Gonna Hitch A Ride ...

Everywhere you go in the Marine Corps, you can get there in a helicopter (also known as a "helo" or generically, a "bird"...) It sure beats walking, and a convoy just can't compare!

Here are two scenes I've done recently, in which the beloved Helo, the CH53 is showcased:

The first is a '53 picking up a bunch of "pax" (passengers) -- in this case some Afghan National Army personnel at PB Jaker in Helmand Province last July (I've included the first step of the process below)...

the "imprimatura" or "veil" has been applied above, and is usually how I start out on these oil sketches...

The second image is from my recent deployment to Haiti for Operation Unified Response...

A column of Marines lug their packs out to the waiting helo, as trees bend and whip in the rotor wash...

One can barely make out the figures in the background at right (a couple of Haitians look on, while a Marine crouches down as part of the security perimeter...)

The CH53 is certainly a workhorse, and it's hard to imagine what operations in today's world would look like, if it weren't for the brilliance and perseverance of Mr. DaVinci and Mr. Sikorsky...!

(note: I'm currently working on a painting which shows the UH-1, for all you "Huey" fans...!)