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    Aviation Illustration by John H. Stanley

    To start with, here is the Official Race Poster for the 45th running of the world famous Reno National Championship Air Races.

    This warbird poster by John H. Stanley, featuring one of the most famous Unlimited Racing Planes, the P-51D "Miss America," will be available as a litho print, exclusively from the Reno Air Racing Association, and, if you didn't purchase one at the races, the posters will be on sale on the "SHOP" page of the RARA web site, at www.airrace.org starting October 1, 2008.

    Most of the graphicommunication.com site is, of course, devoted to advertising and marketing graphics, like this poster, but the rest of the renderings on this web page are examples of colorful, historic aviation profiles, a time-honored illustration subspecialty.

    View dozens of highly detailed, historical aviation renderings, available to collectors as giclée prints for home or office display. Due to the level of detail, these renderings have been used in air museum displays, and have been printed-out as mural-size warbird wall panels, or for use in large, colorful aviation event backdrops, since headlines, logos, emblems, and caption content can all be integrated into layouts containing the aircraft renderings. This capability is what sparked the design for the Reno NCAR poster, placing the rendering of the plane itself into the rest of the event-specific layout.

    Shown below is a frontal view of a P-51B, which was created for a large, wall-sized mural panel in Phoenix.  It depicts "Princess Elizabeth," a plane based with the 352nd Fighter Group in Bodney, in Great Britain. There are now four mural-sized, public displays of these renderings in the Southwest, all outsized versions of what are usually purchased in standard print- or poster-size warbird giclée prints.  Take a look at the level of detail in some of these close-ups: This close-up is from a 24" x 36" print of the P-51D "Big Beautiful Doll," showing the amount of detail in and around the cockpit.  

    Here is the same plane in an overall view of the 24" x 36" print, showing the cockpit area in context. The level of detail shown in the cockpit close-up is the same throughout the rendering. This Mustang's pilot, Col. John D. Landers, had made ace status in the Pacific Theater before repeating the feat in the European Theater. He named all of his various planes "Big Beatiful Doll," but many consider this plane to be the ultimate Mustang paint job. It is my understanding that Landers was mainly concerned with reducing drag by keeping the leading edges of the wings polished, clean and smooth, not with the fanciness of the paint job, which was used throughout the squadron. 

    This close-up is from a 24" x 36" print of a U.S. Navy Grumman TBF Avenger, showing the amount of detail just in the dorsal turret of this famous torpedo bomber. There are 1,200 pieces appearing just in the turret portion of this Avenger rendering.

     

    Here is the same plane in an overall view of the 24" x 36" print, showing the dorsal turret in context. The level of detail is the same throughout the rendering. The rugged, stable Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber shown here was flown on night attack missions from the Carrier U.S.S. Hornet. 

    Most of the renderings in this collection are done as standard, 24" x 36" prints, or in the oblong 11.75" x 36" poster size, for ease of framing. They look good in commonly-available, off-the-shelf frames in these sizes, or they can be single- or double-matted in custom frames. While most of the prints are in the standard sizes, much larger images are possible, for use in warbird murals, special event banners or backdrops, or in large format air museum displays.  Seven- and eight-foot planes are up in office and foyer displays in Phoenix and Dallas, and much larger images are possible, because all of the renderings have plenty of the sort of detail to support huge images. Four planes from the collection have appeared in air museum use, and six more have been prepared and accepted, pending exhibit. Here are some more planes from the collection:

    World War Two Aircraft:

  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning
  • Bell P-39Q Aircobra
  • Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk (RAF Version)
  • Curtis P-40E Warhawk
  • Curtis P-40L Warhawk
  • Curtis P-40N Warhawk
  • Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
  • Republic P-47N Thunderbolt
  • North American P-51A Mustang
  • North American P-51B / P-51C Mustang
  • North American P-51D / P-51K Mustang
  • Grumman F4F Wildcat
  • Grumman F6F Hellcat
  • Grumman TBF Avenger
  • Vought F4U-1C Corsair
  • Vought F4U-1D Corsair
  • Goodyear F2G-1 Super Corsair
  • Supermarine Spitfire Mk XII (Griffon Engine)
  • Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV-c (Griffon Engine)
  • Hawker Tempest
  • De Havilland Mosquito Bomber
  • Messerschmitt Bf-109E
  • Messerschmitt Bf-109F
  • Messerschmitt Bf-109G
  • Messerschmitt Bf-109K
  • Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A-4
  • Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A-8
  • Focke-Wulf Fw-190 D-9

    Post War Piston Engine Aircraft:

  • Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat
  • Goodyear F2G-1D "Super Corsair"
  • Vought F4U-5 Corsair
  • Hawker Sea Fury
  • Supermarine Spitfire Mk 22 (Griffon Engine)
  • Supermarine Spitfire Mk 24 (Griffon Engine)

    The Collection Features Planes from the Following Services:

  • USAAC
  • USAAF
  • USN
  • USMC
  • RAF
  • RN FAA
  • RCAF
  • RAAF
  • RNZAF
  • SAAF
  • Luftwaffe

    Some More American Fighters From World War Two:

    Here is a P-47D in Full D-Day Invasion Stripes. Here, again, small renderings of unit markings appear in the white space near many of the planes in this collection. 

    Another full set of Invasion Stripes have been painted onto the twin engine fighter shown in this two-view study of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Swat," flown by Lt. Robert Milliken, who became a 9th Air Force ace in the ETO, even as most units there were, by then, using the P-51 Mustang, due to its range and better suitablitiy to the climate of northern Europe. 

    From earlier in the war, the 24" x 36" print shown below depicts the Grumman F4F Wildcat flown by Marine Corps Medal of Honor Winner, ace Capt. Joe J. Foss in the embattled skies over Guadalcanal. 

    With the lessons learned buiding the rugged little Wildcat, "The Iron Works," as its manufacturer, Grumman, was known, developed a bigger, tougher fighter. The 24" x  36" print shown below depicts a Grumman F6F Hellcat of the "Iron Angels," staging from the Carrier U.S.S. Wasp. Though all the renderings are available with plain white backgrounds, sometimes a gray or off-white background is added, to help planes with lots of white in their paint jobs show up more starkly against the background.

     

    Time for another colorful Mustang: Lt. Freddie Ohr was an ace in the MTO, and his P-51D, "Marie," will never have trouble showing up against any background. This rendering looks great in its 24" x 36" print. 

    The two-view rendering below is of Tuskegee Airman Robert William's famous Red Tail P-51D, "Duchess Arlene." This is one of seven Tuskegee fighter planes in a collection commisioned for air museum display usage. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more different kinds of fighters than any other unit in World War Two, not only engaging in hazardous ground attack missions, but distinguishing themselves further by never having lost any of the bombers they escorted to attacks by enemy aircraft.

     

    Some Fighters of the Luftwaffe:

    Here are some of a handful of German fighter prints which I began doing because of requests for Luftwaffe planes to display alongside Allied fighters, and they do offer some context, in showing what the Allies were up against in the air over Europe and North Africa. There are no Japanese planes in the collection because I wouldn't know how to properly proofread the markings.

    First, here is a side view of an early Messerschmitt Bf-109E. This is the plane flown by 56-victory German ace Oberleutnant Helmut Wick, who was shot down over France after fighting RAF defenders through much of the Battle of Britain.  Note the squared-off appearance of this Bf-109E, and the beefed-up armored glass added to the windscreen area.

     

    The Focke-Wulf Fw-190 shown below mounted a BMW radial engine, and was used over the Western Front. This plane is shown mounting a centerline fuel tank, to extend its range. A study of the ergonomic layout of this plane, its modular construction, allowing quick replacement of entire subassemblies on damaged aircraft, makes you realize that the Luftwaffe was not swept from European skies one moment too soon.

     

    This Me-109 is shown in one of the 24" x 36" two-vew prints, depicting a G model or "Gustav," intended for use against American bomber formations, and thus, equipped with two additional 20mm cannon, one under each wing, which, while creating additional firepower, also created more drag, and made the plane more vulnerable to Allied fighters.

     

    The plane in the 24" x 36" two-view below is the FW-190 D-9, with an inline Junkers Jumo Inverted V-12 engine, and an elongated airframe, to balance-out the longer nose.  This plane was considered to be the best German piston engine fighter anywhere under 20,000 feet, and perhaps the best fighter in-theater, period. Note the blown canopy mounted on this "Dora," Blue 15, which defended the indefensible in the skies over Munich.

     

    Commonwealth Aircraft of the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm:

    To start with, here is an American-made Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk in RAF colors, as flown against Axis Powers over the Sahara in the North African Desert Campaign.

     

    Next up, the Spitfire Mk XII shown below was equipped with the massive Rolls Royce Griffon engine, replacing the Merlin found in the early Spitfires. This new generation of Spitfires mounted a four-bladed prop and twin 20 mm cannon, to augment its Browning .303 machineguns. The Mk XII had removable wingtips, allowing this Spit to fly with clipped wings for a better roll rate, for low altitude agility.

     

    Below, in freshly-applied invasion stripes, is the Supermarine Spitfire Mk-XIV-c, also equipped with the Griffon engine, plus a five-bladed Dowty Rotol prop. The RAF was not amused with hit-and-run FW-190 raids, nor with the thousands of V-1 Buzz Bomb launches, and responded with this, the most muscular of the wartime Spitfires, with a top speed of 446 mph.

     

    And, speaking of the more muscular British aircraft, here is an early model of the massive Hawker Tempest, with its 24-cylinder Napier engine and four 20 mm cannon.  This plane was the scourge of everything from V-1 rockets to German jets, which it would mangle near their Luftwaffe airfields, to German armor, which fell prey to its underwing stores of 60-pound rockets.

     

    Shown below, the first Mustang to be flown to a combat victory. Flying Officer Hollis "Holly" Hills, an American volunteer from Los Angeles, fighting with the RCAF, shot down a German FW-190 in this Allison-powered P-51A while providing air cover for the Canadian commando raid on Dieppe.

     

    A fitting historical bookend to the Hollis Hills Mustang is this RCAF Mustang Mk IV (P-51D) flown in the last Allied combat mission over the European Theater, covering the the Allied retaking of Channel Islands, which had been siezed and occupied by German troops earlier in the war.

     

    Below is an 11.75" x 36" print of the De Havilland Mosquito Bomber, one of the best, most versatile aircraft of the war.  Unusual in that it was built mostly of wood, its speed and agility allowed it to be used with great success in some of the wildest, riskiest missions ever conceived.  Its twin Rolls-Royce Merlin engines allowed it to get in and get out.

     

    This is a 24" x 36" two-view print of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Corsair used to fly top cover during the raids against the German Battleship Tirpitz, as this dreaded vessel lay at anchor in a Norwegian fjord in April of 1944. Knowing that the D-Day Invasion was scheduled for later that summer, the Allies did not want to have to worry about the Tirpitz suddenly appearing within range of Allied invasion vessels. The RN FAA made the first operational use of the Corsair from carrier decks, though they'd had to clip the tips of their Corsairs' wings in order for them to be able to fit (when folded upward for storage) under the low overhead spaces on the British Carriers' hangar decks, but, aside from creating a more squared-off look to the plane, these clipped wingtips also increased the roll rate, and also allowed pilots to quickly "drop" the plane onto the carrier deck, for a swift and sure, if jarring, landing.

     

    This print is one of six renderings prepared for a very thorough archivist from Down Under. Shown here is a late war P-51K of No. 3 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, while it was stationed at a captured air base in the north of Italy. Of note is the bare aluminum finish, the humped canopy of the P-51K, the Aero Products prop, and the way the Ozzies tended to lock the inner main gear doors in the closed position, to help keep debris out of the gear bays while the plane was parked. I want to thank "James O." and No. 3 Squadron, RAAF for diligent help and attention to detailed research while aiding in preparing to do these six renderings. Good on you!

     



    And a Few More American Planes, from Late in the War...

    Here is a standard, 11.75" x 36" print of the P-47D "Snortin' Bull," a Republic Thunderbolt used in Ground Attack missions in the ETO. This particular print has a color background, but all the renderings are available with simple white backgrounds.

     

    Below is an 11.75" x 36" print of the Vought F4U-1D Corsair in a Pacific Seascape motif.

     

    The two-view 24" x 36" below is of the Peppermint Tail Mustang "American Beauty" flown by MTO ace Captain John Voll.

     

    The 24" x 36" print below shows the Bluenose "Eleen & Jerry," flown by Lt. Alden Rigby, who was wingman to both 352nd aces George Preddy and John Meyer, and who has himself, finally, years later, been recognised as an ace, as the record of his air-to-air victories was reviewed. This beautiful P-51D was named for his wife and daughter. I want to thank Alden Rigby for his help with the details on the 352nd's Bluenose renderings.

     

    The Last Ace of World War Two

    The 24" x 36" two-view print below is a rendering of the P-47N of 20th Air Force hero 1st Lt. Oscar Perdomo of El Paso, Texas, the final World War Two pilot to make "ace," shooting down five Japanese aircraft in one day, right before the end of the war.  The name "Lil' Meatie" and the cartoon refer to Perdomo's son. This late-model Thunderbolt had both its wingspan and the track of its landing gear expanded, allowing for additional fuel tankage within the wings, a first for the P-47.

     



    Post War Piston Engine Power

    The US Navy was still finishing-up the combat training of the first Naval Aviators to fly the ferocious new Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat when the Japanese surrendered before they had to face this plane in combat.

     

    The print above depicts the next model along, the Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, shown in post-WW2 markings.  This plane, with its four 20 mm cannon and its stunning speed was a sobering opponent, even as the jet age was eclipsing piston engine power. The F8F-2 Bearcat, with its knuckle-walking stance on the ground, and its blistering performance in flight still astonishes air race spectators to this day.



    As with the Bearcat above, the US Navy was wanting to obtain fast interceptors to meet the Japanese threat, and ended up creating this monster, the F2G-1D "Super Corsair," with its massive, 28 cylinder, Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "corncob" engine and its ridiculous, "pin you to the seat" 4,400 feet per minute rate of climb. Goodyear, building Corsairs under license, was the sole contractor on these outrageous Super Corsairs. This aircraft, built without a tailhook for Marine Corps usage, is shown in the markings it wore while undergoing tests at Pax River. This Super Corsair rendering is also available with a simple white background, since the brick hangar background was developed for use in a calendar image.

     

      This 24" x 36" print depicts a Korean War era Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Hawker Sea Fury. The Sea Fury, a logical evolution beyond the earlier Hawker Tempest, shown among the RAF fighters higher up on this page, represented the British approach to creating their own monster, the very acme of the Royal Navy's use of piston engine power, as that era was coming to a close. These stunningly powerful planes are still being flown in the National Championship Air Races in Reno each year, some in Commonwealth military markings, and some in over-the-top racing paint schemes.

     

    This 24" x 36" two-view print depicts a Korean War era Vought F-4U-5 flown by the pilots of VMF-212, a Marine Corps squadron now called the "Lancers," but, at that time, known as the "Devilcats," as depicted in their unit patch, appearing in the upper right-hand corner of this print. Many desperately outnumbered American ground pounders owed their very survival to the concentrated use of these planes in the hazardous but necessary Close Air Support role as overwhelming numbers of enemy troops came swarming over the rugged Korean terrain.

     



    Call or Click the "Contact Us" Link in the Left-hand Navigation Menu to Learn More About these Prints, or Larger Banners, Backdrops, or Mural Pieces, for Air Shows, Commemorative Events, or Air Museum Displays.

    817-268-3872



    Since many people inquire about particular planes, or try to find out about a plane by keying its name into their Web browser, the following is a partial list of "named" planes in the collection. Some of the named planes appear among the warbird prints displayed farther up on this page, but I try to only put a reasonable number of different planes on display, as the entire collection would use too much space. If you're interested in a particular plane, let me know. If you or a relative flew a particular plane, we can usually render it, so long as photos of the nose art, lettering, codes, tail or fuselage serial numbers (or Bureau Numbers for USN & USMC planes) can be found.

  • American Beauty P-51D, pilot John Voll
  • Big Beautiful Doll P-51D, pilot John Landers
  • Bald Eagle P-51B, pilot R.Eckfeldt
  • Bunnie P-51D, pilot Roscoe C. Brown
  • Dallas Doll P-51D
  • Devastating Dottie P-51D, pilot John M. Simmons
  • Ding Hao! P-51B, pilot James Howard
  • Duchess Arlene P-51D, pilot Robert Williams
  • Eleen & Jerry P-51D, pilot Alden Rigby
  • Edmonton Special P-51K RCAF
  • The Flying Undertaker P-51D, pilot William Shomo
  • Frenesi P-51D, pilot Tom Hayes
  • Hurry Home Honey P-51D, pilot Richard Peterson
  • Janie P-51D, pilot Bill Price
  • Lil' Butch P-51D
  • Man O' War P-51D, pilot Clairborne Kinnard
  • Marie P-51D, pilot Freddie Ohr
  • Missouri Mauler P-51B, pilot Willard Millikan
  • Moonbeam McSwine P-51D, pilot William Whisner
  • Old Crow P-51B, pilot Clarence "Bud" Anderson
  • Old Crow P-51D, pilot Clarence "Bud" Anderson
  • Passion Wagon P-51D, pilot Arval Roberson
  • Petie 2nd P-51D, pilot John Meyer
  • Princess Elizabeth P-51B, pilot William Whisner
  • Princess Pat P-51D-NT
  • Ridge Runner III P-51D, pilot Pierce "Mac" McKennon
  • Salem Reprentative P-51B, pilot Ralph "Kidd" Hofer
  • Shangri-La P-51B, pilot Don Gentile
  • Short-Fuse Sallee P-51D, pilot Richard E. Turner
  • Sigh! P-51K
  • Speedball Alice P-51D, pilot Don Bochkay
  • Stinger VII P-51D, pilot R.A. Moore
  • Tangerine P-51D, pilot Henry Pfeiffer
  • Topper III P-51B, pilot Ed Toppins
  • Yi-Yi P-51D, pilot Francis Gerard
  • Winged Ace of Clubs P-51D, pilot Don Bochkay
  • Donny Boy P-47D, pilot Don Gentile
  • Harriet P-47D
  • Hollywood High Hatter P-47D, pilot Paul Conger
  • Lil' Meatie's Meat Chopper P-47N, pilot Oscar Perdomo
  • Saucie Suzie P-47D, pilot Arden A. Hitch
  • Sho Me The Missouri Mule P-47C, pilot Ralph "Kidd" Hofer
  • Silver Lady P-47D, pilot Leslie Smith
  • Smoocher P-47D
  • Snortin' Bull P-47D, pilot James A. Mullins
  • Trisha P-47D, pilot William G. Cobb
  • Snooks 2 P-39Q Air Cobra, pilot William Shomo
  • Swat P-38 Lightning, pilot Robert Milliken
  • Ace of Pearls P-40L
  • Island Dream P-40N    
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