Eric Thake (see a brief earlier post here) was an Australian official war artist working with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the latter part of the Pacific War. Unlike many other war artists, he chose to make a significant proportion of his formal, main output as depictions of aircraft wreckage. Almost uniquely, Thake…
Month: July 2019
Metal Fist Thunderbolt
Today the cover of a pilot’s type instructional manual, here the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. What makes it of interest is the decision to create a remarkable mailed fist background to the profile drawing of the machine. James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer. Via Matt Savage, Mach One Photography.
Bam – Break
Today’s poster is one of an important genre, the war pilot instructional type. A German Messerschmitt Bf 109 pilot attacking a well advised American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Clear, blunt advice, including a pixie on a cloud. Memorable? They certainly hoped so. James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer. Internet find.
Rising Wind
Today a still from Hano Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises film. Loosely based on the biography of the designer of the Mitsubishi ‘Zero’ fighter, it’s an aeronautical design fest, even if very free with real history and some design. Other aspects are bang on, and some, such as the Caproni dream relationship feature often forgotten aircraft…
Big Taliedo Aviation Day
Today’s Poster. Interesting that the aircraft in the ground line-up have a variety of planforms. 8 Luglio, 1934 Grande Giornnata Aviatoria, Taliedo. Major Aviation Day, 8 July, 1934. James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer. Internet find.
White Star – Red Stars
Today’s Poster is another on the Soviet aviation’s soaring air forces theme, as seen earlier here. Entitled ‘Glory to the Soviet Aviators!’ by a B. Reshetnikov, it’s a remarkable array of then current (1973) Soviet aircraft, stretching back to even before the revolution of 1917, with the lowest left aircraft being one of the pre-Great…
Junkers to the Beach
Today’s poster might seem familiar… This one is a mid-twenties poster, measuring 47×66 cm, made for Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, the forerunner of today’s German national flag carrier Lufthansa, and is by Hans Vogel who painted a number of other notable Luft Hansa posters, among other art. With the tagline ‘Fliegt in die Bäder’ (Fly…
Forward Pilot
A pilot sculptural bust, near life-size today. Listed by the vendors as a ‘Rare large bronze sculpture of a pilot. Marble base. Excellent condition. Signed in the bronze and engraved “bronze”. Circa 1930. 35cm 30cm 18.5cm. Created by Russian sculptor Ghanu H. Gantcheff. Gantcheff was schooled in Paris and worked in the early 20th century…
Boston Ditch
We’re all familiar with the aircraft safety card, with their carefully crafted version of what may happen – and what you should do – in a ditching where the aircraft has to land on water. Today’s poster is an earlier incarnation, from a military aircraft that was far more likely for the crew to need…
Gascogne, Air France
Here’s another inter-war airline timetable, this one of Air France, thanks to Phil Vabre, who mentions that these used to included in Shell Aviation News in the 1930s. Again, it’s a notable piece of commercial art, with a lot of interesting detail. (The signature lower left seems to be ‘Vinci’.) On the unfortunate side, the…
A Year of Aviation Illustration & Art 