| Home at Dusk by Stan Stokes. A USN Skyraider returns to its floating home during the Vietnam War. Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0061 |
| Downed but not Forgotten by Stan Stokes. Douglas Aircraft delivered to the Navy Test Center an aircraft for testing in April 1945. This aircraft would prove to be the last of the great single engine propeller driven warbirds. Its simplicity of maintenance, excellent flight characteristics, and overall performance were all rated very good to excellent. In May, with WW II still underway the Navy entered a production order for 600 aircraft. In 1946 the aircraft was renamed the Skyraider. Powered by a 2,500 HP R-3350-24W engine turning a 4-bladed 13.5 foot prop the AD-1 Skyraider was capable of carrying 4,000 pounds of bombs and/or wing loaded rockets. Improvements continued with future variants, and when equipped with a 3,020 HP power plant, the Skyraiders payload capacity increased to a whopping 6,500 pounds, with a top speed of 328 knots. As one of the largest single engine propeller aircraft ever built, the Skyraider saw plenty of action during the Korean conflict. The AD-6 variant was produced in quantity (713), and saw plenty of service in Vietnam with the Navy, Marine Corps., USAF, and Vietnam Air Force. Despite the availability of high performance jet aircraft, the Skyraider proved its value on numerous occasions in Vietnam by providing close in support of ground troops. Colonel Bernard Fisher is depicted in Stan Stokes painting during a mission in the A Shau Valley on March 10, 1966. A US Special Forces camp had faced several days of heavy attack by a large force of North Vietnamese troops, who had brought in ack-ack guns in anticipation of Air Force support. The monsoon season was still underway, and the North Vietnamese knew that this would also hinder American air support. Jet aircraft were of little use due to the low ceilings, and an AC-47 gunship and helicopter had both been downed while making low passes. A1-E Skyraiders from the 1st Air Commando Squadron at Pleiku were scrambled to support the Special Forces. During the second day in support of the A Shau battle, one Skyraider, piloted by Col. Dafford Jump Myers, was severely damaged, and in flames. The only alternative was an emergency landing on the airstrip in the lower-valley camp. Fisher, guided the stricken aircraft in for a belly landing. Failing to jettison his 300 gallon drop tank, Myers Skyraider landed in a ball of flame as it skidded down the make shift runway. Myers successfully escaped the burning wreckage, but was within yards of enemy ground forces. Fisher and several other Skyraiders made several low passes laying down strafing fire and dropping ordnance. With any chance of helicopter rescue many minutes away, Col. Fisher took matters into his own hands and landed his own aircraft on the damaged and refuse-laden landing strip, successfully rescuing his downed comrade. Fishers Skyraider received 19 bullet holes, and for his heroic efforts Col. Fisher became the first USAF officer to receive the Medal of Honor in Southeast Asia. Col. Fisher now resides in Idaho. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £94.00 Signed by Medal of Honor recipient Col Bernie Fisher. ITEM CODE STK0053 |
| Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud, as it was nicknamed by many of the pilots who flew it, was conceived as a supersonic, low altitude fighter-bomber capable of carrying a nuclear weapon in its internal bomb bay and two more on its wing stations. The F-105 evolved from a proposal made by Republic to the USAF in 1952. A series of delays, cancellations, spec changes, and other problems resulted in a very long gestation period for this aircraft, with initial production models not reaching operational units until 1958. The Thud was a big, powerful aircraft. With a length of 65 feet and a height of 20 feet, the F-105 would typically fly combat missions with a gross weight at takeoff in excess of 50,000 pounds. Although the F-105 was fortunately never utilized for the nuclear mission it was designed for, it did become the primary tactical bomber utilized by the USAF during the Vietnam War. In fact, the Thud flew more than 75% of all the bombing sorties directed at North Vietnam during the War. The Ham Rong Bridge in North Vietnam was a frequent target for F-105s. Ham Rong translates into English as Dragons Jaws, and this very important north-south rail and highway line was a vital supply link in allowing the North Vietnamese to send streams of men and materials south. The Ham Rong Bridge was 546 feet long and was 56 feet wide. It took eight years to build this incredibly sturdy bridge and Ho Chi Minh himself dedicated the bridge in 1964. SAMs and antiaircraft batteries heavily defended it. Living up to its name, the bridge was one of the most punishing targets to attack, and many American aircraft and pilots were lost during the numerous attacks on the Dragons Jaws. From 1965 to 1968 almost seven hundred aircraft had attacked the bridge, hitting it with more than 10,000 tons of high explosives. Despite these attacks, repair crews worked around the clock, and the bridge remained usable. Rockets proved ineffective and only direct hits with large bombs were likely to do any serious damage. Recognizing this, the North Vietnamese knew that American fighter-bombers would have to pass directly over the Dragons Jaws to release their bombs. A wall of antiaircraft fire would be directed directly over the bridge during such attacks, and a horrific toll was exacted on attacking American aircraft. In Stan Stokes painting an F-105 piloted by Fred V. Cherry is depicted during an attack on the Ham Rong Bridge. Col. Cherry was shot down in October of 1965 and remained a POW until 1973. He retired from the Air Force in 1981. The Dragons Jaw stood as a symbol of North Vietnamese resistance until it was finally destroyed by a laser-guided, smart bomb in1972. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £94.00 Signed by USAF Col Fred Cherry.
Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0047 |
| Fallen Eagle by Stan Stokes. The McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was designed by Ed Heinemann as a successor to the Skyraider attack bomber. The prototype aircraft first flew in 1954. The diminutive Skyhawk was only 42 feet in length, with a carrier friendly wingspan of 27 feet. The Skyhawk was capable of speeds close to 700 MPH, and was produced in several variants through 1979. The Skyhawk was utilized extensively in Vietnam for ground attack and support. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Fallen Eagle, the A-4 of a young Navy aviator, Everett Alvarez, has just taken off from the USS Constellation at 2:30 PM on August 5, 1964. Alvarez, a native of Salinas California, had attended the University of Santa Clara before joining the Navy. It was a day that Alvarez would not soon forget. About midnight that day the destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy were under attack from North Vietnamese patrol boats in international waters sixty miles off the coast of North Vietnam. Alvarez unit, the VA-144 Roadrunners, had been scrambled to assist the destroyers, but terrible weather conditions prevented any action. Washington decided to retaliate against these attacks by authorizing the first bombardment of North Vietnam on August 5, 1964. On that day twenty-two aircraft from the USS Ticonderoga attacked North Vietnam military targets at 1:15 PM. Only one aircraft was damaged during this first wave, and its pilot successfully made it back to an airfield in South Vietnam. The USS Constellation would provide a second wave involving 10 Skyhawks, 4 Skyraiders, and a single F-4 to provide fighter cover. Alvarez target was the harbor at Hon Gai, where his mission was to destroy any military patrol boats in the harbor. The lumbering Skyraiders were launched early, and Alvarez was the first of the ten Skyhawks off the Constellation. The Skyhawks rendezvoused at 20,000 feet before climbing to 30,000 feet for the seventy-five minute flight to the target area. Alvarez A-4 was equipped with a belly pod of 19 rockets. The Skyhawks streaked in over the harbor at 500 MPH in a shallow dive. Four torpedo boats and a larger coastal patrol ship were in the harbor. Alvarez made two passes over the harbor, and as he was passing over the southern edge of the town he saw a yellow flash to the port side of his windscreen accompanied by a popping sound. Seconds later the A-4 shook violently, and all the warning lights came on. The cockpit began to fill with smoke and the stick froze. With a final radio transmission, Im getting out! Ill see you guys later!, Alvarez pulled his ejection ring. Within seconds he was in the water. Picked-up minutes later by some very nervous fisherman, Everett Alvarez would become the first pilot shot down and captured over North Vietnam. It would be eight-and-one-half years later that Alvarez would be released, having endured hardships which would have broken anyone of less than the highest faith and courage. Everett Alvarez retired from the Navy in 1980, and was later a Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, and Deputy Director of the Veterans Administration. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £94.00 Signed by USN Lt Everrett Alvarez.
Limited edition of 25 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0055 |
| Vietnam War Veteran by Stan Stokes. The McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II was produced from 1958 Thorough 1981. In excess of 5,000 aircraft were produced in twenty variants. The F-4 evolved from McDonnels earlier work on the F3H Demon and the F-101A Voodoo, an aircraft substantially heavier and larger than first generation jet fighters. The Phantom was initially intended as a fleet interceptor, but the aircraft was asked to take on additional tasks for which it was not totally optimized for. It is a testament to the basic quality of the design of the aircraft, and the skill and determination of the pilots which flew it, that the Phantom was a success in most of the varied roles it was asked to undertake. The F-4 was designed to be a platform for high-tech weaponry, with highly supersonic qualities, excellent range, and the ability to lift a large external payload. Initially only ordered by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was carrier qualified in February 1961. In 1962 under intense pressure from the Department of Defense the Air Force relented and announced that four wings of F-105s would be replaced with Phantoms. By the mid-sixties over 1,000 Phantoms had been delivered, and it was generally anticipated that the aircraft would be in production for only four or five more years. However, forecasters failed to fully comprehend the eventual scope of the United States involvement in Vietnam, and the serious problems with the development of the F-111 (also known as the TFX). As a result the Phantom got a second lease on life, and production of improved versions of the aircraft were accelerated. The ultimate Air Force version of the Phantom was designated the F-4E, and 1,242 were manufactured from 1967 to 1978. The Vietnam War gave the Phantom an assured place in aviation history. One version of the Phantom was equipped with additional electronics and given the mission of detecting and destroying enemy Surface-to-Air missile sites. Aircraft so-equipped were accurately nicknamed Wild Weasels. During the Vietnam War the F-4s aerial adversaries included the Mig-17, Mig-19, and the Mig-21. A shark-mouthed Air Force F-4 in a near miss situation with a Mig-19 over the cloudy skies of North Vietnam. The Phantoms two-man crew is looking to the port side of the aircraft, as they anticipate a close encounter of the wrong kind. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00 ITEM CODE STK0054 |
| Flight of the Phantom by Stan Stokes. The McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II was flown by both the USN and USAF in Vietnam. The aircraft was utilized in many roles during the War. The only two aces in Vietnam both flew the F-4. Randall Duke Cunningham did the honors for the Navy, while Steve Ritchie attained five victories flying the Phantom with the USAF. Limited edition of 950 prints. Print size 40 inches x 26 inches (102cm x 66cm). Price £94.00 ITEM CODE STK0051 |
| Early Top Guns by Stan Stokes. Prior to 1950 Chance-Vought had solidly established itself, along with Grumman, as one of the two leading suppliers of aircraft to the US Navy. Following WW II, however, the Texas-based company was less successful with its XF6U Pirate and later with its F7U Cutlass. In September of 1952 the Navy issued a requirement for its first supersonic, carrier-based, air superiority aircraft. Russ Clark and the design team at Vought submitted a proposal utilizing some radical design concepts. Most unique was a high mounted wing which could move 7 degrees in incidence. To make the craft more pilot friendly during carrier landings droops were designed into the leading edges of the wings. The cockpit was also located as far forward as possible providing excellent visibility. A Pratt & Whitney J57 was the proposed power plant. The Navy selected the Vought proposal from the eight submitted. In March of 1955 the first of the more than 1,200 Crusaders which would be built, made its inaugural flight, and went supersonic. The Crusader, often called the Gunfighter, was an unqualified success. It restored some prestige to the Navy, which had been criticized by Air Force supporters for not having any aircraft capable of taking on Migs in Korea in aerial combat. The F-8 set many speed records, including a cross country, carrier-to-carrier, trip in 3 hours and 28 minutes. At the time of the Vietnam War, the F-8 was a proven aircraft. Despite being relegated to a secondary mig-killing role, the F-8s downed 19 Migs in Vietnam. Their victory ratio was 6-to-1, which was superior to any other aircraft. F-8 pilots were well trained in air combat maneuvering skills, whereas pilots on more modern aircraft had been taught to rely on long range air-to-air missiles. Recognizing this need the Navy began transferring F-8 instructors to its F-4 program as a way to teach F-4 pilots dog fighting skills. This was the beginnings of the Navys Top Gun School. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting, a USMC F-8 piloted by Gen. Drax Williams chases a pair of Mig-21s during an A-6 escort mission during the Vietnam War. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £74.00 Signed by USMC Pilot Gen Drax Williams.
Limited edition of 25 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0043 |
|
