|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art Inter War Period  Inter War Aviation Print List |
[UP] - Aircraft - Schneider Trophy - Inter War Aviation Print List |
| Navigation | |
| Page 3 of 4 | Previous .. Page 3 .. Next |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 3 of 4 | Previous .. Page 3 .. Next |
| Text for the above items : |
First Across the Pond by Ivan Berryman. In one of the most fraught and epic pioneering flights ever made, John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown became the first men to fly across the Atlantic from St John's, Newfoundland to County Galway in Northern Ireland in June 1919 in a slightly modified Vickers Vimy. The Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill presented the two British pilots with the Daily Mail Prize in honour of their achievement that had been completed in less than 72 hours of continuous flying, mostly in the most dreadful weather conditions, battling with reliability problems in the aircraft and the extreme cold that threatened to bring them down in the middle of the ocean. King George V awarded them the KBE one week later and their place in history was secured. |
First Wings by Ivan Berryman. First flown on 26th October 1931. The De Haviland DH82 Tiger Moth was to enjoy one of the longest and most distinguished careers in aviation history. Depicted here is an example of that variant employed by an elementary and reserve flying training school during the early part of World War Two. |
Tiger Moth by Roy Garner. No text for this item |
Stearman Lesson on the Wing by Stan Stokes. The Stearman trainer which was designated the PT-17 by the USAAF and the N2S by the USN was used for pilot training before and during WW II. More than 10,000 of these aircraft were built, and many are still air worthy today. |
Lithuanica II by David Pentland. Lockheed Vega flying from America to Lithuania on a second transatlantic attempt. |
Amy Johnson by Ivan Berryman. No text for this item |
Sparrowhawks of the Macon by Stan Stokes. In 1924 the US Navy took delivery of the Los Angeles, which was built by the Zeppelin Company in Germany. A partnership was formed between the Goodyear Company and the Zeppelin Company for developing rigid airships in the United States. Rear Admiral William A. Moffett was unquestioned booster of the rigid airship program in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. As chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics Moffet had considerable influence. In 1926 he was successful at getting Congress to allocate funds for the construction of two 758-foot long rigid airships (the USS Akron and the USS Macon) with a capacity of 6.5 million cubic feet of helium, more than twice the size of the Graf Zepplin which would circle the globe in 1929. The Goodyear company commenced construction of a huge hangar at Akron which would be used for construction of the first of the two massive airships. Utilizing three keels and thirty-six longitudinal girders, the Akron had a sturdy airframe. One of the most novel features of these two new airships would be their ability to launch and recover Curtis F9C-2 Sparrowhawks, making them the first flying aircraft carriers. The Akron was completed in September of 1931, but it would be nearly a year later before the Sparrowhawks were deployed. The Akron logged about 1,700 hours of flying time, but on the night of April 1, 1933 the Akron crashed in the icy Atlantic off the New Jersey shore with few survivors. Admiral Moffett was one of the fatalities. It was the worst aviation disaster in history - at that time. Construction of the Macon was completed only weeks after the loss of its sister ship. Some improvements had been made to her design. She was lighter and faster than the Akron, and could carry up to five Sparrowhawks vs. only three for the Akron. Following testing of the new airship in the New York- New Jersey area, the Macon was ordered to newly named Moffet field in Sunnyvale, California. On July 18, 1934 the Macon utilized its Sparrowhawks to intercept a pair of US Navy ships at considerable distance off the Pacific Coast. The cruiser USS Houston was carrying Franklin D. Roosevelt on a trip from Panama to Hawaii. Startled to encounter aircraft at such a considerable distance from land, they would be even more shocked when the Sparrowhawks would deliver newspapers and mail for the President. In the late summer and fall of 1934 the Macon was sent east for fleet training exercises in the Atlantic. Utilizing a simple radio homing beacon for the first time the Macon proved beyond a doubt that the concept of air launched scouting planes was feasible. However, in February of 1935 the USS Macon met the same fate as its sister ship. While cruising up the California coast near Point Sur, the great airship encountered turbulence and began to break-up. Fortunately, only two of the eighty-three man crew were lost. |
Jimmys Record by Stan Stokes. Following WW I the United States sharply curtailed its military budget, which slowed the progress in aviation quite a bit. However, one bright spot was the series of international race competitions, which lead to improved aircraft designs, and more powerful and reliable aviation engines. The greatest catalyst behind the technical improvements to in-line, water-cooled engines between the wars was the Schneider Trophy races. The 1925 Schneider Trophy contest was scheduled for Baltimore, Maryland in October. The United States Army and the Navy agreed to work together for the 1925 race and commissioned the construction of three Curtiss R3C-2 racers. The Curtiss racers would utilize the proven wood and plywood-skin construction with an upgraded engine capable of generating more than 600-HP. A new drop-forged, duraluminum Reed propeller was utilized, as were a slight change in pontoon design. On September 11, 1925 the new design was rolled out for its maiden test flight. Lt. Jimmy Doolittle of the Army lost the toss to Navy Lt. Al Williams, so Williams took the new bird off for its first flight. The site for the Schneider Cup was a 31 mile triangular course laid out over the Chesapeake Bay and an inlet to Baltimore Harbor. The course would be flown seven times necessitating a total of twenty-one pylon turns. The site had been built by the Baltimore Flying Club from scratch. The weather on October 24 turned awful with 60-MPH gusts. The decision was made to postpone the race until Monday the 26th. The weather was moderate on the 26th with 2-3 waves on the Bay. By noon the water had calmed, the winds had died down and the morning haze had burned off. It was perfect for racing. A Naval Air Pageant proceeded the race, and a TC-5 Navy Airship soared into position near the start/finish line. At 2:30 PM Lt. Doolittle left the hangar ramp and taxied to the start line. Giving the Curtiss full throttle Jimmy took off after a short run, and climbed quickly to about 300 feet. The other contestants followed at five minute intervals. From the beginning it appeared that Doolittle would be a runaway winner. Beating the previous record average race speed by a whopping 54-MPH, Doolittle would complete the course with an average speed of 230-MPH. The following day Doolittle would set a new world record for sea planes with 246-MPH over a straight course. The British and Italian teams took their defeat bitterly. Jimmy Doolittle, who lost only one race that he entered during his racing career, would go on to aviation greatness, leading the famous B-25 raid on Tokyo, and as C.O. of the Eighth Air Force. |
R.34 - Welcome to America by Ivan Berryman. Mineola, Long Island, USA, 6th July 1919. Major J E M Pritchard parachutes from the forward car of the R.34 to supervise ground handling of the giant airship upon its arrival in the United States. In so doing, Pritchard became the first man to land on American soil after an east-west crossing of the Atlantic by air. The enormous airship, with the nickname 'Tiny', was damaged beyond repair by foul weather in January 1921 and scrapped. |
Between Wars Classics by Stan Stokes. During the between Wars years two aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Curtiss, were the dominant suppliers of fighter aircraft for the United States armed forces. A series of Curtiss-manufactured hawk fighters was in service from the mid-1920s until just before WW II. The P-6E was delivered beginning in 1932 and was powered by a 675-HP Curtiss V-1570-23 Conqueror engine. This bi-plane fighter was highly maneuverable and capable of almost 200-MPH. It was armed with twin forward-firing 0.3 inch Browning machine-guns. In many respects it represented the pinnacle of American biplane fighter designs. In contrast the Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a very important transitional aircraft in the evolution of the fighter. It embodied the transition from the WW I vintage highly maneuverable biplanes to the sleek, very fast, all-metal, monoplane fighters of WW II. Surprising is the fact that the P-26 was the last fighter to be mass-produced by Boeing, the company founded in 1916 by William Edward Boeing. The Companys first large contract was secured in 1919 for the MB-3A fighter for the USAAC. Boeing utilized a unique welded tube fuselage in place of the original wood structure in the original design. Success with this program lead to additional contracts, and Boeing became a strong competitor to the much larger Curtiss Company for fighter aircraft for both the Air Corps and the Navy. The culmination of Boeings biplane fighters was attained with its Model 83 which became the Navys F4B, and the Air Corps P-12. In 1928 the company began exploring the possibility of a monoplane fighter. The Model 200 Monomail was designed as a high-speed mail plane for Boeing Air Transport (the precursor of todays United Airlines.) The initial military version that evolved from this aircraft was the P-26. The P-26 was 20% faster than Boeings P-12 biplane, but it had a slower rate of climb and a lower service ceiling. Also, the high landing speeds of the prototype resulted in production models of the P-26 being equipped with landing flaps. Boeing engineers retained some very conservative design elements in the Peashooters design such as a fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. Many of these compromises would doom the aircraft to a very short useful life, as the P-26 was quickly made obsolete by the much faster Seversky P-35 and the Curtiss P-36 fighters which appeared in 1936. The USAAC accepted a total of 139 Peashooters in 1933-34. The Navy could not be convinced to order the aircraft. Many P-26s sported the wild USAAC paint schemes which typified the between Wars period. The P-26 would see some combat with the Chinese and Philippine Air Forces. In Stan Stokes painting a P-26 of the 94th Pursuit Squadron Snow Owls lifts off from Selfridge Field while a Curtiss Hawk it would soon be replacing taxis to its parking area. |
Bristol Bulldogs by Michael Turner. 19 Sqn aircraft performing at the 1934 Hendon Air Display. |
Bulldogs and Battleships by Ivan Berryman. (GS) A pair of Bristol Bulldog aircraft pass over the British Fleet in the 1930s. |
First Solo by John Young. A de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth over Hatfield Aerodrome, early in 1939. Hatfield was the home of the de Havilland Aircraft Company and No.1 Elementary Flying Training School. |
Tahiti Clippers by Stan Stokes. Juan Trippe left Yale University in 1917 to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Trippe became a Naval Aviator on June 17, 1918. With the War nearing its end Trippe returned to Yale where he founded the Yale Flying Club. Writing in the May 1919 edition of The Yale Graphic, Juan speculated that the new Navy NC flying boats being introduced might be the first to successfully cross the Atlantic, and that eventually commercial flights across the Atlantic would be, a perfectly sane commercial proposition. Several years later Trippe was in control of Pan American Airways. Pan Am had a contract to fly mail to Havana utilizing Fokker triplanes. Trippe believed that flying boats possessed advantages in serving South America where rivers, harbors, or lagoons could make suitable airfields in locations where no adequate facilities existed. In 1927 Pan Am acquired its first flying boat, the twin-engine Sikorsky S-36. Five such aircraft were utilized to expand service to additional South American cities. A few years later Pan Am acquired the large four-engine Sikorsky S-40, which was piloted on its maiden flight from Miami to Panama by Charles Lindbergh. The S-40 was not capable of providing transoceanic service, but a later variant, the S-42, was. An S-42 was utilized to survey the San Francisco to Manila route, but the first commercial service was provided utilizing a Martin M-130, a significantly improved aircraft. The biggest and most luxurious of the Pan Am flying boats was the Boeing 314. This huge aircraft was 28 feet high, 106 feet long, and had a wingspan of 152 feet. Six of these aircraft were delivered to Pan Am in 1939, and they were utilized to provide the first transatlantic commercial service. Two of Pan Ams flying boats, or Clippers as they were more popularly referred to, are depicted in a beautiful south seas setting by aviation artist Stan Stokes. In the foreground taxing to the floating dock is the Dixie Clipper, a Boeing 314. The Dixie Clipper inaugurated the first regular transatlantic passenger service in June of 1939, and was utilized by President Roosevelt to attend the Casablanca Conference in 1943. In the background, having just lifted off, is the China Clipper, a Martin M-130. This is the aircraft which departed San Francisco for Manila in 1935, and became the first commercial passenger aircraft to cross the Pacific. In 1968 when Juan Trippe stepped down, Pan American Airways had developed an 80,000 mile international route structure which served 85 countries. Juan Trippe was a driving force behind the development of international air travel, and his marvelous flying boats played a major role in making the mans ambitions a reality. These Clippers were truly some of the classics of Americas great aviation heritage. |
The Racing Age by Stan Stokes. From 1927 until the outbreak of WW II, America was captivated by the sport of air racing. Daring young pilots flying the fastest machines in the world competed for prestige and prize money. In their all-out quest for speed the designers and builders of these racing aircraft pushed the envelope of aircraft science, and were responsible for much of the progress in aviation design during this period. The Cleveland National Air Races were first held in late 1929 prior to the Great Stock Market Crash. This ten-day long event drew several 100,000 attendees. One of the features of this show was a fifty-mile, all-out, free-for-all, staged over a five-mile pylon course. This would prove to be the first Thompson Trophy Race, and it was won by Doug Davis flying a TravelAir R monoplane. Davis bested a field of military entrants by a considerable margin. The success of this initial race caused the Thompson Products Co. to petition the NAA with a proposal to make the race a 100-mile event in 1930 with a purse of $10,000, which was an enormous sum at that time. The 1932 Thompson Trophy Race is considered one of the classics in the series. Eight aircraft participated in that race, which was ultimately won by Jimmy Doolittle flying the Gee Bee R-1 racer built by the Granville Brothers in Springfield Massachusetts. Roscoe Turner, one of the great aviation showmen of the era, flew a Gilmore Oil Co. sponsored Wedell-Turner racer. Robert Hall flew his newly designed Hall Bulldog. Jim Wedell participated in his Wedell 44, as did Jim Haizlip flying a Wedell-92. Other participants included Lee Gelbach flying the Gee Bee R-2, William Ong flying his new DGA-5 Ike, and Ray Moore piloting an aluminum Rider R-1. The 1932 Thompson was the only race in which the infamous Gee Bee Model R participated. This aircraft was nasty to fly. Lowell Bayles had won the 1931 Thompson race flying a Gee Bee Z racer. However, Bayles was killed in a flying accident prior to the 1932 competition, and Bob Hall, who was formerly the Granville Brothers chief designer, left the organization to strike out on his own. Not to be left out of the 1932 race, the Granvilles developed two race aircraft the R-1 and R-2. Although similar in appearance, the R-2 was set-up for long distance racing whereas the R-1 was built for speed. The Granvilles sold the R-1 to Russell Boardman who planned to pilot it in the 1932 race. Prior to the race Boardman was hospitalized. Jimmy Doolittle became available to fly the R-1 after he crash landed his Laird racer on the eve of the races. If anyone could tame the difficult-to-fly R-1, Doolittle was probably the man. When the race began at 5:20 PM Doolittle used half power to maintain control during takeoff. On the first lap Jimmy took the lead despite flying wide turns in order to maintain control. On the second lap the R-1 began to emit a stream of gray-black smoke due to too high rich a fuel mixture. Doolittle continued to pour it on attempting to lap the entire field for a little frosting on his victory. The 1932 Thompson would be Doolittles last, and it was the only Thompson in which the infamous R-1 would compete. |
Flying Luxury Liner by Stan Stokes. The Curtiss Condor was the civilian transport version of the B-2 bomber. It was developed in the late 1920s with the principal design staff consisting of G. Page, T. Wright, S. Vaughn, and R. Beisel. The design utilized the same metal tube and aluminum spars as in the B-2. The Condor was wider with a six foot wide fuselage, and as there was no need for gunner cockpits, the aft engine nacelles were faired in and the space utilized for mail and cargo. A significant design factor was the incorporation of 3 inches of Dry Zero soundproofing in the cabin, which made the Condor considerably quieter inside than the other passenger craft of the era. The interior of the Condor was quite spacious and luxurious with a full six feet eight inches of head room in the cabin. The Condor was arranged to carry 18 passengers with six seats arranged in three cabins. Reclining seats were utilized in the two forward cabins with the rear cabin equipped with lounge seats. Passengers had large windows for sight-seeing, and passenger lighting and air vents were utilized. The Condor also had a heated cabin, not common on most aircraft of that era, which was driven by two small boilers attached to the engine exhaust manifolds. A lavatory with hot and cold running water was also standard. The Condor first flew in July of 1929. Early production models were difficult to fly and the Curtiss Company undertook modifications to improve the flying characteristics of the aircraft. With the Great Depression underway it was not easy getting orders for this aircraft, and Eastern Air Transport ended up as the proud owner of six Condors. The Curtiss Company opted to kill the Condor program at this point and focus on a totally new aircraft, the T-32 Condor II. The Condors went on to serve Eastern well. The aircraft was reasonably reliable and was well liked by passengers. Glenn H. Curtiss made his final flight in May of 1930 in a Condor from Albany to New York, which was to commemorate his historic flight of twenty years earlier. Two months later, Curtiss, one of the early pioneers of American aviation would die at age fifty-two. In Stan Stokes painting, entitled Flying Luxury Liner, an Eastern Air Transport Condor approaches Hoover Field in Washington, D.C. in November of 1931. The T-32 Condor IIs debut was impacted by the introduction of the Douglas DC-1 in 1934. This all metal, low wing monoplane would become the DC-2 in its first production variant. The days of the passenger biplane, for al practical purposes, were over. |
The Last Navy Biplane Fighter by Stan Stokes. The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. was organized in late 1929. The US Navy ordered 27 production Grumman FF-1 biplane fighters in 1932, the beginning of a relationship that has endured for more than seventy years. The FF-1 was a diminutive staggerwing fighter capable of a top speed of 207-MPH. A large number of aircraft were produced for export by Grumman in the early 1930s, but the company wanted to win a contract for a new and improved USN fighter. In May of 1934 the company succeeded with a contract for 54 F2F-1s. In 1934 the company also won a contract for a new and improved F3F-1. The latter was aerodynamically improved design which overcame some of the design inadequacies of the earlier aircraft. The F3F-2 was delivered in 1937. Three units were equipped with the aircraft, VF-6 operating off the USS Enterprise, VMF-2 based in San Diego, California, and VMF-1 based in Quantico, Virginia. Grumman was working on another variant, but they became concerned about the monoplane design proposed by Brewster Aircraft, so they modified their proposal from the XF4F-1 biplane to the XF4F-2 monoplane which would become the Grumman Wildcat fighter. The F3F was a stretched version of the earlier F2F produced by Grumman and also had larger wings and more modern aerodynamic features. Initial production models were fitted with a 650-HP Pratt & Whitney radial and an 8-foot 6-inch Hamilton Standard prop. The F3F-2 was the primary variant. It utilized a 950-HP engine and was armed with one .30 caliber and one 0.50 caliber machine guns. The F3F-2 was capable of a top speed slightly in excess of 240-MPH, had a service ceiling of 30,000 feet, and an effective range of 825-miles. The F3F-2s were delivered to VF-6 aboard the USS Enterprise, VMF-1 at Quantico Virginia and VMF-2 at San Diego, California. The F3F-3 was similar in design to the F3F-2. The two aircraft were almost indistinguishable, yet the 3 was 8-MPH faster due to a tighter fitting engine cowling, some aerodynamic refinements, and the deletion of the the fuselage vents. By the end of 1941 the last of these Grumman biplane fighters had disappeared from front line service. VMF 111 and VMF 211 were the last two units to relinquish their F3Fs in July and October of 1941, respectively. The1941 color movie Dive Bomber, starring Erroll Flynn, Ralph Bellamy, and Fred McMurray, featured the F3F, and many future naval aviators were motivated to sign-up after seeing this picture. As illustrated in Stan Stokes painting, an F3F aircraft piloted by a young Naval officer of Fighting Six, James E. Howard, lifts off from the USS Enterprise during fleet maneuvers before the War. Howard flew with VF-6 from 1937 through 1941. In mid-41 he resigned his commission to join the AVG Flying Tigers in China, and upon his return to the States he accepted a commission with the USAAF as a Captain. He became commander of the 356th Fighter Squadron flying the P-51 Mustang. Howards most memorable day was on January 11, 1944 when he single handedly protected a bomber squadron from enemy fighter attack on their return from their bombing mission. Labeled a one man air force by one of the bomber pilots, Howard would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic acts of January 11th. Howard was the only fighter ace in the European theater to be so honored. |
Blackburn Iris by Michael Turner. A 209 Squadron Blackburn Iris taxiing out from Calshot in 1931. |
Tigermoth by David Pentland. De Havilland Tigermoth. |
Hawker Fury IIs of 41 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item |
Hawker Harts by Michael Turner. Hawker Harts were first used in 1930 by No.33 Squadron at Eastchurch. Many of these aircraft were used overseas in India, the Middle East and South Africa, some still operating well into World War Two. However, in Britain, most were being replaced by 1936, having been used by a total of 20 RAF and AAF Squadrons. A total of 1042 of this aircraft were built. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
|
|
