Occasionally, I get the urge to do something in color. I haven’t even begun to figure out painting yet, so when the fit takes me, I grab my box of Prismacolors and get too it.
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SPECTRESHINE
AC-130H Spectre Gunship
Original Size: 24” x 13” Media: Colored Pencil
Two M61 20mm Vulcan cannons with 3,000 rounds, one L60 40mm Bofors cannon with 356 rounds, one M102 105mm howitzer with 100 rounds and the reputed ability to put at least one round per square foot of a football field. If you’re a bad guy on the ground, this is not the plane you want to see lumbering toward your position.
For this illustration, I’ve chosen to capture the awesome firepower of the Spectre in it’s element – nighttime operations – with all guns blazing and defensive flares dropping. It would really suck to be the guys on the receiving end of this!
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BERGMAN’S TOY
North American T-6G Texan
Original Size: 16” x 12” Media: Colored Pencil
The T-6 Texan hails back to Pre World War II days and was the first successful design by the fledgling North American Aircraft Company. Built by the thousands, virtually every American WWII Pilot (plus numerous pilots from the air arms of our allies), took their advanced flight training in the venerable Texan.
But the Texan wasn’t just a trainer. In the post WWII era, many small air forces equipped themselves with the Texan as both a trainer and as a fighter/light attack aircraft. The USAF even armed a number of it’s remaining T-6’s to operate as spotters and forward air controllers during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Today, the T-6 enjoys great popularity among the many vintage aircraft and warbird organizations around the world. Heck, with any luck I might get to learn to fly in one!
This particular T-6 belongs to a friend of mine who let me draw his airplane as part of a marketing idea I have. If you or anyone you know owns a T-6, I can draw it for you. Contact me if you have any questions or to discuss a commission.
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FROM THE STERN, NAVY 1
Lockheed S-3B Viking
Original Size: 24” x 18” Media: Colored Pencil
On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush made the first “trap” on an aircraft carrier ever by a sitting president. The purpose of the trip was to announce the end of “Major Combat Operations” in Iraq. The president was greeted with great enthusiasm by the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72.
A former qualified interceptor pilot, the President did take the controls for most of the flight from San Diego to the Lincoln. The Pilot, Cdr. Skip Lussier told me the President flew well.
This scene depicts the President’s S-3 beginning it’s turn to final to line up with the carrier. The hook is down and the landing gear are just starting to cycle down. President Bush can be seen in the right front seat, looking towards the Lincoln. I wonder if he was thinking about how small that runway is….
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JUST THE FAC’s
Cessna O-2 Skymaster, Rockwell OV-10A Bronco
Original Size: 24” x 14” Media: Pen & Ink/Colored Pencil
If you thought Wild Weasel pilots were odd, the Forward Air Controllers take the term crazy pilot one step further. Their whole operational philosophy is “Okay, let’s fly real slow and real low and try to get the bad guys to shoot at us. Then we’ll shoot smoke rockets at them and call in the heavy air strikes.” FAC pilots aren’t really crazy, just extremely dedicated and willing to hang their butts out in order to ensure accurate delivery of bombs on target while minimizing friendly casualties on the ground.
For this illustration, I’ve placed the two main Vietnam era FAC aircraft in a typical, if hypothetical scenario. The O-2A in the background is getting low on fuel and is preparing to make his final pass on a target. The OV-10A in the forground is rolling right, positioning himself to relieve the O-2A and conduct his own firing pass. The “fast movers” probably a flight of heavily armed F-4’s are only few minutes out….
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BIG PANDA!
Antonov An-2 Colt
Original Size: 24” x 18” Media: Pen & Ink/Colored Pencil
In this day of high-performance jet fighters, a piston powered biplane with fabric covered wings seems more that a little out of place. Operated by a whole mess of different air forces around the world, this throwback to another aviation era has been in production for decades, with thousands of aircraft delivered. Maybe it’s not the most impressive aircraft performance wise, but obviously something about the An-2 is right!
“Big Panda” is owned by the Commemorative Air Force’s 3rd Pursuit Squadron in southern California.
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SKYTROOPER… JUMP!
Douglass C-53D Skytrooper
Original Size: 24” x 18” Media: Pen & Ink/Colored Pencil
The Douglas DC-3 family is one of the most easily recognized aircraft to ever take to the skies. It’s military variants, the C-47 Skytrain and C-53 Skytrooper formed the aerial backbone of both the D-Day invasion and Berlin Airlift. If you look closely, you can see a paratrooper positioning himself in the door, preparing to jump behind enemy lines on D-Day.
This C-53D now belongs to the Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in southern California and this illustration depicts what the aircraft looks like after refurbishment and repainting.
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