"The Van Nuys Collection" #9... Another "Brit"

The Westland Lysander and the old Van Nuys tower

 When I saw this overstuffed "Cub" sitting in a hangar, I just had to ask if it was okay to spend some time sketching it. I spent most of the day checking it out. I always thought it was strange to have landing lights in the wheel skirts. Runways be an extravagance in Britain, at the time it was designed, probably explains it all.

I never saw the plane's engines start up and see it go on a test flight, but it sure was in sparkling shape when they rolled it out. I read recently that there is only two Lysanders in flying shape today. I wonder if, twenty five years later, that still holds true, for if it does, I feel really lucky to have been there as they rolled this restored beauty out.

I drew these Lysander sketches in a black water based Pentel and gray graphic markers. I know this is true because one of the less successful sketches was pretty smeared.