DeHavilland Mosquito Door Squadron Art Bound for Virginia Museum

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Christopher Wilkinson with his Mosquito crew door panel (and foam padding for shipping!)

A rare DeHavilland Mosquito crew door, owned by Christopher Wilkinson of Santa Monica is now on its way to The Military Aircraft Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, following a long labor of love by Christopher, which included Victory Girl nose art.

Chris found the panel on Ebay, and then began finding American pilots who flew this British designed two engined bomber during WWII.   Chris found several still living, and, at his own expense (he’s an architect in his spare time!) he traveled around the country getting signatures of these unsung heros.  WWII Pilots Dick Hoover and Rolland Bushner, along with First Officer Robert Kirkpatrick, Navigator  William Silva and Armorer Jack Sheer have all signed the panel. Chris then asked us to handpaint the original squadron insignia for these men’s groups, prior to the display of the panel at the Military Aircraft Museum.  The panel will be displayed alongside a restored DeHavilland Mosquito, being delivered to the Museum by owner Jerry  Yagen.

Christopher had a special ironclad case built for the crew door’s travels around the country, and no wonder, this is a one-of-a-kind keepsake of some valiant warriors of WWII.

closeup of the DeHavilland Mosquito door art

 

Debut of Vintage Billboard Art at Cable

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Foothill Flying Club billboard

The new vintage flying billboard at Cable!

Mrs Cleaver, on a billboard, wants to fly to Vegas?   Ok, you young pups might not get the reference, but we were tickled to create this vintage billboard artwork for the Foothill Flying Club (www.foothillflyingclub.com) centered around a earnest, 1950s couple peering eagerly at a flight manual, while a sleek Mirage zooms out of the front.   The billboard is parked at the entrance to the Cable Airport, just in front of the ground school building.

 

Come See The Art of the Flight Jacket April 27th

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Contact Us

 

 

 


10719 Bernie Webber Drive
Mukilteo, WA 98275
(425) 348-3200
visitorservices@historicflight.org
www.historicflight.org

Upcoming Events

 

 


April 27, noon
The Art of the Flight Jacket and Aviator Fashion ShowMay 4
DC-3 and B-25 Rides
B-17 Ground SchoolMay 18
Aviation Day at Paine Field

Admission

 

 


$12 Adult Admission
$10 Senior/Military (65+)
$8 Youth (6-15 years old)
5 and Under Free
$6 per person Group Tour Rate

Hours of Operation

 

 


Historic Flight is open to the public from Tuesday – Sunday, 10-5. We encourage groups and will open in the evening for private events. Aircraft mechanical and restoration work continues during public hours.

This Saturday, April 27th, noon

“The Art of the Flight Jacket”

 

 

Jerri Bergen has distinguished herself as a vintage aircraft artist. In great demand to paint authentic nose art on restored aircraft, she and her partners also design and fabricate lovely leather flight jackets. This specialty has required in-depth historical study of the graphics incorporated into outerwear in the Golden Age of aviation and beyond. Jerri will trace the evolution of flight jackets from WWI to the present day. Following Jerri’s presentation, a vintage aviation uniform fashion show will feature the collections of Alice Miller, Betty Ruckhaber and the Historic Aviators Guild.

 

 
May 18 – This year at Paine Field Aviation Day, HFF will offer a beer garden featuring gourmet street food, craft beers, fine wine, and the music of The Castaways and St. James’s Gate. The location is ideal for viewing the aerial displays. Limited seating. Now is the time to purchase enough tickets for your family, customers and friends. Only $15 includes a beverage.
Buy your tickets here.
May 22 – Join us for a gourmet dinner served from an authentic Army field kitchen as we welcome the crew of B-17 ‘Aluminum Overcast’ to HFF. Actors in period military attire, military vehicles and the music of Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw will transport us to the 1940s. We will honor veterans and aviation workers from the B-17 era. Period attire is encouraged.
Reserve your place before we sell out.

July 22nd – 26th, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

“Alpha Squadron” Youth Camp

 

 
Pilot and educator Gary Evans has developed a one-week aviation camp for up to fifteen lucky members of “Alpha Squadron.” The program targets young men and women entering the sixth, seventh, eigth or ninth grades. Daily activities include an aerodynamics lesson, a practical application of the lesson, and a guided visit to a Paine Field aviation attraction (e.g., Future of Flight, Museum of Flight Restoration Center, Flying Heritage Collection). On Friday, the students will shadow mechanics in the restoration facility for the morning, and in the afternoon, pre-flight and ride in one of the HFF aircraft. Tuition is $350, $295 if you already have a family membership.
http://www.historicflight.org/hf/

What does a Triumph Barchetta Porsche Woodie and Mustang have in common?

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The Triumph Ferrari Barchetta Porsche Woodie Mustang have four wheels in common, for sure, but what else?

Eclectic automobiles whose practicality is surpassed by a statement about the individual owners, and about our society for sure.  They are all icons, recognizable from a distance, as are they valuable in today’s world of restorations.

That is not what we are discussing here. Take a look at the Victory Girl artwork by Jerri Bergen of Upland, CA who understands how to paint the gorgeous machines onto leather jackets.

This Triumph Automobile Sunset was painted onto this leather jacket with a special process that adheres the mural to the leather for a lifetime.

Triumph Automobile Painting on Leather Jacket

This painted 212 Barchetta is handcrafted onto this leather jacket with the same special painting process as the Triumph, but tells a different story.

Ferrari Barchetta Painted onto Lambskin Jacket

Victory Girl does not just do single automobiles. With deep roots in aviation it is no wonder that fancy cars and aviators go hand in hand.  This company sponsored jacket of Bare Bones Garage was sketched by the customer and created by Victory Girl who painted it onto this beautiful leather jacket.

Bare Bones Garage Roadster

To go even further into the world of tributes, we would like to make special mention of NeverForgottenInc.com and the car of Max Loffgren that is dedicated to US POW/MIAs.  This tribute is painted onto this leather jackets and bordered by a barbed wire fence with a UH-1 in the background and The Wall in the wall disappearing off into the distance.

Never Forgotten Painted onto Leather Jacket

It is these special murals that provide a unique sense of private reflection and acknowledgement.  Victory Girl is proud to be a part of the individual stories that we receive daily.

Teardrop Trailer is Nose Art Canvas…

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Michael and 100 other Teardrop trailer enthusiasts took over Lake Perris State Campground this last weekend, showing off all sorts of Teardrop trailer configurations,  amazing outdoor kitchens, custom teardrop interiors, dutch oven cooking gear and matching vehicle paint schemes. Michael chose to customize his trailer with a Victory Girl custom-painted aviation nose art vinyl (34″ tall) ‘Ready For Duty’ – a design we created based on a WWII pinup by A. Varga.   See more of these tiny teardrop campers at www.teardro

Friday Flyin-Gillespie Field

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Erich Moulder and the folks at CAF unit Air Group One, of Gillespie Field, El Cajon, CA  cut up a rug the first Friday every month- in connection with the Gillespie Airport Cafe.  We (Mike n I in the back) flew ‘Lady Satan’ down to Gillespie to join the fun.  Jim Slattery, also on the field, brought over his tremendous PBY- Catalina–  (which he’d flown that morning!)- that turned out to be great shade for the event, and spectacular to see, from the inside out.   A reggae band played while attendees  foxtrotted on the ramp and ate fish tacos.  Bailey, a cute-as-a-button 40s model and CAF member got all the photographers snapping pictures, while L5 builders took notes, comparing their build plans with ‘Lady Satan’.  I got to see some of my jacket artwork walking around (thanks Heather!)  -and thank you everyone for your great hospitality!

Bailey and Howard at Gillespie

L5 and dancers at Gillespie

Lady Satan at Jet Air-Gillespie

Washing a Leather Jacket Painted with Custom Nose Art…

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painted flight jacket, fresh out of the washing machine

painted flight jacket, fresh out of the washing machine

 

We’re always experimenting with new products to create ever better, longer lasting, beautiful nose art on painted jackets, and one of our ongoing tests is the durability of our paints.  I’ve taken my own cowhide A-2 flight jacket, painted with our speciality leather paint, and put it into our commercial washing machine, to see what would happen! I do NOT advocate stuffing your leather goods into the washing machine, mainly because it takes out much of the oils in your leather, needed to keep the skin supple and malleable.  But!– we were grateful to discover that the paints held up very well– there is no evidence at all that the jacket even got wet, other than my cuffs and waist band are now a bit misshapen.  So, naturally, I had to try the dryer as well!   Same results!  The artwork looked exactly the same, and my ribbing is still a bit floppy- hmmm-  not sure what to do about that.

After laying the jacket flat to reshape itself, I rubbed in some Skidmore’s Leather Cream, -adding some of those oils I’d just rashly washed out (see  www.skidmores.com)

My jacket has the standard acrylic sealant that we put on all our finished art pieces, to give the paint an additional scuff protection – although, the paint is very sturdy, and the acrylic coating really supports the surrounding leather quality more than the paint itself, which doesn’t need much protection.

We’ve had a jacket, with art painted by someone else, shipped to the studio recently that a client mistakenly took to the dry cleaners. The paint has actually been smeared across the leather, and the client has asked us to repair what we can (I’m working that one now).   I’ve never tried dry cleaning the painted areas, but ask dry cleaners to lightly steam just the interior of the jackets to freshen the liners.

 

More pictures on that later!

 

Cowlings Are Her Canvas’ Victory Girl Article in AOPA Pilot Feb 2013 Issue

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Cowlings Are Her Canvas – AOPA Pilot Feb 2013 Issu

Some artists paint portraits, others prefer landscapes. Jerri Bergen, however, paints noses—of aircraft. Traditionally, nose art is the decorative art that was painted on an aircraft mostly by military mechanics and pilots involved in yesteryear’s conflicts. A unique genre that reached its peak during World War II, nose art is enjoying a revival thanks to artists like Bergen. A former computer information systems manager at McDonnell Douglas, Bergen started Victory Girl nose art studio in 2006 with her twin sister Terri, who enthusiastically supports her work as does Bergen’s husband, Chris.

Bergen’s passion is to help preserve military aviation history and memorialize the stories of today’s pilots through art. To date, she has created art for more than 100 aircraft and at least a couple of hundred jackets.

“Nose art is my passion,” said Bergen. “I love it not only for the artwork, but for the story each piece of artwork has to tell.”

Take a moment to nose around this selection of Bergen’s artwork.

Article is Here: http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2012/121127cowlings-are-her-canvas.html

by Geri Silveira

‘Colt Revolver’ Custom Nose Art Painted Leather Jacket

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Colt Revolver Ad on a leather jacket

Colt Revolvers, sassy gals- great Painted Leather Jacket art!

 

 

Custom Painted Leather Jacket Nose Art

Guns, girls, leather, and aviation.  Jerri Bergen mastered this Colt Revolver popular decoration wall tin sign featuring an old 1920s Colt Revolver advertisement.  Pictured here Jerri models the finished product, her latest custom painted leather jacket art project.  The customer is a local gun aficionado and jacket collector who reached out to us with a request to combine these two loves into this great art piece for his personal use.  Showing an idealized Annie Oakley with a Colt Peacemaker (she owned several Colt revolvers and Colt .22 rifles), and the two logos of the Colt Patent Mfg Company this painted leather jacket turned out perfectly.

The slogan ‘Don’t Touch This Gal’  is certainly appropriate.  Annie Oakley, considered the best woman rifleman of the age, and best pistol shot among her peers of ‘Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West’ show, of which she was  a star.   During the show, a crewman would toss a dime up into the air, 90 feet away, and Annie would raise her .22, aim, fire and hit the dime, sometimes while on horseback.

Our jackets take 5-8 weeks from start to finish. We begin with a concept sketch (see our custom projects page) and work with you on size, complexity, and design features.  Once you have approved where we’re taking the art piece, we prepare the leather with our special magic formula, then paint by hand your delicious art piece. Once complete, we treat the painting which gives it a lifetime bond to the painted leather jacket and ship it off to you.

Did we mention that we love our job?  Here is a video about Annie Oakley