AVI:
Nice story on Mr Valant, its an excellent book and one that I have in my collection on Nose Art. I saw an interview with 91st crew chief Tony Starcer(sp) who painted most of the nose art on the B-17’s in the 91st BG. He did the Belle artwork and said he had very few colors to work with. Guess back then the regulations for nose art was not something they worried about or enforced. Great period for art historians & nose art lovers like most of us here. In 1997 the television station where I work as a photojournalist ( WSPA-TV NewsChannel 7) went to Asheville, NC and flew with Col Robert Morgan in a B-17 , with the Collings Foundiation B-24 along side. What thrill as Morgan took the controls of the B-17’s. He was such a fine man and had the pleasure of talking to him many times over the years and interviewed him once back in 1988 in front of a B-17. He was such a class individual and spoke of the Eighth Air Force as we and not “I”! Many don’t know he went on to fly 50 more missions in a B-29 with the 20th Airforce in the Pacific ! Never saw the program they were filming that day called ” Air Combat”. When he passed away last year , we sent up a photographer to ride along in a B-17 over his funeral , escorted by a P-51 Mustang. I am sure Colonel Morgan wishes he would have had this kind of escort back in 1943 ! You can’t go wrong when you paint the Memphis Belle on anything, it was the Nose Art on my first A-2 jacket !!!!! Might I suggest you paint up a BlueNose P-51 panel….like “Cripes A’ Mighty 3rd” !!!!! LOL….hey just plugging my guys in the 352nd !!!! If I can put my hands on that Morgan story….will let you know !!
A Salute from:
BlueNoser352!!!
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