Portrait of Power by Keith Woodcock.
Lightning F6's of 5 squadron taking off from Binbrook in the 1970's.
This squadron first flew the Lightning (an earlier mark) in October 1965.
It was the first truly supersonic fighter to see service with the RAF and
was the mainstay of Britain's air defence during the cold war. Finally
replaced by the Tornado F3 in 1988.
Deterrent at Dawn by Keith Woodcock. A Vulcan Mk B2 of 44 sqn lifting off into the dawn sky during the cold
war. 44 sqn were the first equipped with these aircraft in 1960, initially
receiving the earlier Mk 1As passed on from 83 and 617 sqns who had
upgraded to the B2 as the Mk 1A was phased out. It was in fact the last
squadron to use them, seeing active service in the bombing of Port Stanley
during the Falklands war and finally relinquishing them in 1984.
Black Buck One by Keith Woodcock. The longest ever bombing mission, 30th April - 1st May 1982. Vulcan B2
XM607 of 44 sqn prepares to refuel from Victor K2 XH672 of 57 sqn on its
return from bombing Port Stanley Airport on the Falklands.
Back to English Soil by Keith Woodcock.
A Boeing B17G of the 91st BG USA 8th Airforce returns to English soil
on three engines after a fraught daylight mission over Germany. Signatory: Brigadier General James H
McPartlin, AFRes Commander, 442d
Troop Carrier Wing, Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri.
Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. A Short Sunderland Mark III of 201 sqn. Coastal Command above an allied
convoy in the North Atlantic as it continues to search for marauding
German U-Boats. The print has also been countersigned by Sunderland Pilot. Flt Lt
Ian De Hamel of Coastal Command
Low Level Raiders by Keith Woodcock. Two De Havilland Mosquito FBMk VIs of 464 squadron set out on a low
level mission in difficult weather conditions. Signed by Air Marshall Sir Ivor Broom, KCB,
DSO, DFC. AFC and Squadron Leader T J Tommy Broom DFC. and Keith Woodcock
Safe by Keith Woodcock. Ground crew rush to the assistance of an 8th Airforce Consolidated B24D
Liberator as it slides to a halt after an emergency landing at an English
airfield following damage sustained during a mission over Germany.
Overturning the Odds by Keith Woodcock. With all his ammunition spent on other interceptions, Wing Commander
Beamont in his Hawker Tempest MKV tips a German flying VI bomb to its
destruction with his wingtip during the summer of 1944. Signed by artist and Wg CDR Roland
Beamont.
Night Mission Ahead by Keith Woodcock. Lancaster BIII OF-J PB410 of 97 sqn. lifts off from Coningsby (Tattershall
Castle in the background) in 1944/45 en route for a night mission over
Germany. This squadron was the second to equip with Lancasters in Jan1942
after a year with its predecessor, the Manchester. It used Lancasters
until July 1946 when it converted to yet another Avro type, the Lincoln.
Return of the Dambuster by Keith Woodcock
A tribute to Flt Lt Mike Chatterton, pilot of Lancaster PA474 with the
Battle of Britain flight 1988-1977, as he flies over the Derwent Dam in
Derbyshire, recreating the training flights of the famous 617 Dambuster
squadron in 1943 prior to their epic mission. Signed by artist and Flt Lt Mike Chatterton
The Homecoming by Keith Woodcock.
A snow covered landscape bathed in early morning sun provides
welcome relief for the crew of an Avro Lancaster B1 of 15 Sqd as it
returns from a night mission over Germany.
Moment of Truth by Keith Woodcock. The print depicts the moment as the first Hurricane of
46 squadron of the Royal Air Force, without arrestor hooks or wires the
squadron was led by Sqd Ldt Kenneth Cross as he approaches the
ill-fated carrier HMS Glorious. during the evacuation of Norway in June
1940. 'Bing' later said, "we showed them they were wrong". The
Fleet Air Arm pilots were delighted saying, "Marvelous bloody
marvelous, now we'll get them too." All had landed safely by 4.30am
on June 8th. These superb prints have been co signed by Sqd Ldr
Kenneth V Cross
Escort Service by Keith Woodcock In the early morning sun, two North American P51D Mustangs of the 359
FS, 356 FG, take off from their base at Martlesham Heath to escort 8th Air
force bombers on another daylight raid
Dawn Scramble by Keith Woodcock May 1940 and Hawker Hurricanes of No 501 squadron with the leading
aircraft being flown by Sgt. Ginger Lacey, take off from their
base in France to engage advancing enemy.
Century of Aviation Series No1 by Keith
Woodcock North American F100 Super Sabre. When introduced into service in 1954, this aircraft was the world's
first operational fighter to achieve level supersonic flight, the
prototype setting a World Speed Record of 755.149mph in 1953. The first
F100A fighter versions were superseded by the F100C shown here, which had
a strengthened wing to cope with 6,000lbs of external ordnance and
allowing its use as a fighter-bomber. The "Thunderbirds" used
the F100 from 1956 to 1968 and were formed in 1953 and, as the official US
Air Force aerobatics team, are still operating today with F16s. The
painting shows them in their 1963 colour scheme. F100 Super Sabres also
saw active service in Vietnam and were still operational with the Air
National Guard until 1980. 2,294 aircraft of all marks were eventually
produced and, in addition to the US Air Force, saw service with the
Turkish, Danish, Taiwanese and French Air Forces.
Century of Aviation Series No2 by Keith
Woodcock English Electric (BAC) Canberra The Canberra is still in service today and is probably the longest
serving operational military aircraft ever, worldwide, likely to achieve
an incredible 50 years in 2001. First flown in 1949, it became Britain's
first jet bomber, entering the Royal Air Force as the B2 with 101 squadron
at Binbrook in 1951. Canberra saw action in Malaya against terrorists in
1955 and again in the Suez crisis of 1956. The versatility of the basic
airframe is proved by its adoption for training, electronic counter
measures, target towing, photo reconnaissance and intruder operations, in
addition to the normal bombing role for which it was designed. Depicted in
the painting is a B2 in the early black and grey colour scheme which it
carried when introduced. In production for 10 years, 678 British-built
Canberras were completed, plus a further 451 license-built in Australia
and America.
Century of Aviation Series No3 by Keith
Woodcock BAC Lightning The last purely British fighter aircraft to be used by the Royal Air
Force, the Lightning offered a truly massive performance advantage over
existing equipment when it was introduced into squadron service in 1960,
achieving level flight speed of around, 1400mph. The prototype known as
the P1 had flown in 1954 but production aircraft were not available until
1959, a long gestation period but perhaps understandable with such an
advanced machine with many untried, new features. The painting shows an
F1A of 111 squadron taking off from its base at Wattisham. The remarque
drawing shows an aircraft of 56 squadron 'Firebirds' in 1963 when they
were the official RAF aerobatics team for that year. 337 Lightning's were
produced, serving with nine squadrons of the Royal Air Force before being
supersede by the Phantom and Tornado.
