Painted Flight Jackets - Planes, Names, and Dames

[442RCT]

Thanks Baron Kurtz for posting pictures of your jacket in this thread. :eusa_clap I encourage all who have painted flight jackets to post pics here, even if they've had their own previous thread. worthlesswithoutpics

 

[442RCT]

BOMBER ARTS

One cannot go to a meeting of Friends of American Fighter Aces and wear a painted jacket without attendees asking you, "Where did you get that jacket? Who painted it ? I've always wanted to have nose art on my jacket. Do you have a business card" Back then, there wasn't any brand name awareness or what were authentic features of an A-2 jacket, or what was or wasn't 'real' nose art. I ended up in the jacket painting business. In the beginning it was fun to talk to the guys about what they wanted on their jackets. One guy just wanted a cross sectional view of a F-16 Hornet coming at you and his squadron logo across the top and unit ID across the bottom. Others had an idea of which plane they wanted but not the pin-up girl or any particular design in mind. Back then, I only took pics of a few of my jackets, nothing with any detail, nor did I care or necessarily know anything about A-2 jackets, brand names, types of leather, etc..

With help and suggestions from my artist friend, I was able to improve. "Geeze, Jay, when you copy stuff, try using better source material than a small picture out of a book, your pin-up girl body proportions are all screwed up. Blow up the picture(s) on a copy machine and use chalk on the back of the paper to trace it onto the jacket." This helped a lot, especially for someone who isn't an artist.

I traded this G-1 jacket and art to a business who sold Aviation Art Prints. I wanted a framed Flying Tigers, AVG print he had on display, and he agreed to a trade. He left the design and concept up to me, the Flying Tigers shark toothed aircraft are such an iconic symbol, everyone recognizes it. You could say I traded a Flying Tiger for a Flying Tiger. As usual, I shamelessly copied the picture of the airplane and blood chit off a tee shirt design and added a demure Vargas girl, after all, it was going to be a store sign.

 

[deanglen]

I painted this 9th Bomb Squadron patch using fabric paints, water based flexible latex paints:

Based on this patch:

dean

 

[442RCT]

IX Bomb Squadron

Thanks, that's how I started...easy to copy patches first.

 

[442RCT]

Semper Fi - Always Faithful

A client asked for his plane, a P-38, a name- Semper Fi, and a dame- a Vargas redhead. So I came up with this for his jacket. I asked him why a P-38 since Marines were not known to fly them. He said he just liked P-38s. [huh]

 

[Edward]

There's a plane in that photo???

 

[Phantomfixer]

Shoo Shoo

You can change the name but you can't change the dame. The same Vargas girl that Tony Starcer did for the Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, now at the AF museum. Great choice 442RCT excellent work.

 

[Speedbird]

very niiice ... gotta love a redhead ... and a brilliant example of personal choice .... I have seen photos of crews from the same aircraft even with different pin-ups ... some men love a blonde, some a brunette ... and some even a redhead ... ! purrrrrr.. lol
Good work RCT!!!!

It's such a shame nose art is so hard to wear ... I love pin-up and nose art ... but even though I cherish this form I find it hard to wear.... I even got told off for wearing my Vargas inspired cufflinks at work once!!!! Actually, I got a warning for sexism and inappropriate behaviour likely to cause offence ... I promptly quit! They weren't even nude! lol lol lol

 

[442RCT]

It's such a shame nose art is so hard to wear ... I love pin-up and nose art ... but even though I cherish this form I find it hard to wear.... I even got told off for wearing my Vargas inspired cufflinks at work once!!!! Actually, I got a warning for sexism and inappropriate behaviour likely to cause offence ... I promptly quit! They weren't even nude! lol lol lol

If you look at these Vargas girls, none are "nude" in the sense they are showing any breasts, most are quite well covered. This last girl has her back turned towards the viewer. I think that is the talent of a great Pin-Up artist like Vargas, he'll let the mind of the viewer fill in what is not shown.

But I agree with you and the others that you have to pick and chose where it's appropriate to wear a jacket with a posed to tease pin-up girl.

 

[442RCT]

BIG BEAUTIFUL DOLL

This guy told me he wanted a tribute to Col. John D, Lander's P-51 Mustang, Big Beautiful Doll, one of the most replicated and distinctive P-51 paint jobs.
He sent me an 8x10 photo of a model airplane in the pose that he wanted, and asked me to supply the 'dame'. A month after he received the completed jacket, I got a note from his girlfriend thanking me and telling me he wore that jacket everywhere and was getting all sorts of compliments. :eusa_clap

 

[442RCT]

Rhapsody In Red

You can change the name but you can't change the dame. The same Vargas girl that Tony Starcer did for the Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, now at the AF museum. Great choice 442RCT excellent work.

http://www.91stbombgroup.com/nose_artists/starcer.html

 

[442RCT]

D-DAY AIRBORNE !

This is the last jacket I painted for a client. I met him at a Friends of American Fighter Aces event and he asked, "Who painted your jacket?" I handed him one of my business cards, now calling myself, "BOMBER ARTS". He asked if I would paint a jacket for him in exchange for an Eastman A-2 which he'd outgrown and would probably fit me. Since the Eastman cost more than what I was charging, it was an easy deal for me.

He said he wanted a special commemorative jacket to wear when he went to Normandy for his 50th anniversary D-Day reunion with his unit, the 505 Parachute Infantry Unit. He'd send me his source materials and we would collaborate on the design. He sent me books with drawings of paratroopers, and a postcard with the church of Ste. Mere Eglise. The church was where his unit began their campaign and the jacket has a map of the locations where the unit engaged the enemy.

I was glad that we got his special jacket finished in time for him to wear to Normandy, and I hope his buddies got a kick out of it.

 

[Speedbird]

outstanding work RCT!

... all of your jackets are amazing and powerful examples of jacket art and it's ability to convey a unique and personal story.

Now .... your own jacket .... that must be next ... I bet the blonde is your wife!

 

[Phantomfixer]

[/IMG]

Shoo Shoo is now in olive drab but during the war with the 91st BG she was bare aluminum. She was painted due to corrosion and the man hours needed to restore her luster or so we were told. But after restoration at Dover AFB she flew to Ohio and hasn't flown since, but is well cared for During the restoration Tony Starcer redid the nose art. This was back in the mid 80's. He also painted a few A-2s for a select few. One was an original A-2 the rest Coopers.

 

[RBH]

This was painted for me by our very own Harp Player Gene.

 

[442RCT]

He also painted a few A-2s for a select few. One was an original A-2 the rest Coopers.

Wow, I'd love to see or have pics of one of those jackets with his original artwork.

 

[442RCT]

This was painted for me by our very own Harp Player Gene.

Thanks for posting Gene's work, he's a wonderful jacket artist and I wouldn't hesitate to have a jacket painted by him. :eusa_clap

 

[Phantomfixer]

Wow, I'd love to see or have pics of one of those jackets with his original artwork.

I know there was one still in town about 5 years ago. Let me see if that individual is still around. and will post pics asap.

 

[442RCT]

FLYING TIGERS

I found CBI's Rhapsody in Red project jacket. Nice period artwork and lessons on how to age a jacket.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=33627

 

[442RCT]

FLYING TIGERS

Now .... your own jacket .... that must be next ... I bet the blonde is your wife!

My wife thanks you, and although she's been a pin-up girl at one time, this jacket was painted 6 years before I met her.

When the Friends of American Fighter Aces announced they were hosting a Flying Tigers luncheon in a few months, naturally I had to prepare a jacket ready for them to sign. I'd already painted one with a blood chit and sharked mouth P-40 for a store sign, so I wanted to change it up a little. I decided to use a 48 star US flag for the background with the iconic shark mouthed P-40, and of course a pin-up girl. I added my personal jacket logo, Go For Broke.

The five aces plus one, who attended the luncheon were gentlemen and heroes all, graciously signed my jacket...which makes this jacket a non-wearer and now it's displayed in it's own framed case.

Tex Hill - 11.25 enemy aircraft destroyed
Duke Hedman - 6 enemy aircraft destroyed (5 in one day)
Dick Rossi - 6 enemy aircraft destroyed
Ed Rector - 10.5 enemy aircraft destroyed
Buzz Keeton - 2.5 enemy aircraft destroyed