Aircrew mascots and lucky charms aren’t rare, and take a huge variety of forms. Wartime aircrew mascots are, of course, more likely because the very evidently arbitrary risk of death or injury whatever other steps one might take. Here’s a great example from the RAF Museum collection, seen in 2008 at the RAF Museum Cosford….
Month: November 2019
Korea Triangles
Just some shapes today. MiG 15 and Sabre Wings James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.
Look Mighty
Today’s Poster : ‘We Protect the Air Borders!’ James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer. From Soviet Visuals on Twitter here.
Get A Pilot Husband
Today’s cover illustration, The Australian magazine Woman’s Day and Home, November 20, 1950. Often unintentional ironies appear in coverline clashes in magazines, but this one has also become slightly more intense with time. A little serious insight to the reality behind being a ‘cover star’. Doug Morrison writes “Old friend Max Garroway 2nd from right….
HotA Conference
Very excited to be presenting the Year of Aviation Illustration blog’s year to date at the Heritage of the Air (HotA!) Conference in Canberra tomorrow. That’s a LOT to show and tell in 5 minutes, but it’ll be fun. James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.
To the Airport Of Yesteryear
Today’s an airport hotel, a retro effort that my good friend August Horvath brought to my attention on Instagram here. His comment: “I don’t know if the crazy @twahotel venture at @jfkairport will succeed, but it sure is done in style. From the elevator that pretends to be a time machine, to the access tube,…
Vimy Ere – Here!
Today a slightly detailed and slightly-serifed set of letters, almost an abstract design. Because also today, 100 years ago, four young men lifted off in their aircraft from Hounslow aerodrome near London at 8 am on 12 November 1919, and headed to their homeland, Australia, literally on the other side of the world. They’d just…
Plane Wallpaper
Another first today, original wallpaper Shared by Don Richardson on America in the 1940s Facebook group, this is a real insight to a really forgotten vernacular household style. Don stated: “We were repairing a water leak in our old house today and found this wallpaper way down deep!” The Statue of Liberty looks like a…
Imperial Tube
Today’s Poster has an obvious heritage, that of Henry Beck’s iconic London Underground map. Previously ‘forgotten’, it’s an interesting take on the airline and public transport route map concept; something that has much more social history than is often realised. From the new “Airline Maps: A Century of Art & Design” book, details here. There’s…
Belgian Bulldog Breed
Today’s a very early example of aircraft nose art, and something rarely seen in normal anthologies of the genre. A fine painting on the very nose of the nacelle of a Aviation Militaire Belge (Belgische militaire luchtvaart or Belgian Air Arm) Farman F-41. Poster Zdeněk Skolil confirms it’s pilot 1st Sergeant Viscomte Maximilien Vilain XIII…
A Year of Aviation Illustration & Art 