Profile 180: Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican as flown by (name tba) of the U.S. Coast Guard

On a pure aesthetic value, I would not have picked the HH-3F to draw.   It's ugly.   But, celebrating physical beauty is not the point of my work.  Attractive or not, the aircraft depicted in this blog represent something (to me at least) far, far, far beyond 'the machine.'

I'm not terribly religious, certainly not holy.  But — as ridiculous as this might sound to some — there's something of the Divine in each of my experiences "interviewing old guys and drawing their airplanes."  A few years ago, one of my business mentors stated that I may have been rendered 'unemployable' on account of hanging out with so many remarkable people.  As I'm still convinced I'm largely a coward with an outsized ego, I'll always find work.  

Nevertheless...

I have been deeply affected by the stories, friendships, and examples that these drawings represent.

* break break *

This particular HH-3F "Pelican" is being drawn for an event that'll happen this Fall.  Media might even show up, so it's possible the finished piece could make the news.  We'll see about that — if it does, check my Facebook page sometime after October 1, 2025.

On a personal level, this Pelican is fascinating for a number of reasons:

1. It's military, but not martial.  (not everyone wants to see guns/missiles)

2. It's no longer in service. (the last Pelican in Coast Guard service was retired in 1994)

3. It's unique (it could land/takeoff from the water)

4. It's painted with orange (no "SEA Camo" here!)

5. It represents an amazing story that has captured my imagination a hundred times... *snap! snap! earth to John, earth to John!* (distractions also make one unemployable).

Anyway.

A little bit of background on the HH-3F Pelican is in order.  Have a look at the pictures below.

An S-61 (civilian version of the SH-3) helicopter from photographer Chen Peng, courtesy Wikipedia.
Notice the fuselage - it's shorter, stockier than the S-61R/HH-3 version

A "Jolly Green Giant" Sikorsky HH-3E (military version of the S-61R) courtesy U.S. Air Force. I had a USAF F-105 pilot tell me the HH-3E the most beautiful aircraft in the world because it pulled him out of North Vietnam and therefore helped him become a happy husband, father, and citizen.  Fair enough.

The naming & production convention behind the S-61/H-3 helicopter series is an alphabet soup to those unfamiliar with how industry and government develop things.  Civilian markets get one name, military gets another.   But suffice it to state, the Pelican was derived from a late 1950s U.S. Navy request for a helicopter that could perform anti-sub, search and rescue (SAR) and general-purpose roles.  The result was the very successful S-61/SH-3.  

The USAF noticed the success of the SH-3 and wanted one of their own.  Contrary to public opinion that the military industrial complex runs around willy-nilly spending money — especially during the McNamara years of 'efficient' government procurement — the USAF realized it'd be cheaper/faster to adapt the SH-3 to their needs than develop something brand-new.   Thus, the S-61R/CH-3E was developed.  Essentially, the C/HH-3E was an S-61 modified to have a loading ramp. 

Have a look again at the photos above — they're very different but very similar machines.  If you're really into geeking-out about the S-61 series of helicopters, try these links:  S-61 and S-61R.  Take your time though - the two helicopters are often confused in print AND web.  Regardless, the basic S-61 design generated fifteen variations expressed in a total production run of 794 helicopters. 

Ugly?  Sure.  Successful?  Undoubtedly.

Going just a bit deeper, a few more facts on the HH-3F Pelican version:

Length: 57' feet

Width: 16'

Top speed: 160mph

Hover altitude: ~6500ft; Service ceiling (horizontal flight) 10,500ft

Range: 750 miles

Crew: 5 - pilot, co-pilot, 2x aircrew, rescue swimmer

This HH-3F is at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.  You can notice the big black bump on the nose containing extra radar and, if you squint, you can see a funky-looking eyebrow on the bottom of the sponson — that contained an inflatable floatation bladder that would be used if the Pelican had to ditch at sea.  Photo: NAM

**************

Enough waxing philosophical.  Enough background on the helicopter itself.

Let's see what we can learn from this particular HH-3F, flown by one particular pilot, on one particular day.  As it's good to keep all of us employed, I'll save posting the Distinguished Flying Cross citation until after the presentation event as it might send you into a day-long daydream.  

But... a little bit of teasing won't hurt.

The picture above was swiped from a site called "Blue Water Mystique."  Apparently, this photo was taken during sea conditions that generated 30'-40' waves.   The graph below shows the "Beaufort Wind Scale"  that's used to categorize wind:storm affect on ocean conditions.

Have a look, pay attention to the Force column, eye-down to #11, classification: Violent Storm.

Now.  Imagine this - you've just put in 4 intense hours flying SAR missions over stormy seas and you get ANOTHER call to action... this time, nearly twenty people are caught in conditions of 40' + waves, 60knot winds and your job is to hold hover in the torrential sea-spray, and haul the hapless up (one at a time) and take them home.

If you're like me, thinking about the moment makes any office/work/executive 'work' currently going on seem utterly insignificant.

But I betcha it'll inspire me to give more of my best to whatever office/work/executive thing I've got going on and appreciate the CAVU** skies and calm winds right outside my window.

More to come (back to work).

The pencil-sketch I did when given the GO! on this project.  

** CAVU = Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited

Profile 157: North American F-86F Sabre, 35th FBS, 8th FBG as flown by James "Jim" McDivitt

There are more than a few stories in this blog that need to be finished but how/why THIS ONE hasn’t been is known only to…

…me.  And for a while yet, it’ll stay that way.

Nevertheless, “The Obstinate Owl II” is above, and finished, fulfilling the promise made in October 27, 2021 when I last posted progress the artwork.   I had my plans, my next-steps all sorted out...

Suddenly (as it always seems to happen when dealing with projects that demand so much time,) a year later, her pilot, Gemini 4 and Apollo 9 astronaut, James “Jim” McDivitt ‘Flew West’ at 93 years of age.  This was an extraordinary bummer because I really grew to appreciate the man, so much so that I continued to work around a schedule that ended up being a complete phantom of optimism.

As it sits now, I have not decided what to do with my 95%-complete interview(s).  Suffice it to state, they’re remarkable assets to American and Space Race history.  

However, I’ll share this little glimpse; the first few times I got to talk with him, they were purely conversational and didn’t last much more than 20, 30 minutes.   Yet, in those brief conversations, it was apparent “McDivitt” was burnt-out on telling rocket stories.  Same with being on The Brady Bunch.  Same with the hubbub made about the apparent “UFO photos” he took during the Gemini 4 mission.  As interesting as the prior were/are, my focus was on the man’s Korean War service and THIS was the main reason he afforded me extraordinary access to his memories.

Jim McDivitt (middle in grey sport coat) with the cast of The Brady Bunch and two aliens
from the planet Keplutus.  Photographer unknown.

*Break break*

As much as I loath celebrity culture, I have a measure of sympathy to the singer, artist, politician, actor, entrepreneur, astronaut, warrior… who signed up for a measure of one thing and ended up with a heaping helping of another.  Some can handle it, some can’t… but bottom line, there’s an extraordinary price to pay when one’s being is perceived to be public property.

Being an astronaut, especially ‘back then’ in the 1950s and 60s, was a flashbulb-fueled launch into the celebrity universe.  Maybe at one time, McDivitt appreciated the notoriety, maybe not, but by the time I got to meet him, it was pretty apparent, the camera, the spotlight, the moon…were all things he’d rather look away from.  

Life is like that though - based on what I’ve learned interviewing ‘old guys,’ the days, months, years of life tends to refine the dross from the precious.  

How Jim expressed this to me sounded something like this:

Me:  So what are you most proud of?

(He instantly glanced at two paintings that were on opposite walls in his dining room)

Jim:  My Korean War days.

Me:  Not NASA?!

Jim McDivitt had a fun sense of humor - here, he goofs around with a model of the Titan II rocket used to launch his Gemini 4 mission, which resulted in mankind's first spacewalk!  Photo: NASA

Jim: (snorts) No… no.  My Korean War flying.  Those times.  (He pointed at the extraordinary artwork depicting him flying his 35th Fighter Bomber Squadron F-86 and F-80.)

Me:  Why's that?

Jim:  (NASA) was a corporation.  It was a job.  But then, there... (he looked again at his F-86 and for a split second or two, faded from the room into some long lost memory) That's when I believe I was doing the most good.  Flying jets in the squadron.

Me:  Was it the camaraderie?  You had that at NASA didn't you?

Jim:  (Shakes his head).  No, no... not like then.  (In my Korean service) we were a group, a team.

For a while afterwards, he went into greater detail about the nuances of leadership, business, publicity, warfare, politics... and it became obvious that, Jim McDivitt — obviously brilliant, super-competent, highly skilled — was just an aviator, happy to play a small part in something bigger.  NASA, with its inherent (and mostly necessary) need for choreographed publicity and public acclaim, may have fed his family and fulfilled his professional obligations, it didn't feed his soul.  Even if the organization took him farther than 99.99999% of people have ever been.  Even if a day at the office meant taking pictures like the one below.

Jim was the commander of Gemini 4 and also its savior.
Jim took this picture of #2 Ed White doing the unfathomable.  Notice the hatch at right - that it opened to let Ed out is Jim's genius with mechanical things.  That it CLOSED is also Jim's genius with mechanical things.  And to think the man really just wanted to fly jets... Photo Jim McDivitt, NASA

Instead, the military and the experiences within its cloistered fraternity were the memories he wanted in his dining room and ultimately (I believe) were the ones he took into Eternity.

Please, have another look at "The Obstinate Owl II."  Jim was pleased with the title; today, the original hangs in a place of honor at Tucson's beautiful Hacienda Del Sol resort, the site where he and fellow military aviators gathered (still do, in fact) every Friday for lunch.

"We remember where we came from," indeed.

Jim in front of another 35th FBS F-model Sabre, "The Dirty Old Man."
Photo: Jim McDivitt

 

Profile 175: FINISHED - "242" as flown by Col John Wambough (ret), 34th TFS

 

Finished!

And, what a finish at that!

break break

There are two reasons people get-into my art:

1.  The veteran signed it.

2.  It makes them feel a certain way.*

Last week, I was able to participate in a "Welcome Home" event in Fort Walton Beach, FL.  It wasn't a mere banquet-moment.  For nearly a full month, the community participated in making this event something go beyond a sold-out arena featuring famous faces talking about 'the war'....

Commissioned to draw the aircraft of five Northwest Florida veterans, my artwork ended up being displayed at selected businesses where ANYone from the community could sign as a tangible expression of thank-you-for-your-service.

I'm not trivializing the TYFYS rejoinder, btw.  But frankly, people often have no idea what to say to veterans, especially the sort that has experienced combat.  And in the case of the Vietnam Conflict generation, we Americans are completely stymied as to what to do next... Thanks to the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, the community's civilian folk were given a way to level-up their profound appreciation by going beyond the spoken word and putting it to paper!

Please, have a look — the number of signatures on these five prints represent at least 1,000+ grateful souls...

How cool is this?!?

And even cooler, that #264 is represented by a living, breathing representative of the Vietnam Conflict.  It's true the majority of military personnel don't get anywhere close to the harm of mortal combat.  However, John did and in a sobering fashion - he flew this particular F-105D in combat at least once in combat, and of course, survived.  

Examine the stats (delivered by John Wambough himself):

• 1967 was the peak year for pilot losses during the Vietnam Conflict; F-105 pilots averaged getting shot down every 33 missions (when 100 missions was the required go-home number).

• 180 F-105 pilots were killed in action during the Vietnam War

• 107 pilots became prisoners of war (POWs)

• 145 F-105 pilots were shot down and rescued

As diverse as we all are - Col Wambough, the individuals of the community, myself - we are all joined in the common bond of simply being lucky/blessed/honored to be here, today.

*About that 'certain way.'   I'm never sure what people are actually thinking when they look at my artwork, but I am certain that the quality of the art is comparatively low on the list.

The top-two most compelling aspects of my art are the title and, by a much larger margin of interest, 'the signature.'  It does something to the imagination when the beholder connects the autograph with the reality that 'they were there' and by virtue of the signature, 'here now.'

"Welcome Home" indeed.  

And I hope we never 'finish' welcoming the Vietnam Veteran's story.

Profile 175: "242" as flown by Lt John Wambough, 34th TFS

I learn a lot about life drawing airplanes.

NERD ALERT:  This post is really just musing on the futility of trying to get artwork 'perfect.'   A better history lesson will follow, prolly on my Substack...

* break break *

Most of the time, what I learn is poured into the mental-box reserved for abstractions, points-to-ponder... 

Hang with me.

Look at my art below - it's a McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II that was flown by Lt Colonel D.C. Vest in 1972 while assigned to the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), nicknamed, "The Rocketeers." 

At the time, the 336th was based out of Ubon, Thailand, flying combat missions into North and South Vietnam.

It's old art - I did this in 2016!!

Anyway, notice some elements...

Tail Code:  The two large letters on the tail.  These became prevalent markings on most USAF aircraft around 1967.  The Navy/Marines had been doing this since after WWII.   Why the disparity?  Ask a Marine aviator (you might find the response amusing).  Nevertheless, Tail Codes are an important detail.

Serial Code:  These are mostly an abbreviation of the serial number assigned to the aircraft at the factory.  This number tells a story of when the particular lot/batch of aircraft were ordered/upgraded.  Serial Numbers very-very-very rarely change on aircraft, civilian or military. 

The *'s show details that may/may not be consistent within a squadron or unit.  In this case, the 336th wanted to have these markings on their aircraft.  Realize that they could be added/modified/removed in a couple of hours.  In the case of 221 (the F-4 shown above) the yellow tail-top and divisional/command shields were generally applied to 336th F-4s but not mandated.

The ? marks details that are generally mandated but often changed such as stencils added to call out certain features of the aircraft; most of the time, these stencils are reminders to maintenance crew to do/think a certain thing.  "HAND HOLD" "JET A FUEL ONLY" are examples.  These may/not be done at the factory and may/not be maintained during regular maintenance. 

But 99.999% of the time, USAF aircraft have the American "Star and Bar" insignia in a definite place and a definite size.

For people like me who have opportunity to draw a particular airplane at a particular moment in time, we learn to balance the resources of TIME - ENERGY - MONEY (TEM) to create what we hope to be an accurate representation of what the particular aircraft 'looked like.'

But, what happens when new information comes up that changes the art?

I used to weep.   But, I grew up.  Now, I just swear once or twice and go back to 'life.' Practically, one the deal is done, the pilot has signed, the work is displayed, there's nothing to do other than shrug and give a loose apology.

However.

Recently, I (almost) fulfilled the commission to draw "264," a Republic F-105F Thunderchief that John Wambough flew on a particularly important day in October, 1968.

I assumed the Tail Code would follow a certain convention that had replicated itself in the past.  And I even pestered the man about photos.  Did he have any?  "Not that I can recall, but I'll check..."

TEM demanded I move forward so I rendered what I assumed to be 'the way it was done.'   Circumstances being what they are for me, I was able to visit John at his home and show him what I THOUGHT was the final artwork.

John me:  Well... here's 264!  What do you think?

John W:  Wow. Great!  I like it!  Thank you!

(Wife points to kitchen counter piled with photos, plaques, documents...

Wife:  You need to see this photo album...

And low, behold, a treasure trove of photos of 264.   To my dismay... there, in living black and white, was a perfect tail-shot of John's "Thud" (nickname for the F-105) revealing that I'd totally gotten the markings WRONG.

Col Wambough and I going through his pile of 'history.'  I love this part of my work!

Wrong lettering, positioning, convention... 

John me:  Oh sh*t.  I have to redo your tail.

John W:  Why??

I then waxed poetic, pointing to lettering spacing, style, stenciling; John squinted, then stated, "Yes.  You're right.  You noticed the detail."

Three airports, seven hours travel-time, and 36 hours later, I obsessively updated the artwork to reflect the style/change revealed by the photo (and not the assumptions made over years of work and reinforcement of detail).

There's a lesson here:  assumptions are not facts, one can only do so much, every once in a while and Gawd throws you a bone.

Oh.  And always endeavor to go to 'the source.'