AIR COMBAT PAINTINGS VOL VI
- THE LAUNCH EVENTS 2009 -

 

To celebrate the release of this outstanding new book we are holding two exclusive launches with Robert Taylor and some outstanding special guests:

 THE USA BOOK LAUNCH

THE CALIFORNIA GALLERY - 5th & 6th DECEMBER

  


We are hosting a special exhibition at our California Gallery and the worlds most collected Aviation Artist, Robert Taylor will be flying in from the UK to sign copies for collectors.

         

Aviation Artist ROBERT TAYLOR - with a reputation established over the last four decades, he is widely regarded as the world’s premier painter of aviation subjects, and is the most widely collected artist in the history of the genre. He has done more to popularize aviation art than any other artist and his work is the benchmark by which all others in this field set their standards.

 

THE GATHERING OF EAGLES

 

Joining artist Robert Taylor for this outstanding event are some of the most prominent US Fighter Aces of WWII, who are happy to autograph items for enthusiasts, adding provenance and value to these special collectors’ items:

  

Col C.E. ‘BUD’ ANDERSON -‘Bud’ Anderson is a name synonymous with the P-51 Mustang and the great feats it achieved during WWII. Arriving in England in 1943 with the 357th Fighter Group, flying his famous Mustang ‘Old Crow’ Bud quickly made his mark and during numerous clashes with the Luftwaffe with his wingman, Chuck Yeager, he became one of the foremost Mustang pilots of the 8th Air Force, finishing the war a triple Ace with 161⁄2 confirmed victories and many more probable’s. Today Bud is a living legend, known the world over by Military historians and collectors of aviation art alike.

 

Lt Col CLYDE EAST - an early volunteer he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force flying Spitfires from England in 1941 and later P-51 Mustangs on photo reconnaissance missions. In 1944 he transferred to the USAAF, and scored the first of his victories on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Often flying his missions alone he became recognized as one of the top photo reconnaissance pilots and by the end of the War had completed over 200 combat missions and scored 141/2 air victories, the highest scoring Ace in the Group. He later flew another 100 combat missions during the Korean War, and was decorated for recon missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

 

Capt JAMES BROOKS - joining the 31st Fighter Group in Italy in early 1944 Jim flew the P-51 Mustang against the Messerschmitts of the Luftwaffe and then against the Italians, scoring his first victory whilst on a mission to Ploesti. Later, whilst leading the 307th Fighter Squadron on a Russian shuttle mission, the group engaged a large formation of Stukas, shooting down 27 enemy aircraft and Jim Brooks accounted for three of them in that one single contact. He ended the war, having flown 280 combat hours, as a double Ace with 13 confirmed air victories.

 

Col JOE PETERBURS - in 1944, at just19 years old, Joe arrived in England to fly Mustangs in combat with the 20th Fighter Group. He flew many memorable missions, but on the 10th April, 1945 he managed to shoot down a Luftwaffe Me 262, the first jet fighter in history, which was being flown by the legendary 206 victory German Ace, Walter Schuck. Later that day Joe was also shot down by enemy ground fire and was captured but escaped to fight the rest of the war with a Russian tank unit. He retired in 1972 after almost 37 years of active duty including combat tours in Korea and Vietnam.

 

Col ART FIEDLER - Joining the Army Reserves in 1942, he instructed on P-47 Thunderbolts before joining the 325th Fighter Group - the Checkertails -  in May 1944. Based in Italy flying P-51s, Art flew escort to the Ploesti raids, becoming an Ace on 26 July when he downed an Me109 and an Fw190 over Bucharest in the space of just 7 minutes. His score soon mounted and he scored his last victory when his flight of four Mustangs attacked a force of FORTY German fighters, finishing the war with 66 combat missions and 8 air victories. He served in Korea and flew a further 247 combat missions in Vietnam, retiring from the USAAF in 1975.

 

Col BOB GOEBEL (Sat only) - Joining the Army Air Corps just after Pearl Harbor, Bob found himself in North Africa in December 1943 flying Spitfires in preparation for joining the 31st Fighter Group. In March 1944 he moved to Italy and converted to P-51 Mustangs taking part in the unit’s first Mustang operation. He flew a total of 62 combat missions, including 16 hazardous trips to the Romanian oilfields, led his Squadron into action seven times and led the entire Group twice, whilst still only aged 21. He ended the war a double Ace with 11 air victories and left the Air Force in 1966 after a distinguished career, which included work for NASA.

 

Collecting signatures on books and prints like this is a perfect way to meet these Aviation legends, allowing you to create a truly personal collectors item which can dramatically increase in value.
 
Purchases at the event can be autographed free of charge and you are welcome to bring along items for signing which will be subject to a signing fee of just $25 per item - for all SIX signatories. Entry is free but STRICTLY by ticket only so please contact us now to reserve your place.

 

 THE TICKET SYSTEM – HOW IT WORKS

 

Our events are free, there’s no catch. You are welcome to come along, enjoy our hospitality and soak up some of the most spectacular Aviation and Military Art in the world and you don’t have to spend anything. We’re not going to try and sell you something, we won’t share your details with anyone else and unless you want a print or book or to get something signed it won’t cost you a penny - we just want you to have a great time. All we ask is you contact us in advance for a ticket, we’ll ask you the approximate time you’d like to arrive and we’ll send you a special invitation for the event.

 

The only reason we do this is to try and make the experience as smooth and comfortable for you as possible, due to the popularity of our events. Our long term collectors may remember some of our early events where the line to meet the veterans to get an autograph could be two, even three hours long! Our collectors are very understanding but we know this isn’t pleasant so we have alleviated this by having the ticket system. We basically fill places throughout the day, and it keeps a steady flow for the signings with the veterans, rather than everyone turning up at once and creating a long queue.

 

This doesn’t mean that you have to vacate the gallery as soon as your time is up, far from it. We are delighted for you to stay all day, enjoy a coffee, a glass of wine (or two!) and have a great time. It’s actually about helping us keep control of the signings with the veterans and creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for everyone.

 

It does mean that it really helps us out if you can stick to the arrival time that’s on your ticket – and we really appreciate your cooperation with this.

 

Thanks to our dedicated collectors and friends our events have become a great place to not only see the artwork but also meet other enthusiasts and collectors who are as passionate as we are about the subject – we look forward to seeing you there!

 

THE UK BOOK LAUNCH

THE WENDOVER GALLERY - 21st & 22nd NOVEMBER

This will be our biggest event of the year and we are joined by Robert Taylor to meet collectors and sign copies of his new book. Also joining us are a number of WWII veterans of the Battle of Britain and the Luftwaffe, who are happy to autograph items for customers.

 

Flt Lt BEN BENT DFC,  Sqn Ldr GEOFFREY WELLUM DFC,

Flt Lt WILLIAM WALKER (Sat only), Wg Cdr TIM ELKINGTON (Sat only)

Sqn Ldr NIGEL ROSE (Sun only),  Flt Lt TERRY CLARKE DFM (Sun only)

Major HANS-EKKEHARD BOB, Oberleutnant WALTER SCHUCK &  Hauptmann KARL-FRITZ SCHLOSSSTEIN

 

Entry is free but STRICTLY by ticket only and there are now limited places available so please contact us now to reserve your place.

   

Due to time constraints Robert isn’t often able to appear at events these days either in the UK or US and of course meeting these veterans is becoming an increasingly rare opportunity.

These promise to be great occasions and more details will be announced soon but please see our website for regular updates.

 

To E mail us click on the link below

Aces High Aviation Gallery

UK: Tel +44 (0)1296 625681
Fax: +44(0)1296 620668

USA Tel/Fax: 800- 528 -0887

To visit our web site click on the link below:

Aces High Web Site

ACES HIGH AVIATION GALLERY, VINE TREE HOUSE, BACK STREET, WENDOVER HP22 6EB, UK

ACES HIGH AVIATION GALLERY, 815 EAST OJAI AVENUE, OJAI, CA 93023, USA