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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Aviation Artists More Artists  Rigby, Adrian |
| Adrian Rigby |
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Born in 1962 in Lancashire, Adrian Rigby is a prize-winning wildlife artist who discovered his passion for wildlife and nature at a young age. He spends a great deal of time out in the field collecting, observing and noting changes to nature according to the varying seasons and paints mainly with oil and gouache. |
| Adrian Rigby Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
London Guard by Adrian Rigby. Like many others, the Hurricanes of No.56 Squadron were frequently scrambled to attack German formations heading for London. Flight Lieutenant E J Gracie flew with No.56 Sqn from their base at North Weald in his Hurricane MkI. Like many squadrons, his was frequently scambled to attack enemy formations heading for London. This painting depicts one such action over the eastern half of the city, the Thames being used as a landmark by the Luftwaffe. Gracies aircraft displays a good deal of wear and tear as there was little time for cosmetic work to be done in the workshops. Gracie was hit in action and forced to crash land his badly damaged aircraft. He escaped apparently uninjured, but was diagnosed with a broken neck some two days later! |
Unsung Hero by Adrian Rigby. The Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane was one of the two fighter aircraft which won the Battle of Britian during the second world war. The hardy Hurricane, much loved by its pilots, although often put into second place behind its stable partner the Spitfire, was actually the more widely used of the two aircraft, recording more victories than the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. |
Heading into Darkness by Adrian Rigby The Lancaster was the most successful bomber of the RAF, being both versatile and capable of withstanding consierable damage. In todays world, we often question the purpose and objectives which Bomber Command set, but despite thie, we must never forget the enduring courage of the aircrews, many of which never returned. This painting shows the Lancasters of No.619 Sqn forming up over the Lincolnshire coast and gaining altitude after leaving their base at Coningsby. The last rays of the sun pick out the scratches and stains of this faithful workhorse as its crew sets course for the target ahead. |
Battle Above Dover by Adrian Rigby. On July 29th 1940, the Luftwaffe launched what they believed was a surprise attack on the port of Dover and the shipping in the area. RAF controllers, however, were quick to react and Spitfires from Manston along with twelve Hurricanes from Hawkinge intercepted nearly fifty Stukas and no less than eighty fighter escorts. The battle was intense, and made even more dangerous for the RAF by the heavy flak which the gunners of Dover used to some success, shooting two Stukas out of the sky. At the end of the action, seven German aircraft were lost to just one Spitfire. More significantly, Dover was spared serious damage and no ships were lost. The painting depicts a Hurricane of 501 Squadron caught up in close combat with Stukas and Me109s above the port, whilst in the background, many more aircraft can be seen joining the fray. |
A Hard Lesson to Learn by Adrian Rigby. On 18th December 1939, a force of Wellington bombers attacked naval targets on the German coast. On the return journey, they were attacked by enemy fighters, for over half an hour, bringing down 7 of the 22 Wellingtons. A further 5 would be forced to crash land in England. One of the surviving aircraft was flown by Sergeant Frank Petts who, in a futile attempt to shake off his attacker, dived to sea level. Despite sustaining considerable damage and with two of his crew wounded, he brought the bomber safely home. The experience of the raid forced the RAF to switch to night-time sorties, bombers were clearly too vulnerable without fighter escort. Six months later, during the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe would learn the same lesson. |
Freedom Fighter by Adrian Rigby. Royal Air Force Spitfire of 222 Squadron shown at the time of the Battle of Britain. These markings are also used on the Spitfire of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. |
Lest We Forget by Adrian Rigby. The Historic Aircraft Flight was formed at Biggin Hill in 1957 to commemorate the RAFs major battle honour, The Battle of Britain. It was renamed the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight when it acquired the Lancaster B1 in 1973. Today the Flight is one of the worlds best known historic aircraft collections, maintaining in airworthy condition a Lancaster, five Spitfires, two Hurricanes, two Chipmunks and a Dakota. |
Defence of the Realm by Adrian Rigby. Pilot Officer Alan Wright flew with No.92 Squadron based at Pembrey. His aircraft, a Spitfire Mk I, is often seen as the symbol of the Battle of Britain, though in fact, the Hurricane bore the brunt of the fighting. Nonetheless, the Spitfires beautiful shape endears it to everyone and it remains a potent national symbol. This painting depicts an action which took place on 11th September 1940. Having already downed a Heinkel III, Wright claimed his first Me109 the same day. His final tally would be 11. Aircraft were frequently pushed to their limits of endurance and this Spitfire bears all the marks of many missions. |
The Longest Day by Adrian Rigby. Published to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6th June, depicting Spitfires of 44 Squadron led by Johnnie Johnson. |
The Peacekeepers by Adrian Rigby. No text for this item |
The Long Journey Home by Adrian Rigby. The Avro lancatser, the backbone of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command during world war two. The Avro Lancaster was a development from the Avro Manchester, and with its four Rolls Royce Merlin engines it was able to carry a substantial bomb load. The Lancaster entered service in 1942, with 44 Squadron based at RAF Waddington and 97 Squadron based at RAF Woodhall Spa. Superior range and payload capability meant the Lancaster was able to strike at the heart of Germany and the factories of their war machine. |
The Queen of the Skies by Adrian Rigby. Concorde G-BOAC climbing steadily towards its operational height of nearly 60,000 feet and cruising speed of Mach 2. |
Red Storm Rising by Adrian Rigby. Initially, the Red Arrows were equipped with seven Folland Gnat trainers inherited from the RAF Yellowjacks display team. This aircraft was chosen because it was less expensive to operate than front-line fighters. In their first season, they flew at 65 shows across Europe. In 1966, the team was increased to nine members, enabling them to develop their Diamond Nine formation. In late 1979, they switched to the BAE Hawk trainer. By 2012 the Red Arrows have performed over 4,000 displays worldwide in 53 countries. |
Channel Combat by Adrian Rigby. This scene depicts a Spitfire of No.609 Squadron being bounced by Messerschmitt 109s over the Needles on the Isle of Wight, using the typical Luftwaffe tactic of flying out of the sun. This particular aircraft was flown during August 1940 by one of the great aces of the Battle of Britain, Flight Lieutenant John Dundas, who shot down twelve enemy aircraft. His greatest achievement was shooting downing Major Helmut Wick, the German ace on 29th November. Sadly Dundas was shot down and killed the following day by Wicks wingman, Lieutenant Pflanz, who also lost his life. A dramatic end for a great pilot, Dundas was a typical example of the calibre of man defending Britain at that time. |
Pride of Britain by Adrian Rigby. London has enjoyed a long association with Concorde, not just as the major base for the aircraft at Heathrow, but also as a participant in the citys major celebrations. Whether it is a royal or national event, a Concorde fly-past is usually one of the highlights of the day; sometimes alone but often in formation with the Red Arrows. |
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