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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 |
Captain Viv Gunton *Signature Value : £10 | Captain Vivian Gunton started flying in 1958 with an RAF Flying Scholarship - on a Tiger Moth - at a grass aerodrome called Fairoaks. On leaving school he took one of the 42 places offered at the College of Air Training, Hamble, when it opened in 1960. After graduating from the College in 1962, Viv joined British European Airways and spent 8 years flying around Europe and the UK, first on the Vanguard then flying Tridents which were at that time the fastest civil passenger aeroplanes in the world. Promoted Captain in 1970, he spent 7 years flying in Scotland, which included three years flying the Scottish Air Ambulance Service and landing on the beach at Barra in the Outer Hebrides. He returned to London to fly the Trident again, and with the demise of the Trident in late 1985, Viv needed to find something faster to fly and so became a Concorde Captain. He flew Concorde for 11 years until he retired in September 1996. He subsequently spent two years, part time, flying a King-Air for Cega Air Ambulance. Viv lives with his wife in Odiham. When not gardening or flying aerobatics in a Chipmunk, they may be found narrow boating at a mind-bending 4 m.p.h. |
Peter Sinclair *Signature Value : £10 | Peter T Sinclair joined British Caledonian in 1980 and after the airlines merged became a British Airways Concorde pilot in 1991. This was the highlight to a varied aviation career, which had included Game Park flying in East Africa, worldwide freighting and operating wide-bodied passenger aircraft. During his 6 1/2 years flying Concorde he accumulated 2600 hours and over 600 Supersonic Transatlantic flights to New York, Washington and Barbados. He was also involved in The Concorde Fleet's Supersonic flights over the North Sea, Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea, from many destinations, and a Tour of East and South Africa. On the day the Chatham Flag colour scheme was launched for Concorde operated on the air-to-air photographic publicity flight. Other responsibilities carried out on the Fleet included presentations on the aircraft and PR duties with the passengers. Left the Fleet to take a command on the B747, then finally the B777 before retirement. Since leaving British Airways has taken up a position flying the B747 once again, as well as continuing to operate his Auster light aircraft purely for pleasure. |
Richard Boas *Signature Value : £15 | Captain Richard Boas joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1959 as an anti-submarine helicopter pilot, and on completion of training was posted to 815 Squadron, the first to be equipped with the Wessex HAS1, on Ark Royal. Subsequently served as an instructor at the Operational Flying Training School at Portland. On leaving the Service in 1964, joined BEA and flew as a co-pilot on the Heron, Viscount and BAC1-11 before gaining command back on the Viscount. Converted to the Trident and then, in 1985, was selected for Concorde as one of the first short haul pilots to be allowed to apply after the merger of BEA and BOAC to form British Airways. Appointment as a Training Captain followed soon afterwards, and retired from the Concorde fleet in 1996. |
The Aircraft : | |
Name | Info |
Concorde | The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turpbojet powered supersonic passenger airliner, produced bewteen the British and French companies. The Concorde programme was instigated through the Anglo-French government treaty which brought together both the French company Aerospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (now BEA systems ). The First Concorde prototype flew in 1969, and Concorde entered service in 1976, continuing for 27 years. Only 20 aircraft were built, the development phase represented a substantial economic loss. Both British Airways and Air France were subsidised by their governments to buy the aircraft. The Concorde flew mainly between London and New York or Washington taking less than half the time than any other airliner. The Air France Concordes also flew form Charles Degaulle airport in Paris. The only crash was of a Air France Concorde on the 25th pf July 2000, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and other financial factors caused the Concorde fleet to cease flying on the 24th October 2003, with the last flights being on the 26th of November 2003. Concorde will remain an aviation great. |
Artist Details : Stephen Brown |
Click here for a full list of all artwork by Stephen Brown |
Stephen Brown Stephen Brown is a self-taught artist who has specialised almost exclusively in aviation subjects for the last 15 years. Building on a background as a landscape and aviation photographer, his style carefully combines both these areas of interest. Stephen’s originals in oil are in much demand and have been regularly exhibited with the prestigious Guild of Aviation Artists. Demand for his originals is high with regular commissions being undertaken for commercial and private clients as well as the RAF. For many years Stephen successfully combined a career as a professional in the IT industry with his passion for art. Recently though he has chosen to go full time as an aviation artist. Stephen says, “My interest in aviation comes both from my father, who was a designer at Westland, and from growing up in post war Britain on a diet of films like 633 Squadron and The Dambusters. I used to combine aircraft and landscape photos in the darkroom with quite convincing results - when I reached the limit of what I could do with this I turned to painting to get greater flexibility. Photography taught me much about composition, colour and contrast - drawing and brushwork skills, though, have taken a long time to develop. My favourite paintings are those like In Safe Hands where I can combine the aircraft with a dramatic sky and plenty of period landscape detail.” More about Stephen Brown |
Related Pages :
Civilian Aviation Art
New York
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