Aviation Memorabilia Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Bonhams to auction a Hurricane fighter

On Monday, December 3rd, Bonhams will auction off Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI) at the Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia at Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. Brooklands is a fitting location to auction off the aircraft as the first Hurricane was assembled and flown in prototype form there back in 1935 and ultimately more than 3,000 were produced on site – approximately one fifth of the total number built.

Hurricane fighters were also one of many fighters that took part in the Battle of Britain where they shot down more aircraft than the more famous Spitfire and they also saw action in other battles during World War II but the service history of Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI) is apparently not well documented. What is know is that the aircraft was built in 1942 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force the following year. It remained in Canada for the duration of the war and may have protected convoys on the east coast from German U-boat attacks or it may have been used as a training aircraft.

In 1947, Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI) was bought by a Canadian syndicate and later restored to flight with its first post-restoration flight taking place in 1989. It was then acquired by the Historic Aircraft Collection in 2002 and housed at the IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire.

The aircraft then had another extensive programme of refinements that included the fitting of the correct Merlin engine and it was given the Battle of Britain colours worn by a Hurricane IIB that flew with 126 Squadron during the siege of Malta. In fact, it became the first Hurricane to return to Malta since World War II as well as the first to fly to Russia since the war in order to make a showing at the Moscow Airshow. In other words and while Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI) may not have taken part in any important battles during the war, it has since made history.

Today, the aircraft flies as “Z5140” with the code letters HA-C. It’s 32 ft long and 13ft high, has a wingspan of 40ft, is equipped with 12 Browning .303 machine guns and its capable of a range of 900 miles along with a maximum speed of 322mph.

And the price? Bonhams estimates it will sell for between £1.4 million and £1.7 million ($2.24 million to $2.72 million) – a small price to pay considering that there are only a few such aircraft (around a dozen according to Wikipedia) still able to fly today. To learn more about or see additional photos of Hurricane XII Z5140, visit the aircraft’s page on the website of the Historic Aircraft Collection (HAC).

Introducing the Stearman Wing Conference Table (and other aviation themed furniture)

If you are looking to redesign your office space or give it an aviation feel, MotoArt has just created a unique series of Stearman Wing Conference Tables with each being a custom size in length up to 24 feet. Clients can also determine the final colors of the wooden spruce spars and base support legs with finishing touches including tempered glass that is custom cut to maintain the shape of the wing:

A quick look at the MotoArt website reveals a whole series of aviation inspired conference tables along with other types of tables and numerous other aviation themed pieces of furniture or accent pieces like a F-4 Ejection Bar Stool:

And then there is this G2 Gulfstream Conference Table that would definitely be the closest most general aviation pilots get to owning an actual Gulfstream!:

Then again, I don’t see any prices listed on MotoArt’s website as one needs to inquiry directly with them regarding pricing – meaning their bigger products could well be beyond the budgets of most general aviation pilots! With that said, MotoArt does have showrooms or sales offices in California, Maryland, Reggio Emilia (Northern Italy) and Amman (Jordan) where would-be decorators can see their aviation themed items in person or they can browse the company’s website. Likewise, the video below tells a little bit more about MotoArt’s design philosophy and “the art of being green with a strong historical presence…”

Redefining general aviation art with Paola Pivi’s ‘How I roll’

Hat tip to the Alaska Dispatch for mentioning Italian-born but Alaska-based installation artist Paola Pivi’s newest art work which features a twin engine Piper Seneca suspended in air by its wing tips that actually rolls.

The aircraft is held horizontal by parallel steel columns and it quietly rotates forward, tail over nose and by 306 degrees. According to the Alaska Dispatch, the sight is unsettling because “aircraft are so seldom represented in this way it leads the observer to ask (either aloud or to herself): ‘Why would she do that?’”

Its not the first time that Pivi has used aviation as a theme in her art. In a 2006 instillation, she placed an upside down Wessex 558 (helicopter) in the middle of an Austrian square and called the piece: “A helicopter upside down in a public square.” It was meant as a tribute to the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart but most viewers probably missed the connection.

For more about Paola Pivi’s work, visit her personal webpage here and for more about “How I Roll” plus some still shots, check here, here or here.

The golden age of British aviation art

The Telegraph has a fascinating article about the golden age of British aviation art back when flying was still new and the preserve of “crackpots, inventors and the goggled rich…” Hence, the general public needed to be convinced that flying was safe and that’s where aviation art came into play.

British Aviation Posters: Art, Design and Flight Apparently, British aviation art for commercial aviation began around the time Imperial Airways formed in 1924 with just 15 aircraft – two of which crashed during the first year of operation. Imperial then hired a publicity manager who enlisted artists or illustrators like Ben Nicholson, John Piper and László Moholy Nagy to help with a promotional campaign to sell “dreams” rather than airline tickets.

World War II suspended commercial aviation in Britain but when it resumed after the war, so did aviation art. It was not until the jet age of the 1970s before aviation posters were finally done in by other forms of media like TV commercials.

If you are interested in learning more about British aviation art, The Telegraph mentioned a new book entitled British Aviation Posters which is collection of more than 150 posters from British Airways’ archive.

In addition, a quick search of Google reviews the website of the Military Print Company which has a very good collection of British military aviation related posters for sale plus the website of the Guild of Aviation Artists which has an online gallery of all 455 paintings by 149 artists in their 2012 gallery. The Guild’s 42nd Open Annual ‘Aviation Paintings of the Year’ Summer Exhibition will also be opened at The Mall Galleries on Monday and it will run until Sunday July 22. 2012.