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| Signatures on this item | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
  Robert Gilliland (deceased) *Signature Value : £50 | He trained in America's early jets before being assigned to a veteran front line fighter squadron in Germany. While stationed there as a Second Lieutenant, he won his Air Wing's 'Top Gun,' competition, which Second Lieutenants were not supposed to win. During the Korean War, he was reassigned to Taegu Air Base where he flew F-84's in nearly daily combat in the air war over North Korea. After returning to America, he received a 'plum assignment' to the USAF Research and Development group at Eglin Air Force base in Florida. Finding little excitement in the peacetime Air Force, he left the service to assist in his father's business. Upon his dad's death, he returned to his first love, aviation, as a part of Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter test flight group in Palmdale, California. In early 1962, while working as Lockheed's chief pilot for European production of the F-104 in Turin, Italy, he was recalled to Burbank by the chief of the Skunk Works, the legendary Kelly Johnson. Johnson asked him to lead the test flight program for the highly secret 'article' - the future Blackbird. Bob flight tested the 'article' known as the A-12 Blackbird at Area 51, a secret facility in the Nevada desert, for later delivery and use by the CIA. Bob later flight tested the interceptor version of the Blackbird, the YF-12A. Subsequently, he was hand-picked by Kelly Johnson to fly the final and newest version of the Blackbird - the SR-71. Under the call sign 'Dutch 51,' Bob successfully piloted the SR-71 Blackbird on its maiden flight on December 22nd, 1962. His work there continued intensively through multiple modifications until the envelope of the plane was fully developed and a critical supply could be delivered to the USAF. During these development years, he accumulated more Mach 3 plus experimental flight test time than any other pilot in the world. Even after President Johnson acknowledged that the Blackbird existed, little was released beyond what air controllers could see on their radar screens: that it was the fastest and highest flying aircraft ever created, rocketing at over three times the speed of sound on the edge of space at 80,000 feet. Long before Bob was allowed to comment on 'what he did at work,' his colleagues at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots recognized the magnitude of his achievements and honored him as the top test pilot/astronaut, the year after the Mercury 7 astronauts received the award. The SR-71 changed the calculus of the Cold War. Although over the course of the development program several aircraft were lost, no Blackbird was ever shot down despite the thousands of surface-to-air missiles fired at it by hostile countries. Since its declassification, Bob has been honored with virtually every significant aviation award in the western world, including the top award - enshrinement into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He died on 4th July 2019. |
| The Aircraft : | |
| Name | Info |
| Blackbird | Construction of the first SR-71 Blackbird (61-7950) was completed by Lockheed at its Burbank California Skunk Works in October of 1964. The aircraft was then broken down for shipment to Palmdale, California where it was reassembled. Kelly Johnson, the famous aircraft designer for Lockheed, had oversight responsibility for this project, and Kelly gave specific instructions to Robert Gilliland, the pilot chosen for the first flight of the Blackbird. The first flight was originally scheduled for December 21, 1964. Bad weather had caused a one-day postponement. During the first flight only Gilliland would be on board, and a trio of F-104 fighters would fly chase. Following take off Gilliland performed a number of stability and handling checks. He then took the Blackbird up to 30,000 feet and easily went supersonic (hitting Mach 1.2) before some caution lights came on. Determining that he faced no serious problems Gilliland accelerated to Mach 1.5 and climbed to 50,000 feet. Returning to Palmdale he made a subsonic flyby before lining up for his landing. The first six SR-71s produced were assigned to flight-testing at Edwards AFB. The first successful aerial refueling of a Blackbird occurred on April 25, 1965, and two pilot training aircraft (designated SR-71B) were delivered in 1965. A set back to the program occurred in January 1966 when an SR-71 was lost over New Mexico and a year later the original Blackbird (61-7950) was destroyed when the craft caught fire during braking tests at Edwards. Overall ten Blackbirds were lost during the first six years of the program. A total of thirty-two SR-71A aircraft were produced. In March of 1990 an SR-71 was flown from California to Washington before being retired to the Smithsonians Air and Space Museum. |
| Artist Details : Stan Stokes |
| Click here for a full list of all artwork by Stan Stokes |
 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. More about Stan Stokes |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
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Gilliland, Robert 
(signed in person)
Gilliland, Robert 
(signed in person)
