Stan Stokes.
Full Collection of Aviation art Prints for aircraft flown between the
wars by Aviation artist Stan Stokes
Stan
Stokes is a California native with more than 37 years as a full time
professional artist, who developed a passion for vintage cars, trains and
airplanes at an early age. Model building and RC planes filled the many hours of
the young enthusiasts free time. However, unlike most other young aviation
enthusiasts Stokes also displayed a great gift for artistic talent. After
studying art in College, Stan decided to pursue a career as a professional
artist. Stokes initially focused his great talents on depicting uniquely
realistic landscapes of the western desert and mountain scenes. More than thirty
years ago a good friend suggested that Stan combine his passion for aviation
history and flying with his artistic talents, and render an aircraft or two. The
rest is history. Stan has won many prestigious awards including the
Benedictine Art Award in 1975 and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums
Golden Age of Flight award in 1985. In May of 2000, Stan was honored with the
National Museum of Naval Aviations R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval
Aviation Art. Commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi
Valley, California, Stans 12 x 120 foot mural of the History of the Flying White
House is on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion. In addition Stans
painting of the USS Ronald Reagan is hanging in the Legacy Room of the library.
In 2005 Stan also completed a painting of our nations next aircraft carrier, the
USS George H. W. Bush, which is on permanent display at the George H. W. Bush
Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Stan has also completed several
impressive murals for the Palm Springs Air Museum including: The Tuskegee Airmen
at 12 x 60 feet and contains 51 portraits of the original Tuskegee Airmen.
Dauntless at Midway at 12 x 34 feet and Corsair on Approach at 19 x 55 feet.
Stans work also hangs in the Air Force art collection, the Pentagon, San Diego
Aerospace Museum, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in
Washington DC. Stan has had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of his
boyhood aviation heroes, including the late General Jimmy Doolittle, the late
Pappy Boyington, Chuck Yeager, and many many others. A true aviation history
buff, Stan often spends more time pouring over research materials for
his paintings to assure their accuracy to the smallest detail than he
does behind the canvas. Noted for his incredible detail and strikingly realistic
illustration, Stans canvases have a life-like three-dimensional effect that
often leaves viewers spellbound. Today his work encompasses not only aviation
and space but also portraits, landscapes, ships, classic cars and his new
collection of cat-related fine art paintings. Stan particularly enjoys the tough
assignment. During his 37 years as a professional artist, he has been asked to
produce literally hundreds of paintings documenting historical events, people
and places. Although Stan has logged many hours flying his own airplanes, in
recent years pleasure flying has had to take a backseat to the artistic demands
of his backlog. Stan was commissioned to paint more than twenty original
paintings for an aviation museum being in the Philippines. Since the mid-1980s
NASA has also tapped Stans talents from time to time and he has completed more
than fifteen paintings ranging from the space shuttles to the SR 71 Blackbird.
Stan has also painted numerous works for the cutting edge genius in aviation and
space design, Burt Rutan.
Hong Kong Clipper by Stan Stokes.
The Glen L. Martin Company had a long history as a designer and manufacturer of successful flying boats. The company had developed several different flying boats for the Navy, including the PM the P3M and the XP2M. However, when the company began considering the development of a large commercial flying boat for Pan Am, there was considerable internal controversy. The Great Depression was underway and many aircraft manufacturers were going bankrupt. Glenn Martin insisted that the company proceed, and lie was highly motivated to show the world that his organization could design and produce the finest flying boat ever built. The end product of their efforts was the M-130. Credit for its design is shared with Martins Chief Engineer (L.C. Milburn), the Project Engineer (L.D. McCarthy), test pilot (WX. Ebel), and Pail Ams Chief Engineer (Andre Priester.) The first of the three MA 3 Os was the China Clipper. It made its maiden flight on December 30, 1934. The M- 130 had a wingspan of 130 fee.........
In 1924 the US Navy took delivery of the Los Angeles, which was built by the Zeppelin Company in Germany. A partnership was formed between the Goodyear Company and the Zeppelin Company for developing rigid airships in the United States. Rear Admiral William A. Moffett was unquestioned booster of the rigid airship program in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. As chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics Moffet had considerable influence. In 1926 he was successful at getting Congress to allocate funds for the construction of two 758-foot long rigid airships (the USS Akron and the USS Macon) with a capacity of 6.5 million cubic feet of helium, more than twice the size of the Graf Zepplin which would circle the globe in 1929. The Goodyear company commenced construction of a huge hangar at Akron which would be used for construction of the first of the two massive airships. Utilizing three keels and thirty-six longitudinal girders, the Akron had a sturdy airframe. One of the most novel .........
Charles Augustus Lindbergh is generally acknowledged to be the most famous American aviator of all time. Lindbergh was one of a band of flying gypsies who discovered that following WW I there was little interest by the military in aviation and very few jobs available in the fledgling commercial aviation field. These pilots, who were hooked on flying, flew the mail, offered rides at county fairs, and barnstormed around the country in an attempt to eke out a small living and cover the cost of flying. In 1919 a wealthy New York hotel owner had established a prize of $25,000 for the first non-stop flight between New York and Paris. By the mid-1920s, the technology appeared to be on the verge of permitting a successful crossing. In 1926 the famous WW I French fighter ace, Réné Fonck crashed his Sikorsky S-35 while attempting to takeoff from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, killing two of his four man crew. In April of 1927 a similar crash killed Noel Davis and Stanton Wooster. On May 8, ano.........
Following WW I the United States sharply curtailed its military budget, which slowed the progress in aviation quite a bit. However, one bright spot was the series of international race competitions, which lead to improved aircraft designs, and more powerful and reliable aviation engines. The greatest catalyst behind the technical improvements to in-line, water-cooled engines between the wars was the Schneider Trophy races. The 1925 Schneider Trophy contest was scheduled for Baltimore, Maryland in October. The United States Army and the Navy agreed to work together for the 1925 race and commissioned the construction of three Curtiss R3C-2 racers. The Curtiss racers would utilize the proven wood and plywood-skin construction with an upgraded engine capable of generating more than 600-HP. A new drop-forged, duraluminum Reed propeller was utilized, as were a slight change in pontoon design. On September 11, 1925 the new design was rolled out for its maiden test flight. Lt. Jimmy Doolittl.........
Following The War to End All Wars military expenditures were severely curtailed, and only limited funds were available to support new military aviation projects. A number of important issues, which would influence the future of aviation, were debated in both public and private forums during this period. One related to the general importance of the role of aircraft in future military conflicts. A second was the relative importance of bombers vs. pursuit aircraft, and another issue affecting aviation was the rivalry between the Navy and the Army. One of the tactics utilized by the Armys Air Corps during this period to generate positive public support for its efforts, was the massing of large airborne armadas to impress the general populace. Many such fly overs took place during this period, and many were quite extravagant in terms of the sheer number of aircraft assembled for the displays. In Stan Stokes painting appropriately entitled A Show of Strength, one of these fly overs takes.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£10 Off!
Now : £28.00
Flying Postmen by Stan Stokes.
The inauguration of air mail service in the United States in 1918 would prove to be a very significant development in the evolution of the aviation industry. Spearheaded by Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger, Congress approved funding for a limited service between New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. The inaugural flights took place in May of 1918 utilizing US Army pilots and Curtiss JN-4H aircraft. Although initial public demand for air mail service was negligible, the Post Office demanded a damn-the-weather attitude from its pilots. This resulted in the Army withdrawing from this arrangement out of the fear of losing pilots and equipment. Not to be deterred, the Post Office ordered six new Standard bi-planes, and recruited its own pilots. Max Miller signed on as the Air Mail Services first civilian pilot, and flew his Standard from College Park Maryland on August 12, 1918, which was the first air mail flight utilizing civilian aircraft and pilots. The Standard which was de.........
Although commercial aviation progressed in Europe during the 1920s, it remained dormant in America during most of the decade. In the late 1920s two Americans, Juan T. Trippe and Ralph A. ONeill came upon the scene and both were obsessed with the idea of building a dominant American overseas airline. Trippe was born into a prominent family and had attended Yale University. Trippe formed Eastern Air Transport with some of his Yale flying club buddies, and later merged a company into Pan American Airways, a small regional carrier in the Caribbean. Trippe utilized Fokker trimotors in the early days, but as his airline expanded, flying boats became the preferred aircraft because of the fact that they did not require runways and airports. There were few useable airfields in the early days of commercial aviation, but there were plenty of rivers and harbors. Pan Am purchased an S-36 flying boat from Sikorsky Aircraft in 1927. Sikorskys next flying boat was the S-38. It was very successful and.........
Construction of the dirigible Hindenburg began in 1931 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The huge dirigible took nearly five years to complete. It was 804-feet long, and at its widest point was 135-feet in diameter. The Hindenburgs gas capacity (in 16 gas cells) was more than 7 million cubic feet. Each cell was coated with a gelatin solution to insure its permeability against the volatile hydrogen gas. The Hindenburgs frame was made of a special alloy of aluminum and copper. The Hindenburg was powered by four huge 16-cylinder diesel engines. Each engine provided 1300-HP of take off power, and 850-HP for sustained cruising. A navigation room in the control car contained two gyro compasses, a radio compass, and a telephone switchboard. The radio room was directly above the control car. In the bridge located in the control car were the controls for controlling the engines, releasing ballast or hydrogen, and in adjusting rudder or elevators. Each passenger had a 78 x 66 inch cabin consisting o.........
During WW I, German U-boats took a substantial toll on Allied shipping, and during the War military planners were anxious to explore the possibilities of aircraft being developed which could thwart this menace. Existing land-based patrol aircraft had given a fair account of themselves, but because of their inability to patrol areas far from land, they were of only limited use. What was needed was a very long range flying boat capable of venturing far out to sea in search of enemy shipping, and submarines. The U.S. Navy contacted aviation pioneer Glen Curtiss who was at that time working on a small sea-worthy flying boat for the United States Coast Guard. Curtiss produced two alternative designs of a long-range flying boat for the Navy, and the smaller three engine design was selected. The Navy commissioned work on four aircraft to be designated NC 1 through 4. Incorporating the new Liberty engine, these aircraft were completed at the close of hostilities. On November 27, 1918 one of t.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£10 Off!
Now : £30.00
Billy Shows Them by Stan Stokes.
In the period following WW I, Americas military spending was severely curtailed. The Air Service of the United States Army, which had performed admirably in the latter stages of the War, was treated like an unwanted child. The Air Service had detractors within the regular Army, the Navy, and the Naval Air Service. Rivalry between the Navy and Army was fierce during these times, and competition for the limited amount of funds available for defense spending further intensified matters. Brigadier General Billy Mitchell was one of the senior officers in the US Army Air Service. A veteran of WW I, Billy was an outspoken advocate of the Air Service. Mitchell requested permission to attempt to sink the German dreadnought Ostfriesland in a demonstration off the Virginia coast. The Navy was anxious to discredit the Air Service, and even within the Army itself there were many rooting against Mitchell. Mitchells commanding officer ordered him to attack the Ostfriesland from a minimum altitude of.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£10 Off!
Now : £28.00
1934 American Classics by Stan Stokes.
Stan Stokes, in his painting, 1934 American Classics, beautifully portrays a Hollywood movie star and her pet dog embarking on a chartered Ford Trimotor from the Grand Central Air Terminal (owned and operated by Curtis-Wright) in California. Probably bound for a weekend visit to San Simeon, the palatial retreat of the publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst, the trip to San Luis Obispo will take only ninety minutes. The early afternoon rains have left puddles on the tarmac, but fair skies have returned to the San Gabriel mountains, and the trip should be a smooth one. During the Great Depression the Packard Company introduced some of its most stunning and high performance automobiles. The 1934 Packard LeBaron Speedster, pictured in the painting, was one such machine. Costing nearly $8,000 the Packard LeBaron Speedster was about two to three times the price of a nice three bedroom house. Only the very wealthy could afford such luxuries during the Depression. Note that the Speedster.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£5 Off!
Now : £35.00
Quite a Pair by Stan Stokes.
The US Navys first two effective aircraft carriers were the USS Lexington and the USS Saratoga; both converted from battle cruiser hulls in 1927. The Lexington, CV-2, was built in Quincy, Massachusetts, and commissioned in December of 1927. The Saratoga, CV-3, was built in Camden, New Jersey and commissioned in November of 1927. During fleet exercises in the early 1930s the capabilities and limitations of these two great ships had a huge impact on the evolution of carrier tactics. The speed of these big carriers allowed them to operate as an independent task force, and they would therefore need to carry an air group that would provide for a balance between offensive and defensive forces. The Lexington was in the Pacific during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was involved in raids on Japanese strongholds in the southwestern Pacific in early 1942. She joined the Yorktown in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Her aircraft participated in attacks on the Japanese carriers Shoho, Shokaku, and Zui.........
Juan Trippe left Yale University in 1917 to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Trippe became a Naval Aviator on June 17, 1918. With the War nearing its end Trippe returned to Yale where he founded the Yale Flying Club. Writing in the May 1919 edition of The Yale Graphic, Juan speculated that the new Navy NC flying boats being introduced might be the first to successfully cross the Atlantic, and that eventually commercial flights across the Atlantic would be, a perfectly sane commercial proposition. Several years later Trippe was in control of Pan American Airways. Pan Am had a contract to fly mail to Havana utilizing Fokker triplanes. Trippe believed that flying boats possessed advantages in serving South America where rivers, harbors, or lagoons could make suitable airfields in locations where no adequate facilities existed. In 1927 Pan Am acquired its first flying boat, the twin-engine Sikorsky S-36. Five such aircraft were utilized to expand service to additional South American cities. A few.........
The Stearman trainer which was designated the PT-17 by the USAAF and the N2S by the USN was used for pilot training before and during WW II. More than 10,000 of these aircraft were built, and many are still air worthy today.
Item Code : STK0190
Stearman Lesson on the Wing by Stan Stokes. - Editions Available
The Lockheed Vega was the aircraft of choice for many of the record-setting pilots of the 1920s and 1930s. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation was organized in December of 1926. Its first plant was a delapidated building in Hollywood, California. Lockheeds two primary designers were Jack Northrop, who would later found his own company, and Gerry Vultee, who would also become a famous aircraft manufacturer on his own. The Vega was the first commercial product from the new company. Despite its streamlined appearance, the Vega utilized WW I era technology. A plywood fuselage was shaped in large concrete molds, and the wing was designed incorporating techniques pioneered by Anthony Fokker. Initially powered with a 220-HP Wright radial engine, the aircraft was designed to carry up to five people at the speed of 135-MPH. Publisher Geroge Hearst purchased the first Vega for $12,000, and entered the aircraft in an Oakland to Hawaii race. This aircraft never reached Hawaii. Despite this setback inte.........
Prior to WW I the US Army had purchased a total of two dozen aircraft (principally Curtiss and Wright machines) and almost half of these had been destroyed in crashes. In addition eight of the Armys fourteen pilots had been killed in flying accidents. The Navy was not much better off with a total of six operational aircraft and only nine pilots on its rolls in 1913. With each accident something was learned, and both the aircraft and their pilots slowly improved. When WW I began, the Germans had more than 500 military aircraft. The French had a similar number and the Brits had about half that amount. Despite the outbreak of War in Europe, the US Congress continued to ignore the prospects for military aviation, appropriating only scant amounts of funds. When America finally entered the Great War in April of 1917 an Aircraft Production Board was organized. The Board recommended a massive appropriation to train 7,500 men for both the Army and Navy aviation efforts, and to assist industry .........
The Curtiss Condor was the civilian transport version of the B-2 bomber. It was developed in the late 1920s with the principal design staff consisting of G. Page, T. Wright, S. Vaughn, and R. Beisel. The design utilized the same metal tube and aluminum spars as in the B-2. The Condor was wider with a six foot wide fuselage, and as there was no need for gunner cockpits, the aft engine nacelles were faired in and the space utilized for mail and cargo. A significant design factor was the incorporation of 3 inches of Dry Zero soundproofing in the cabin, which made the Condor considerably quieter inside than the other passenger craft of the era. The interior of the Condor was quite spacious and luxurious with a full six feet eight inches of head room in the cabin. The Condor was arranged to carry 18 passengers with six seats arranged in three cabins. Reclining seats were utilized in the two forward cabins with the rear cabin equipped with lounge seats. Passengers had large windows for sigh.........
On April 6, 1924 the US Army Air Service began the first successful aerial circumnavigation of the World by heavier-than-air aircraft. Planning for this mission began in early 1923. Aware that a failure would bring negative publicity to the fledgling air service, the Army mustered a lot of resources to make this event succeed. The most suitable aircraft available for the mission was a Douglas DT-2, a Navy torpedo bomber. After modifying the aircraft for the epic journey the aircraft were designated Douglas World Cruisers. With only one engine, this two seat airplane, might at first appear to be an unusual selection, but the DT-2s were rugged, had an excellent reliability record, and could be quickly reconfigured from landing gear to floats. With the lack of suitable airfields for the trip, the use of floats would be mandatory for a good portion of the journey. The World Cruisers were fitted with huge fuel tanks (773 gallons vs the normal 96.) In addition, a modification to the radiato.........
During the between Wars years two aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Curtiss, were the dominant suppliers of fighter aircraft for the United States armed forces. A series of Curtiss-manufactured hawk fighters was in service from the mid-1920s until just before WW II. The P-6E was delivered beginning in 1932 and was powered by a 675-HP Curtiss V-1570-23 Conqueror engine. This bi-plane fighter was highly maneuverable and capable of almost 200-MPH. It was armed with twin forward-firing 0.3 inch Browning machine-guns. In many respects it represented the pinnacle of American biplane fighter designs. In contrast the Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a very important transitional aircraft in the evolution of the fighter. It embodied the transition from the WW I vintage highly maneuverable biplanes to the sleek, very fast, all-metal, monoplane fighters of WW II. Surprising is the fact that the P-26 was the last fighter to be mass-produced by Boeing, the company founded in 1916 by William Edward Boei.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£5 Off!
Now : £35.00
The Racing Age by Stan Stokes.
From 1927 until the outbreak of WW II, America was captivated by the sport of air racing. Daring young pilots flying the fastest machines in the world competed for prestige and prize money. In their all-out quest for speed the designers and builders of these racing aircraft pushed the envelope of aircraft science, and were responsible for much of the progress in aviation design during this period. The Cleveland National Air Races were first held in late 1929 prior to the Great Stock Market Crash. This ten-day long event drew several 100,000 attendees. One of the features of this show was a fifty-mile, all-out, free-for-all, staged over a five-mile pylon course. This would prove to be the first Thompson Trophy Race, and it was won by Doug Davis flying a TravelAir R monoplane. Davis bested a field of military entrants by a considerable margin. The success of this initial race caused the Thompson Products Co. to petition the NAA with a proposal to make the race a 100-mile event in 1930 w.........
Although the US Navy had been an early leader in supporting naval aviation, during WW I the Navy had emphasized float planes, and with the end of the War, America found itself well behind the British who had several aircraft carriers in service. In April of 1919 the Navy decided to convert a new collier, the USS Jupiter, into a flush deck aircraft carrier, the navys first. Redesignated as the USS Langley (CV-1), the ship was commissioned in March of 1922. The Langley was the Navys only carrier until 1928, and would serve in this role until 1936. With the introduction of faster and larger naval aircraft, the Langleys small size and slow speed would result in a decision to change her mission to seaplane tender. The Langley displaced only 13,000 tons, had an open hangar deck, and no island. The ships two stacks were swiveled outwards during air operations, giving pilots a small but unobstructed flight deck. Two catapults were incorporated in the initial design, but were later removed. C.........
Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.
Artist : Stan Stokes
£10 Off!
Now : £28.00
The Last Navy Biplane Fighter by Stan Stokes.
The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. was organized in late 1929. The US Navy ordered 27 production Grumman FF-1 biplane fighters in 1932, the beginning of a relationship that has endured for more than seventy years. The FF-1 was a diminutive staggerwing fighter capable of a top speed of 207-MPH. A large number of aircraft were produced for export by Grumman in the early 1930s, but the company wanted to win a contract for a new and improved USN fighter. In May of 1934 the company succeeded with a contract for 54 F2F-1s. In 1934 the company also won a contract for a new and improved F3F-1. The latter was aerodynamically improved design which overcame some of the design inadequacies of the earlier aircraft. The F3F-2 was delivered in 1937. Three units were equipped with the aircraft, VF-6 operating off the USS Enterprise, VMF-2 based in San Diego, California, and VMF-1 based in Quantico, Virginia. Grumman was working on another variant, but they became concerned about the monoplane des.........
While considerable controversy still surrounds the disappearance of Amelia Earhart in 1937, there is no question that Amelia Mary Earhart was one of the great pioneers of American aviation. Born in Atchison, Kansas in 1897, Amelia was the daughter of a railroad attorney. She exhibited an adventurous spirit at a young age, and was able to travel extensively with her parents. In 1918 at the age of twenty-one, Amelia witnessed a flight demonstration in Toronto, and this inspired her to take a course in engine mechanics. Three years later she was in New York City studying medicine at Columbia University when she had the opportunity to take her first airplane ride to California. She immediately decided to learn to fly, and she remained in California where she obtained her pilots license in 1921. During the next few years Earhart had many jobs in many locales, but her true love was flying. Amelia was the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic in 1928, and the fame this generated allow.........
