To most people,
the sky is the limit.
To those who
love aviation,
the sky is home.
...Jerry Crawford
We went to the California Capital Air Show on Sunday. They have one of the largest ground displays of civilian and military aircraft in North America. It is held at Mather Airport, once known as Mather Field and Mather Air Force Base, which celebrated 104 years. On display and flying were vintage to Fifth-Gen fighters.
This is a photo of a P-38 Lightening from WWII called Thoughts of Midnight. The P-38 was the most innovative plane of its day, combining speed with unheard advances: two supercharged engines and a potent mix of four 50-caliber machine guns and a 20-mm cannon.
Upon its official introduction in 1940, the P-38 was capable of climbing to 3300 feet in a single minute and reaching 400mph, 100mph faster than any other fighter in the world.
Adorning the nose section of an aircraft with a name or an image has been a long standing tradition amongst American military flyers. The practice peaked during WWII, where nose art truly became an icon. It was popularized by the US Army Air Force who tolerated the artwork for morale purposes.
The practice tended to drop off in peacetime, with a lull between WWII and Korea, and between Korea and Vietnam.
Also regulations on aircraft camouflage became increasingly strict after these wars, and brightly colored, highly visible artwork did not pass these regulations. In addition stealth aircraft coated with advanced radar absorbing paint may have their stealth qualities compromised by nose art.
Other reasons artwork has been limited are related to public perception. Having a nude pin up girl proudly positioned on the nose of an aircraft didn't ruffle feathers during the 1940's, but the same cannot be said for today, with military aircraft often being seen up close by the public at air shows and posted in great detail on social media. Nose art must now be approved by their respective major command.
For more information on the P-38 Lightening, aircraft nose art & Mather Airport:
The Sky is Home
To most people,
the sky is the limit.
To those who
love aviation,
the sky is home.
...Jerry Crawford
(end cite)
Ooh, I do love aviation, and so do I love this quote!
Thanks for the nice photo!
Ian