Known today as Just Jane, restored and maintained at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, had seen service in French Polynesia with the French Aeronavale. In 1965, donated by the French and after a lot of fundraising, she was flown back to UK. She spent many years on loan as a gate guardian at RAF Scampton before changing hands a couple of times and now is being restored to near flyable condition. Currently she performs taxi runs only, but there is a strong desire and intent to put her back in the air. This historical 1965 image made on her return flight from the Pacific is held inside my personal collection.
This actual aircraft, EP 120, has been restored and remains at Duxford. It was built at Castle Bromwich in 1942 and has a verifiable record of having shot down many enemy aircraft while in service with various squadrons. She is restored to her 1944 appearance with 501 squadron RCAF. This is a digitally stored and colourised heritage image from my historical aviation collection. Both pilots in the image are wearing the Distinguished Flying Cross.
A restored example resulting from many collaborations resulting from parts of several aircraft used after crashes and the nose had even been used as a car! Originally built in the 1930's these aircraft were the most numerous aircraft in service in the RAF at the outbreak of WW2 and were used largely as a light bomber. The Blenheim resides at Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Image from my collection of heritage aircraft photography.
in 1965 the Avro Lancaster we now know as Just Jane returned to UK from French Polynesia where she had been working as part of the French Aeronavale. Considerable fund raising was done to take the many steps to get her back to the UK. She later spent many years in RAF colours as a gate guardian at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, eventually ending up in the hands of two farmers who farmed a former RAF airfield, now the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirby, Lincolnshire. The Panton Brothers wanted a memorial to their brother who had been killed on operations during WW2 and they initiated the restoration to flight of Just Jane. In mid 2018 she has not flown yet but is so close to being ready to do that! This image of her during the flight back to UK is a part of my heritage aircraft image collection
The Mitchell was made in several variants and certainly its most iconic role was in the Doolittle raid on Toyko during WW2, actually flown off an aircraft carrier. This fully restored thing of beauty was photographed at Paine Field, near Everett, Washington State, USA
The engineering of aircraft can sometimes bring about some very interesting conjunctions of form and function. This is the air cooling scoop and the cooling fins of the cylinders are visible. Simply some nice symmetry!
This is a beautiful presentation of the working end of a US made biplane. Radial engines were in use in military aircraft into the 1970s and many of these heritage aircraft are still flying today. This was photographed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, USA
In the foreground a Griffon-Engined Supermarine Spitfire of WW2 and behind, the English Electric Lightning T5 XS449 photographed at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk in the 1960's. The Spitfire was built in many marks and in large volumes. This Lightning T5 is one of only 22 which were built at Warton. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that there was less than 20 years between these aircraft designs. The maximum speed of the Spitfire was 375 miles per hour. The maximum speed of the Lightning exceeded 1500 miles per hour. This historical image is held inside my personal collection.
This is a fully digitally restored image from an old photograph in my collection of an aircraft from the 1930's. Probably not suitable for edge wrapped canvas.
This aircraft is the personal mount of the former US astronaut, Major General William Anders. It is kept in the markings of the US Army Air Force unit which defended Iceland by treaty and is housed at the Anders' Heritage Flight Museum in Bellingham, Washington State, USA, which he operates with his son Lt Col. Greg Anders. William Anders is famous for the first earthrise imagery of Apollo 8 earth seen far away over the curvature of the moon, regarded today as one of the most famous and influential photographs ever taken.
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a British twin-engine, twin boom tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the 1950s into the early 1970s. Only one flying example remains. This sketch has been made from a historical image in my collection.
The Clément-Bayard Biplane 1912 was built by the French motor car company Clément-Bayard. It was proposed as an observation aircraft and was powered by a 80 hp Gnome engine. No orders were place for the aircraft and only the one example was built. This sketch is made from a photo in my heritage aircraft collection.
An idea for a long range, high altitude fighter to protect the US Army Air Force bomber streams over Japan resulted in the P82 Twin Mustang which eventually entered service in 1945 as the Mustang F82 and was the first fighter plane in service with the United States Air Force in the Korean War. The aircraft had remarkable range and altitude capability. This image is from my collection of historical aircraft images.
I made the original image at Filton in early 1972. Rendered here in oils, watercolours and pencil.
Operated as G-AXDN. This aircraft is now on display at Duxford, UK
Printed small this image will appear as a photograph, but printed large its production as a mixed media rendering will be more clear.
This rendering of the Flying Tigers Curtis P-40 Warhawk aircraft was made from an original image in my personal collection.
The flying Tigers were largely American aviators in service of the Chinese during WW2.
Lancasters built in Canada in WW2 were returned to Canada post war and were then put into use as Maritime Surveillance and Rescue Aircraft after considerable conversion.
Made from an era photograph in my collection.
Only 15 Spitfire Mk 12s were built with the Griffon engine which was introduced first in 1943 replacing the Merlin engine. These aircraft are from 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
This is a restored and digitally enhanced image from my personal collection of old aircraft images
Radial aero engines, initially developed in WW1, are still used and flying in historical aircraft today. Noisy, powerful, they still evoke the passion of flying.
