Finished — the Bell P-39Q as flown by BG Clarence "Bud" Anderson. And, a 2024 salute for all! But before that... *break break* The superlatives and legend that surround this man will have to come at a later date; I've been wondering how to express my gratitude for Bud's example for YEARS and I'm not much closer to getting the words right than I was nearly twenty years ago. But suffice it to state, Bud represents - for many, many - the palpable, personification of the word "Great." Have another look at the "Airacobra" above. Bud never took it into combat (it'd likely have been shot out ..read more

  CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO ME! Thanks to our full-house of guests for letting me "go into my hole" to work on the P-39Q.  (See previous blog post for more context). I'll be brief. For one, the numbering on the nose is remarkably crude; one would think that the lines would have been stenciled precisely but they're really not.  So, I've been channeling my inner "1943 USAAF line crewman" and painting with appropriate imprecision.  You can see for yourself from an actual photo of the Airacobra in question As was the tail (serial) numbers.  They had a bit more uniformity ..read more

  Coming along! I figure this will be the last post until Michael O’Neil’s AH-1G Cobra is finished (and his Distinguished Flying Cross mission told).  Until then, a few things to note. 1. Michael asked me to depict his F-Troop 1/9 Cav Cobra with "Flechettes and the 20mm gun."  Comparatively few Cobras came into the war with the 20mm, but you can immediately tell the ones that were by the characteristic bulge at the root of the helicopter's skids.  This bulge housed the cannon’s 900 rounds of ammo. The cannon was called the "M195" and very similar to the M61 "Vulcan" that ..read more

  Unmistakable. Un-freaking-mistakable. Behold — the work-in-progress of a Bell AH-1G "Cobra" attack helicopter, c. May 1970.  I'm responding to a fairly crucial Commission; this bird's pilot, Michael O'Neil, is the knowing recipient but not "the commissioner." Most times, there's a bit of 'surprise factor' in these kinds of projects.  In this case, Michael knows all about it and is playing an important role in provenance, 'story,' and of course, the positive energy necessary to complete projects like this.  "Projects like this..." Yeah.  Projects that have virtually ..read more

` "Drones?  In Vietnam?!" Maybe you're a total wing-nut and know all about this topic.  But, let's say you're just like those sitting in an audience of highly distinguished Vietnam War aviators listening to John Dale give his primer on,  "Drones.  In Vietnam." "Huh! I had no idea!" exclaimed one Army helicopter pilot.  So too did a Marine fixed wing pilot.  The bride of another Vietnam War aviator leaned over and whispered in her husband's ear, "did you know about these things when you were over there?!"  Without breaking his focused attention on Dale's pr ..read more

Have a look at my progress on Martin Lenzini's Chu Lai-era A-4E Skyhawk.  The back story behind the drawing is still coming; good excuse too as it involves a 3D printed experiment in how to visualize what "Close Air Support" really looked like. The final artwork will be done very soon but I won't post until after Marty get's presented the finished piece (more to come on THAT story, too).  So, unless you see a glaring error, hold-pattern until after 20 Oct ..read more

50 years is a long time!  Or is it just a blink...? Hmmmm.   True-story — 2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of the 'end of the Vietnam War*' for the United States.   Remembering the Vietnam War is valid as a historic event not only because it happened, but because it shaped The United States of America in profound ways.  In fact, I assert the Vietnam War continues to affect every American.  Don't believe me?  Invite me to your Rotary Club, Kindergarten, Lunch'n Learn, Block Party...  Or, you can start learning yourself (which is highly recommended as The ..read more

Somewhere east of Pierre, SD, looking East. There’s a moniker growing-around that’s becoming rather popular:  History Geek.  If the reader is tempted to think of History Geek(ishness) as an academic, intellectual pursuit of the quantifiable (i.e. names, dates, places), you’re incorrect.  Instead, those who scour history’s record with the scrupulosity of a 19th Century Counting House clerk are something altogether different than a History Geek.   Now.  These NON-History Geek people are not bad people. In fact, they play a terrific role in providing the rest ..read more

  Long time, no post! Certainly it's not because of a dearth of drawing — since my last full post in 2022, no fewer than NINE new aircraft have been successfully drawn (with corresponding interviews). I will catch up.  Partly because I want to.  But mostly?  It's because I HAVE to.   And this A-4E is a brilliant symbol. This morning, the folk behind the excellent "Cold War Conversations" podcast were charitable enough to include me in their episode list (evidently, I'll be #301).  They let me pontificate about Freeman Bruce Olmstead's undeserved 'shoot down' o ..read more

  Have a look at my B-29 sketch above. Now, close your eyes and try to imagine what it really looked like... Did you notice the nose art? * break break * (sigh) My lifestyle requires that I 'hit the gym' every day.  Without the gym, I'd be a 300lb potato; working out is the only way I know to achieve any kind of physical fitness in my line of work.  But the essential practice is boring.  And solitary.  I'm not alone in this sentiment.   Thus, it stands to reason that - social species as we are - there are a group of us that meet in the facility's dry and steam sa ..read more