Painting Aviation's Legends

Book excerpt: Aviation in the 20th Century changed the world forever, and this book portrays that history through art. In addition to more than 60 original fine art paintings of significant moments in aviation history are the dramatic and compelling personal stories of 30 renowned airmen who blazed new trails and accomplished many significant 'firsts' in American skies. Names like Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Pete Everest, and Joe Engle grace this list. Add pilots like "Fitz" Fulton, Jack Broughton, and "Tex" Johnston, and you have a veritable "Who's Who" of America's greatest aviation legends. This book gives readers a special "behind-the-scenes" look at the actual process of how aviation art is made. Many projects are shown from the very first "back-of-the-napkin" sketch to the complex developmental steps leading to final engineering drawings and finished paintings. If you've ever wondered how aviation art is created, this book not only explains the process in detail, but shows how the pilots contribute to finished artwork as well. Through his award-winning artwork, Mike Machat has documented aviation for the past 40 years in ways never before seen, a process made possible by flying in many of the aircraft he painted, and developing life-long personal friendships with pilots of the aircraft he has preserved for history.