With the morning sun glinting on their fuselages, P-51 Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group cross the Dutch coastline far below, heading back towards their base at Duxford, England at the end of a long sweep east of the Rhine crossing in Spring 1945. The final months of the war in Europe lie ahead, and for the P-51 pilots the victory is within sight.
Robert Taylor's visually poetic masterpiece,
Opening Sky, pays tribute to the American P-51 Mustang fighter pilots who flew and fought for freedom during World War II, and is the third in his highly successful Tribute Series. It follows the release of his popular RAF Hurricane tribute,
Height and Sun; and Luftwaffe Me109 tribute
Dawn Eagles Rising.
Limited edition prints of
Opening Sky have been signed by many of the United States' most famous P-51 fighter pilots, and together with the previous two prints in this series, create an extraordinary opportunity for aviation art and military history collectors.
THE LIMITED EDITION
Every print has been personally signed by the artist, Robert Taylor, together with THREE of the USAAF's foremost P-51 Mustang Aces:
THE P-51 TRIBUTE EDITION
In addition to the three signatures of the Limited Edition, each copy of the P-51 Tribute Edition has been individually signed by a further fourteen P-51 fighter pilots, making a total of SEVENTEEN signatures in total.
THE ARTIST PROOF EDITION
Issued together with all the components of the Tribute Edition, the THIRTY-TWO signature ARTIST PROOFS are matted to include the original signatures of an additional fifteen US pilots who flew fighters in combat, many of whom are top Aces and exponents of the P-51. They include many of the USAAF and USMC's greatest names.
Signatures:THE LIMITED EDITION
Colonel CLARENCE "BUD" ANDERSON - 357th FG / 16 1/4 victories
Lieutenant Colonel CLYDE EAST - 10th Photo Recon Group / 14 1/2 victories
Colonel ART FIELDLER - 325th FG / 8 victories
THE P-51 TRIBUTE EDITION - the above plus:
Major BILL ALLEN - 55th FG / 5 victories
Captain JIM BROOKS - 31st FG/ 13 victories
Captain CLINTON BURDICK - 356th FG/ 5 1/2 victories
Captain WAYNE COLEMAN - 78th FG/ 5 victories
First Lieutenant RAYMOND "TED" CONLIN - 357th FG
Lieutenant Colonel DON CUMMINGS - 27th, 55th FG/ 6 1/2 victories
Major URBAN DREW - 361st FG/ 6 victories
Lieutenant Colonel BOB GOEBEL - 31st FG/ 11 victories
Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT A. KARR - 52nd FG/ 6 victories
Colonel WALKER "BUD" MAHURIN - 56th, 3rd, 51st FG/ 24 1/4 victories
Colonel STEVE PISANOS - 4th FG/ 10 victories
First Lieutenant JOHN SKARA - 357th FG
Second Lieutenant LOWELL STEWARD - 332nd FG (Tuskegee Airmen)
First Lieutenant CLINT WHITE - 31st FG
THE ARTIST PROOF EDITION (matted) - all of the above plus:
Brigadier General RUSSELL BERG USAAF - 10th Photo Recon Group
Colonel DON BLAKESLEE USAAF - 4th FG / 14 1/2 victories
Major General CHARLES R. BOND USAAF - AVG / 7 victories
Lieutenant Colonel "KIT" CARSON USAAF - 357th FG / 18 1/2 victories
Major HERSCHEL "HERKY" GREEN USAAF - 325th FG / 18 victories
Colonel DAVID "TEX" HILL USAAF - AVG, 23rd FG / 15 1/4 victories
Lieutenant Colonel FRANK D. HURLBUT USAAF - 82nd FG / 9 victories
Major JACK M. ILFREY USAAF - 1st FG, 20th FG / 7 1/2 victories
Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT JOHNSON USAAF - 56th FG / 27 victories
Major General CARROL "RED" McCOLPIN USAAF - 71, 133 Sqn RAF, 404th FG / 8 victories
Brigadier General ROBIN OLDS USAAF - 479th FG, 8th TFW / 17 victories
Major RICHARD "BUD" PETERSON USAAF - 357th FG / 15 1/2 victories
Lieutenant Colonel KENNETH A. WALSH USMC - VMF-124, VMF-222 / 21 victories
Colonel GERALD BROWN USAAF - 55th FG / 5 victories
Colonel FRANCIS "GABBY" GABRESKI USAAF - 56th FG, 4th, 51st FIW / 34 1/2 victories