Large Frame Print 'Bader Bale-Out' (Date Unknown) By Frank Wootton
 
The late Frank Wootton can be credited with giving aviation art a bold new direction, transforming the genre from illustration to fine art. A gifted young artist when WWII broke out, Wootton volunteered for the Royal Air Force, but was invited by the commander-in-chief of the Allied Air Forces to accept a special duty commission as official war artist to the R.A.F. and Royal Canadian Air Force. Thus, between 1939 and 1945, Wootton painted the conflict from the front lines of France to remote airstrips in Southeast Asia. His aerial scenes brilliantly recreated the threat of enemy fire, the split- second maneuvers of fighter planes and the triumph of victory. After the war, Woottons paintings gained international recognition. His works hang in major aviation museums throughout the world, and he has painted numerous state occasions involving the R.A.F. and the Royal Family. In 1983 some fifty of his paintings were exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Following his death, Wootton remains one the aviation worlds most widely respected artists.
 
On the 9th of August 1941, Group Captain Douglas Bader was leading his Wing of Spitfires from Tangmere over France just south of Le Touquet at 28,000 feet, when he sighted twelve Messerschmitts ahead and below. Being in the ideal position, he dived to the attack, but his excessive speed carried him right through the German formation. Pulling out at 24,000 feet, he encountered six more Messerschmitts and shot one of them down, but the rest turned on him furiously. He felt something hit his aircraft, which slewed violently round and began to spiral down at frightening speed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the entire rear part of his Spitfire behind the cockpit had been shorn away. He jettisoned the canopy and began to bale out. At this critical moment, his artificial right leg became trapped, and the upper half of his body was pinned against the fuselage by the fierce slipstream. After a struggle, he succeeded in tearing himself free, leaving his right leg behind as he left the cockpit. A moment later, at 4,00 feet, his parachute cracked open and he began to float safely down.
 
A limited edition print 799/850 signed below and numbered below image signed also by Sir Douglas Bader and certificate verso
 
Measures 37cm x 47cm
 
Very Large Framed Print for sale
 
The buyer will need to arrange Courier transport due to the fragility and size of the piece.
 
Please contact the shop for an inspection.