars and retiring in 1965. He died in 2014. |
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