2023 ASAA International Aerospace Art Exhibit
AWARD WINNERS

Pima Air & Space Museum
Tuscon, Arizona
October 9, 2023 — January 31, 2024

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Founders Associate Recognition Awards

Blue Ribbon

Founders Silver Award

Founders Gold Award

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Walt Jefferies Award for unjuried work

Walt Jefferies Award for work created on site

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ForeFeathers^TM – Plaque du Beaque

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Galloway Award Golden Age of Aviation Award

Duane Whitney Martin Award

This AH-1G Cobra belongs to the US Army’s 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. It’s conducting routine escort duty of ground troops and equipment over highway 17, north of Pleiku.

ASAA Honorable Mentions

This painting is of B-17F-5-VE, “My Prayer.” During the Schweinfurt Raid on August 17, 1943 at an altitude of 26,000 ft., it was hit by three 20mm shells, setting off several fires inside the aircraft. The plane went down to 6,000 ft., and the crew was ordered to bail out. The top turret gunner continued to fight fires even though he was severely wounded. The pilot found out that his parachute was burnt beyond use, so the decision was made to head back to England, landing at Manston RAF base with over 500+ holes. Their prayers were answered.

1^st Lt. Ken Walsh (VMF-124) attacks a group of Zeroes harassing a flight of 5th Air Force Liberators as they retire from a raid on Kahili.  The date is 30 August 1943, and Walsh is about to shoot down the last of four planes before being damaged himself and successfully ditching off Vella Lavella in the Solomon Chain. For his extraordinary heroism in attacking superior enemy formations alone, Walsh was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

On 5 August 1964, Lt (j.g.) Everett Alvarez, Jr., call sign, War Paint 411, was wingman to the leader of ten A-4C Skyhawks of VA-144, the “Roadrunners,” off the USS Constellation (CV-64). Their mission was to attack torpedo boats docked in the North Vietnamese port city of Hon Gai on the first day of the war in Vietnam. Following his second attack run, he was forced to eject when his jet was struck by an explosion and became uncontrollable. He was rescued from the water by fishermen and ultimately held at the Hanoi Hilton, being regularly and brutally tortured until his repatriation 12 February 1973. He was the first American aviator taken prisoner and the second-longest-held American POW during the war. His incredible success story is masterfully told in his book “Chained Eagle.”  Viewing Everett’s back, he is depicted in his uniform for 8 ½ years—his POW striped pajamas.

The Fokker DR-1 has long been associated with the legendary Manfred von Richthofen, and a replica was constructed by Cole Palen for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome collection in New York. From photos taken by the artist at Rhinebeck, creating a painting in transparent watercolor of the backlit aircraft was a welcome challenge.

This classic airplane served General Eisenhower during the early 1950s. This aircraft is shown with markings for the 7167th Special Air Missions Squadron, Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, 1951. This airplane is currently on display here at Pima Air Museum.

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was the largest bomber to ever go into service with the USAF.  It was conceived during the early years of WWII when it was feared that attacks in Europe would be required from the continental USA.  The B-36 was the main nuclear deterrent in the early Cold War years.  Although it never saw combat, its deterrence helped keep the peace during those years, the B-36 earned its name, the “Peacemaker.”  In this painting, inspired by the movie “Strategic Air Command,” the B-36B carries the so-called “arctic red” test makings.

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ASAA – Category Awards

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General Aviation

Chris flies his Grumman Cheetah over Lake Erie to South Bass Island of Put-In Bay where a runway welcomes aerial travelers

If you are enjoying watching seaplane operations on a summer day at Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore WA, you will undoubtedly hear a pterodactyl like screech from a large Blue heron that likes to hunt around the docks. On this day, a Kenmore Air DHC-2 Mk III turbine Beaver is gently bobbing on the rolling water awaiting customer boarding. The turbo Beaver has an odd angular cockpit configuration which contrasts with the long-streamlined nose shape. Parked behind it, a Kenmore Cessna 172L also awaits its passengers, an instructor and student pilot. A more conventional appearing DHC-2 beaver, which operates for Back Country Air LLC in Wasilla AK, is landing after a post maintenance test flight. I love this place and that big cranky bird.

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Space

Since my youth, I have dreamed of designing airplanes.  This painting is of a hypothetical “quiet” supersonic transport.  I believe that in the near future, based on NASA’s X-59 research, reduced sonic boom over land travel with be a reality.  My proposal is a rather large, (to make it economically feasible), 300 passenger, double-deck Delta Airlines “WhisperJet.”

Within the Edwards Air Force Base restricted area, R-2508, a USAF KC-10 air refueling tanker supports various aircraft performing flight tests and aeronautics research missions. An F-22 Raptor approaches the contact position accompanied by its F-16 chase aircraft, as a NASA F-18, flown by the artist, NASA research pilot, Mark Pestana, and astronaut, Rick Searfoss, awaits its turn.

NASA’s camera froze after snapping only one photo of Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden’s during his Extravehicular Activity (EVA), unfortunately, from his backside.  Imagine a spacewalk with no famous cameo shot like all the other astronauts.  Not until the creation of artwork, “The EVA of Astronaut Al Worden,” has this event been honored as it depicts Al Worden’s historic spacewalk. He later became the first person in the Guinness Book of World Records to be recognized for his achievement as the “First Spacewalk in Deep Space.” He held the record of floating in space farthest from Earth than any other human, as well as between the sun and the moon.

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Military

A section of F-14s loafs along over a cloudscape.  What’s not to like about a high performance jet on a picturesque day, where you can cruise and enjoy the scenery?  Wingtip vortices and lift under the jet stir the clouds in their wake, leaving swirls that are fascinating and beautiful.

This amazing Phantom, with its deafening roar, is captured in action,  taking off from the #1 catapult on the USS Forrestal in the Atlantic.

Two U.S. Army AH-64D Apache helicopters of the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment depart for a morning mission.

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Commercial

KLM Boeing 747-400 on short final to Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten.

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ASAA Sponsored Awards

Award of Merit

An EC-130H Compass Call aircraft from the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona taxies from the Whiskey Ramp ahead of an approaching Tucson monsoon storm for a night training sortie. The EC-130H is the United States Air Force’s premiere electronic attack platform and has been based at Davis-Monthan since 1981.  Compass Call’s suite of cutting edge jamming capabilities has been brought to bear in every major contingency operation since that time.  Though in the process of being retired, the 55th Electronic Combat Group stands ready to employ this venerable airframe for the next several years.

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Award of Distinction

Lead B-52G 58-0177, call sign “Doom 3101’, was the first of seven aircraft to depart Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, in heavy rain and darkness on the morning of 16 January 1991. A top-secret tasking, “Senior Surprise” was known by all involved as “the Secret Squirrels”. Partially loaded with limited numbers of “Then new” non-nuclear AGM-86C (conventional) Cruise missiles, the mission targeted Iranian power and communication infrastructure. With multiple aerial refueling, a few engine shutdowns due to low oil pressure, and 1

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James V. Roy Award

The US Army purchased three P-51D Mustangs to fly as chase aircraft for the Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne flight test program. Aircraft 44-72990 was a fairly stock P-51D with an extended canopy, while the other two were Cavalier F-51Ds (68-15795 and 68-15796) with wing tip tanks and extended Vertical tails and canopies. The #3 AH-56A (1003; 66-8828) was used to test handling qualities and to measure flight loads and engine/transmission performance. Tragically, this aircraft was lost due to a phenomenon known as “half p hop,” and test pilot David Beil was killed when the main rotor blades sliced into the canopy. This fantastic aircraft was able to achieve 245 mph in level flight, but it never saw a production contract due mostly to politics and inter-service rivalry. Mustang 44-72990 would become the last P-51 operated by the US military.

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Luther Y. Gore Distinguished Service Award

Steve Roberson

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