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BLERIOT’S FINAL HURDLE
Just after sunrise on July 25th 1909, Louis Bleriot took off from Calais in
his monoplane on his historic first crossing of the English Channel by aeroplane. He had
to overcome many hurdles leading to this point, financial, competition, injury, etc. His
machine is depicted facing the final hurdle before his life changed; the Cliffs of Dover
which rose higher than his frail craft could climb. Bleriot overcame this final hurdle and
landed safely near Dover Castle making history and winning a £1000.00 prize offered by
the London Daily Mail.
(Private Collection, France) |
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DOWN TO HONG KONG
The approach to runway 13 at Kai Tak airport, (now closed), was notorious because of a
difficult sharp right turn onto finals through mountainous terrain. To assist the pilots
an Instrument Guidance System, (IGS), was installed at the middle marker in 1974. The IGS
mast is visible on the bottom right of the painting. The infamous ‘checkerboard’
was the marker for the pilot to make the turn. The Cargolux CL 44J freighter was a regular
visitor to Kai Tak in the 1970’s.
(In the collection of Cargolux, Luxemburg) |
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EVENING ARRIVAL
A typical West of Ireland evening sky is the setting for this painting of an Aer Arann
ATR 42. The low sunlight coming from the right of the picture gave me the opportunity to
reflect a lot of the orange from the sky onto the fuselage and cast long shadows forward
along the aircraft.
(In the collection of Aer Arann, Galway) |
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CROWD PLEASER
The Salthill Airshow attracts performers and visitors alike to what has become one of
the largest and most spectacular outdoor events in Ireland each summer. This painting
depicts a low ‘n slow fly past of an Aer Arann ATR 72. The painting shows the
‘home-crowd’ waving from the shoreline in Salthill. The Aran lifeboat is visible
in the bay. Across Galway bay the hills of the Burren can be seen in the background.
(In the collection of Aer Arann, Galway) |
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GRACE AT LEOPARDSTOWN
This painting was commissioned to record the first air show in Ireland. It took place
at Leopardstown racecourse on the 29th & 30th of August 1910. The star of the show was
Cecil Grace who is shown here flying his Farman biplane. Meticulous research ensures that
the painting is an accurate historical document in all respects from the weather
conditions and topography to technical accuracy of the machines and buildings.
(Private Collection, Dublin) |
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC 747-400
Commissioned by G E Capital Aviation Services Ltd, this painting depicts 747-400
‘Barbarella’ climbing out from Heathrow. This painting was used as a
presentation gift from the company.
(Private Collection, Ireland) |
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NIGHT-TIME TAKE-OFF, FOYNES
This painting was used by Donal MacCarron to illustrate a passage about
Foynes during ‘The Emergency’ in his book ‘A View From Above’,
It depicts the Sikorski flying boat ‘Excambian’ being aided in a night take-off
by a parachute flare and a mile-long floating flare path of lighted buoys which were laid
down by the crew of a launch. It was safer to depart from Foynes under cover of darkness
during the war years to avoid interception by long-range Luftwaffe Condor aircraft dubbed
by Churchill ‘The Scourge of the Atlantic’. Another advantage was a daylight
landing on the other side of the ocean.
Captain Charles Blair made the first Foynes to New York non stop record
breaking flight in 1942 in ‘Excambian’s sister ship ‘Excalibur’. One
of my postage stamp designs for An Post commemorates this event.
Actress Maureen O’Hara Blair
being presented with my painting of her late husband Charlie Blair’s beloved flying
boat ‘Southern Cross’.
The occasion was the opening of
the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in 1989. |
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