Opening Sky

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