Last June, Joan and I were invited to attend the Change of Command Ceremony for the Air Force One Commanding Officer. The ceremony took place in the Air Force One Complex at Joint Base Andrews. They had the formal Change of Command Ceremony, then a very nice luncheon for everybody. During the luncheon, SAM 29000, […]
One of my paintings honoring the Tuskegee Airmen is of Walter Palmer standing by his P-51C Mustang “Duchess II”. On July 18, 1944, Walter shot down am Messerschmitt 109 with this Mustang. He flew P-39’s, P-40’s, P-47’s and P-51’s with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group completing 158 combat missions with over 400 combat […]
It’s a little hard for me to believe it, but it has been 15 years since I created the “History of the Flying White House” mural for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library! It is an oil painting 12 feet tall by 120 feat long. It makes a 90 degree arc under the tail of their […]
Gathering of Tuskegee Airmen in 2008 at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Tuskegee Alabama. The property had been in private ownership for quite a while, but the property owner graciously opened it up to the Airmen. This is where they had their advanced training in AT-6 Texans and P-40 Warhawks.
General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in July 1932. He was shunned by his classmates for the entire time he was there. He persevered through the next 4 years and graduated in June 1936 with a commission as a second lieutenant of infantry. […]
Gulfstream C-20C The Gulfstream C-20C is like the United States Air ForceC-20B, but with upgraded and “hardened” secure communications, often utilized as backup aircraft accompanying the VC-25A aircraft when it is operating as Air Force One. At times, the C-20C is used as the primary Air Force One. It has a cruise speed of 508 […]
Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 was the first of two Boeing VC-137C aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the President of the United States. The Boeing VC-137C was a military designation for The Boeing 707 airliner. It used the callsign Air Force One when the President was on board, otherwise SAM 26000. The plane […]
Lt. Col. Robert Friend After flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Bob Friend became a fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group in Italy just in time for the Anzio Invasion. At the time, the 4 squadrons within the 332nd were flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra. After a few months flying the P-39, the 332nd […]
Tuskegee Airman Alton Ballard was a fighter pilot with the famous 332nd fighter Group – the “Red Tails”. In 1942, Alton Ballard was a new cadet in class 43-H-SE at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. In primary training, he had instruction flying PT-17 Stearman biplanes. He and the class then moved into flying […]
Capt. Freddie E. Hutchins Tuskegee Airman Freddie Hutchins of Donaldsonville, Ga., graduated from flight training on April 29, 1943, at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. In December, he deployed to Italy with the 302nd Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group. The 302nd Fighter Squadron flew its first combat mission on Feb. 5, […]
The Lockheed VC-140B Jetstar (Air Force One) was the military version of the Lockheed Model 1329 business jet, the first business jet built in quantity for the civilian market. The United States Air Force acquired six of them to transport the President and other high ranking officials and heads of state. They were assigned to […]
Boeing VC-137C SAM 27000 Boeing VC-137C SAM 27000 first entered service in 1972 during the administration of Richard Nixon. A modified Boeing 707, SAM 27000 replaced the aging SAM 27000 as the primary means of presidential travel, although SAM 26000 remained as a back-up plane. SAM 27000 served seven presidents in its twenty-nine years of […]
This Beechcraft VC-6A King Air was purchased by the United States Air Force specifically to fly Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson ( First Lady Claudia Johnson) from Bergstrom AFB to the Johnson Ranch near Stonewall Texas. The runway at their ranch was to short to handle the large Air Force One VC-137jets. So, they […]
Tuskegee Airman Paul Lehman enlisted into the United States Army in November , 1942. He received navigator/bombardier training at Hondo, Texas. Later at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio, Lt. Lehman served as Post Exchange Officer for the 477th Bomb Group while flying in B-25 bombers. After the desegregation of the armed services, Lt. Lehman […]
Colonel William Campbell Tuskegee Airman William Campbell, ss a member of Tuskegee Class SE-42-SE, graduated from the program on July 3, 1942. He was now a second lieutenant. Campbell was then assigned to the 99th Pursuit Squadron. The 99th was deployed to North Africa and were now flying the P-40F Warhawk. They were the first all […]
I just finished this painting of a C-47 Dakota dropping Pathfinder paratroops in the wee hours of the night before the full invasion started for D-Day. The Pathfinders mission was to set up light signals to be followed by the large formations of C-47 so that they would have an idea of where to drop […]
The Douglas VC-9C was a military version of the DC-9 airliner. In the military executive transport aircraft roll, the Douglas VC-9C Nightingale were often used to transport Vice Presidents and First Ladies. In this roll, they would fly with the call sign “Air Force Two”. But they also flew the Presidents. Then, of coarse, they […]
Tuskegee Airman Robert Williams Born in Ottumwa, Iowa, Robert “Bob” Williams was a Tuskegee Airman and pioneer Aviator who spearheaded a movie project about them. Bob’s father was a pilot and he encouraged his two sons to learn to fly. Eventually they became three of only 102 black pilots in the United States at that […]