VNAF H-19 Chickasaw cartoon, 1st HS at Tan-Son-Nhut AFB early 60s.

Another chopper cartoon I want to do and decide to do this one first....

VNAF Kingbee 219 H-34 cartoon.

Underlay for next cartoon...

VNAF O-2A FAC. 118th OS Pleiku.

VNAF O-2A FAC updates....

...Taking shapes...

VNAF O-2A FAC cartoon WIP.

Merry Christmas...2012 and Happy New Year...

VNAF Caribou C-7A cartoon. The 427th Transport Squadron.

Completion....

VNAF 427th Transport Squadron C-7A caribou cartoon.

VNAF 1st Transport Squadron C-47B cartoon.

Loosing first wingman.

This is another inspiration from Major Tran Ba Hoi book "A VNAF fighter pilot in an American war" wrote about loosing his first wingman while flying North American T-28B Trojan from the 2nd Fighter Squadron out of Danang...

"...While Nong was in a straight line along the flank approximately three hundred feet to the target, suddenly his T-28 nosed down and hit the ground, rolled over down the mountainside in a ball of blazing flame, and broke into pieces..."

The 83rd SOG Skyraider sketch.

Inspired by the book "A VNAF fighter pilot in an American war" by Major Tran Ba Hoi described an A-1H Skyraider from the 83rd SOG squadron did low level flight exercise over enemy water (NVN) in order to support Special Forces operated deep inside enemy territory recovered by the sea and got picked up by FPT operated out of Danang...

Mission Accomplished.

A VNAF A-1E from the 514FS coming in for landing at Bien-Hoa AFB after a successful close air support mission circa 1972.

Idea sketches for commission work.

"Kingbees" Honored in Las Vegas

After reading this article from this link http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SOF_0804_Kingbees,00.html

"On Christmas Day, 1968, our team was on a small hilltop, surrounded by NVA troops who torched the vegetation around the hill and were attempting to burn us off the hilltop. At the last moment, as our entire team was choking on smoke and ashes, then-Capt. Nguyen van Tuong piloted his H-34 down a steep mountainside to our LZ. His rotorwash pushed back the flames until our team boarded the chopper. As he lifted-off, flames consumed the area we had vacated."

I can see the sense on that hilltop with the old workhorse warrior KingBee H-34 hoover to the LZ to pick up the Special Force Team....I want to paint this story....

VNAF A-1E Skyraider painting in progress...

VNAF King Bee pencil sketch study for up coming painting...

Air Vietnam leased C-46 from China Air Line (CAL).

Air Viet Nam C-46 Commando cartoon.

Getting ready for another FAC mission...

A VNAF O-1E from the 110th OS about to taxiing out for another FAC mission from Danang AFB circa 1974...Note that there are only two smoke missiles, one on each wing due to the shortage of supply that the VNAF suffered in the last year of the war...

T-28D from the 2nd FS cartoon.

....With some excellent drawing/painting apps available for iPad, it's so handy to draw/paint anywhere, anytime...
This T-28 was done with ArtStudio on iPad 2.

C-123K cartoon.

...this cartoon also done with Procreate App on iPad 2...

A-1E pencil sketch done with Procreate App on iPad 2

VNAF UH-1 Gunship pilot sketches...

A layout of Gunship version of VNAF UH-1 and pilot pencil sketches for my up coming VNAF UH-1 Gunship profile illustration.

UH-1 armament sub-system CAD model is done...

VNAF UH-1/H gunship typical armament sub-system study sketches.

In order to model up a CAD file for scale model of the UH-1 armament sub-system which usually used with the VNAF gunship, I have to do some study sketches to understand what exactly the system is. The rocket launcher is a LAU-59/A launcher which also used on VNAF A-37B.

The Tiger Is Ready.

A VNAF A-37B of the 516th FS "Flying Tiger" is ready for another combat mission from Da-Nang AFB in the 70s.

A-37 pilot ih flight sketch...

Skyraider A-1E Profile. 518th Fighter Squadron - 23rd Tactical Wing Bien-Hoa AFB.

UH-1 study sketches for real story painting.

VNAF 516FS Skyraiders "before" and "after"...

Typical VNAF Skyraiders color schemes in early and later of the war.  The gray scheme was before the mid 60s then it adopted the SEA camouflage afterward till the end of the war.

Caribou C-7A of the 427 Transport Squadron based at Danang in early 70s

Rough sketch for a VNAF scale models show poster option...

Older UH-34D and newer UH-1 pencil sketch...

Follow the Dragon.

The three propeller driven fighter of the VNAF from the begining before they were replaced by jets.
The Bearcat F-8F-1 formed the 1st Fighter Squadron then the Trojan T-28C/D formed the 2nd Fighter Squadron.  The Skyraider A-1H/J/E were formed many Squadrons and used effectively and remain in service until the last day of the war, and here was one of the 516 Fighter Squadron "Flying Tiger".