Nothing dates faster than the future. The 1936 science fiction film ‘Things to Come’ featured several real aircraft in the present, and near future, and more, completely fictional aircraft as part of the narrative in the future, the last appearing in ‘2036’. A great run down of the various aeroplanes with stills are here in…
Tag: Aircraft Structure
Inside the Eagle
Inspired by a discussion on Twitter, here’s a selection of aircraft cutaway artwork, mainly from the British children’s magazine ‘Eagle’ most famous for the cartoon strip ‘Dan Dare’. [It was the era of the straight leading edge Avro Vulcan B1, and the carrier HMS Eagle.] Dare aside, the other highlight for most in the magazine…
Thake’s Shapes
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…
Abstract. Abstract?
Artwork from Charles Howard, ‘Abstraction in Flight’, 1942 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern art, thanks to Associate Professor Tracy Ireland. Tracy’s used this to promote the forthcoming Heritage of the Air conference in Canberra (details) and a fine mention it is too. It’s a neat artwork, and to anyone familiar with aircraft structures…
Albatross? Door. Desk?
Today we have another unusual item. It’s an office table the kind usually advertised as a ‘talking point’ though to be fair to the actual business (First Dibbs) who put it up for sale, they don’t say that. They know those who want one will REALLY want one. Everyone else is probably puzzled. That’s because…
Through the Prop
Something different again, thanks to my friend and colleague Chad Matthew Hill of Django Studios. Books with see-through pages, or pages that overlay onto the next are usually regarded as kids’ stuff, but here we can see a very adult use in explaining the complex mechanism of the Hamilton Standard ‘Hydromatic’ feathering propeller*. Here’s a…
Which Concorde?
The final shape for the Concorde’s wing was an ogee delta, and when viewed closely is a complex arrangement, including a downturned leading edge lip, as well as the reflexed leading edge line seen in plan view. But it wasn’t the only option, as seen here, in this row of model shapes considered by the…
Enhanced Kiwi
Something with a little extra, today. A bit of fun seen hung in the ceiling of a well known New Zealand restoration shop. The Kiwi RNZAF roundel (with two feet) came in during the 1960s, joining the RAAF’s kangaroo and the RCAF’s maple leaf in separating from the red dot of the British Commonwealth Roundel….
Messerschmitt Hands
Today a photograph, very much in the tradition of atmospheric art photos of the thirties. This is of the leading edge slat on a Messerschmitt Bf 109, or ‘‘Zwei Hände eines Arbeiters beim Arbeiten am Flügel eines Flugzeugs Messerschmitt Me 109.’ From 1940, the photographer is only listed as ‘Höss’, but the Bundesarchive search under…
Bright Prop
A fine art Mural today. ‘Propeller’, Air Pavillion, 1937 by Sonia Delaunay. From the Tate exhibition notes: “Sonia and Robert were both invited to contribute to the 1937 Paris Exhibition, a project that would take up much of their time and energy over the best part of two years. Entitled The International Exhibition of Arts and…
A Year of Aviation Illustration & Art 