Thumrait Farewell

A commissioned piece, this represents an actual incident with the Royal Air Force of Oman. John Pym, Boss of 8 Squadron on Jaguars was retiring and going back to the UK.
As a final ‘fling’ he took a Jaguar up to try some aerobatics, he then came down to go over the desert before reuring to the base at Thumrait. As was the custom, he came in LOW, something like 5 FEET!!!
When coming in he just happened to spot photographer Hugh McRae in front. Hugh also spotted Pym. In that split second, the photographer started to dive left and the pilot pulled hard on his stick.
SOMEHOW Hugh found he’d taken the perfect photo!!!
I was asked to depict the unique scene at Thumrait. The aircraft was relatively easy to depict. As for the photographer, it took a lot of research to try and get some suitable reference. In the end, a friend called in for a coffee. I looked at him & realised he was the right sort of build and was wearing the right sort of gear. The ensuing photo session in the garden was a great help! I just needed to thin him slightly and make sure that the clothing represented desert uniform.
My customer was more than pleased and I decided to create a print strictly limited to an edition of 50.  The image area is slightly larger than A3 and the quality paper and print accurately showcases the original drawing. Each print comes with an added ‘remarque’, is hand numbered and signed to you personally AND comes complete with a certificate of authenticity.