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Original
illustration
by Joe Jones.
In honor of—and respect for—the many valiant aviators and steadfast flight
and ground crews who served in WWII, I pay tribute to their determination and personal
sacrifice through such a difficult era, something that must not be forgotten. In my
illustration, entitled "West Field Yardbird", I wanted the viewer to instantly be
transported to the early hours at a distant airfield not so long ago. Imagine if you
will, actually feeling the early morning sun beating on your face, the humidity still
hanging in the air and the smell of burnt oil and aviation fuel as this bird is
prepared for flight.
This illustration holds a tremendous amount meaning to me. Coupled with the huge amount
of research, the opportunity to actually fly in the nose of a B17 Flying Fortress, and
actually sit in the cockpit of a B25 Mitchell, this project quickly became a very real
life adventure for me as well. Very cool stuff!
Look for this story and pictures of our extraordinary adventure soon to be posted along
with great information and links to some of many renowned vintage warbird groups. One
of our goals is to help raise awareness of the need for our support of the many air
groups and associations throughout America that preserve this heritage and history. As
this important national resource slips away, we feel it is our responsibility to help save
these groups from obscurity. We hope you feel the same.
— Joe Jones —
Custom prints
of this image are available:
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