Aircraft Illustrations

I spent the first few years of my life an Air Force Brat whilst my father was a Royal Australian Air Force Officer. My earliest memories are Navy Skyhawks flying over my house like it was normal; to us it was absolutely no big deal.

World War II holds a huge fascination for me, as both of my Grandfathers participated in it as Infantrymen and the very fact that it had such a profound effect on an entire generation. That we will never understand the suffering and sacrifice these people endured on so many levels, is our debt to them.

This has led me to produce a few images on the subject; and the fact that flying machines are the most magnificent ones ever built by man.

RAAF Mk V Spitfire
From the Australian Defence Force Serials Website:

(RAAF Serial#) A58-758 (Construction #) HF.VIII MV239 LS 2820 (Delivered) 19/06/45 Crashed on test flight 6MU 20/03/45 UK. Shipped to Australia 23/04/45 on Landing Ship LS2820 arriving 19/06/45 in Australia. Delivered 04/45.1949 Sydney Tech College.1961 Sid Marshall, Bankstown AUS, 1983. Sold & restored for ground runs only. 29.12.85 Airworthy as VH-HET with Col Pay, Australia Flying as VH-HET, previously painted as A58-758 but now painted as A58-602 and now located and flown by Temora Aviation Museum NSW. May 2000 Acquired by David Lowy and in the Temora Aviation Museum, New South Wales, Australia, on extended loan.


What this means is I have actually seen this aeroplane fly, on August 1st 2007, at Temora NSW.

A thrill for a nerd like me...
A photo of the aircraft before it was repainted into another aircraft's markings.











Col Paye, RIP

Mentioned above in some of the stats for this Spitfire, the man who restored it and operated it for many years, Col Paye, was tragically killed whilst experimenting with using crop dusting aircraft as fire-bombers on December 7th 2007.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/icon-crashes-into-lake/2007/12/07/1196812973226.html

A great tragedy for not only the Australian Aeronautical industry at large but for Warbirds community in particular.

RAAF Hudson Bomber

Another Temora flying museum piece, the Hudson was the first Australian Aircraft to engage the Japanese during the war.

From the Australian Defence Force Serials Website:

(RAAF Serial#) A16-112 (Construction #) 6041 41-23182 (Delivered) 05/12/41 Served with 14, 32 and 6 Sqn's (last two in PNG). Then as VH-EWA to East West Airlines in 1945. Adastra Aerial Services as VH-AGS. Now VH-KOY and previously registered to and owned by Malcolm Long. First Post Restoration Flight 10/04/93. On Display at Avalon 2001. Now on Display at Temora Aviation Museum. Registered VH-KOY to Temora Aviation Museum 07/07/04.

Again, I saw this Aeroplane fly on the 1/8/’07, but had no idea it was the same one I had previous done this illustration of. A total co-incidence.




If only I could use these 'powers' for predicting next weeks numbers in the Lottery...