This is an incomplete list and a work in progress, which will be updated progressively. Please feel free to make suggestions or corrections in the comments section ! Typically, presentation names were painted in yellow capital letters with a height of four inches, but there were many exceptions to this “rule”. I’ll be writing a…Continue reading Presentation Spitfires
Category: Illustrations
The Brewster Buffalo
Although the maligned Brewster Buffalo’s performances did not place it at the front of the pack, it was nevertheless a robust and capable aircraft whose poor reputation is undeserved. The Finns proved the aircraft was a fighter to be respected, with 36 Finnish pilots becoming aces on the Buffalo. These profiles were created for the…Continue reading The Brewster Buffalo
The most famous aircraft of all time ?
“Memphis Belle” was a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress and one of the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions. It was named after pilot Robert K Morgan’s girlfriend Margaret Polk, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee. After completing its tour of operations, the aircraft returned to the US for a war bond tour and propaganda. After…Continue reading The most famous aircraft of all time ?
Spitfire Mk Vs of the Royal Air Force’s Norwegian squadrons
The Spitfire Mk V was used by several Norwegian-manned Royal Air Force squadrons during the war. Here are a few profiles created for Phil Listemann’s book on the topic, Squadrons ! No 32 The Supermarine Spitfire Mk V – The Norwegians.
The Beast has arrived
I’ve recently finished creating the template of one of World War II’s most maligned aircraft design: the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, also known as the Beast due to its size and looks. Studying the SB2C’s history was very interesting, and shows that some (but not all) of the criticism against the Helldiver and Curtiss was truly…Continue reading The Beast has arrived
Revisiting “Kit” Carson’s “Nooky Booky IV”
I recently had to revisit “Nooky Booky IV”, the fourth and last Mustang assigned to Leonard Kyle “Kit” Carson when he was with the 357th Fighter Group. I had already made a profile of his aircraft, P-51K-5-NT serial number 44-11622, nearly a decade ago: There are many pictures of “Nooky Booky IV”, which show interesting…Continue reading Revisiting “Kit” Carson’s “Nooky Booky IV”
Two-seat Spitfires
I’ve recently been working on the Spitfire’s two-seat variants. Some of the resulting profiles will have to wait a bit before they can be published, but here are already two profiles of the most famous twin-seat Spitfire : ML407, also know as the “Grace Spitfire”.
Is This Trip Necessary ? – A good motto for the day and an ever better mystery
This profile is oddly pertinent in the current climate of social distancing, lockdowns and isolation. This is P-51D-20-NA serial number 44-63289, which belonged to the 531st Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group, and was named “Is This Trip Necessary ?”. Starting in April 1945, the 21st Fighter Group was escorting B-29 Superfortresses over mainland Japan in…Continue reading Is This Trip Necessary ? – A good motto for the day and an ever better mystery
The TB-30 Epsilon, a little late !
Last summer, I presented a work in progress of the SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon, but never got around to showing the finished work. I’ll correct this omission now, with a series depicting the Epsilon in French air force service. France operated 150 of these nice-looking trainers from 1983 to 2019. They were a crowd favorite at…Continue reading The TB-30 Epsilon, a little late !
A hammered Hellcat
This Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat was photographed as it was stopped by the USS Lexington’s crash barrier on 25 February 1945. The aircraft was substantially damaged, the photo showing the right wingtip being torn off while cables tear through the left wing and rear fuselage. I was not able to find much more information regarding this…Continue reading A hammered Hellcat