Noseart Page 3

This is the noseart found on the nose of the Gee Bee R-1 and R-2.  S.A.R.A stands for the Springfield Air Racing Association which was established to raise money and promote the air races.  The number 7 was the race number of the Gee Bee R-1 that raced in the Thompson Pylon race.  The number 11 was the R-2 which was raced in the Bendix transcontinental race.  There are also markings indicating that the aircraft was powered by an R-985 Wasp Jr. and an advertisement for Champion spark plugs.

The "City of Springfield, Massachusetts" was painted on the cowling of the Gee Bee Model Z.  This was the hometown of the Granville Brothers who designed this aircraft which raced in the Cleveland Air Races.

This picture was painted on the nose of this DC-3 airliner.

This Ford 5-AT Trimotor "City Of Philadelphia" is also painted up as the U.S. Air Mail route 34 . 

This image of a wolf was painted on a T-28C cowling.  It is the insignia of the VAW-77, the Nightwolves. 

This noseart "Big Bird" was displayed on a T-28C Trojan.

This noseart was displayed on a T-34C Mentor. 

The T-34 Mentor "TorMentor" displays it's clever play on words.

This is a replica of perhaps one of the most famous aircraft of all time.  On May 21, 1927 pilot Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight in history.  The route was between Long Island, New York and Paris, France.  This proved that aircraft could be safe and reliable and was a major turning point in aviation history.  The aircraft itself was a Ryan built M-2 powered by a reliable Wright J-5C engine.  The aircraft was highly modified to make the trip.  Lindbergh's only forward came from a periscope in the cockpit as an auxiliary fuel tank was placed ahead of the pilot.  This would also serve to protect the pilot in case he needed to ditch at sea.

This Lockheed Vega "Winnie Mae" is a replica of the one that was flown by Wiley Post and displays some of the records that the original had  accomplished on it's tail.  It was named after Post's daughter.

This is probably the most unusual nose art in the galleries.  It comes from the balloon "Spirit of Peace" which attempted to become the first balloon flight to fly around the world nonstop.  Anheuser Bush sponsored the event that would give $1,000,000 in prize money to the first team that could make it.  The balloon was funded by Steve Fossett, Barron Hilton, and Richard Branson.  The balloon gondola was really a large pressure vessel, in order to fly at over 40,000 feet, in which the three crew members would have to spend an estimated two weeks living, sleeping, and eating.  It launched in February of 1999 but had to be ditched in the ocean off of Hawaii.  The pilots of this aircraft were Jacques W. Soukup, Mark Sullivan, and Crispin J. Williams.  Steve Fossett would later use the balloon envelope in an unsuccessful attempt to become the first person to fly solo around the world.  Later he would achieve this record. 

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© Brian Whittingham 2004