Are you ready for the Big News?

I know so many of you have been asking these questions?

When will the Wings of Angels Book be available?

Where can I order it when it does become available?

Congratulations goes out to Michael Malak as his latest pre-order release of not just one Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of World War II Pinup and Aviation Volume 1, but also Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of World War II Pinup and Aviation Volume 2!

Huh? Did you just read that right?

Two books?

Okay, I can just hear your next question, just how much will those books be?

Are you ready for this? $39.99 for each volume. Some local online retailers are offering a price-break as well through Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $30.59 for each volume!

So where can you pre-order yours now to ensure you have one when they release on May 28, 2014?

• Schiffer Publishing
• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Bookamillion.

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd; 1 edition (May 28, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764346407
• ISBN-13: 978-0764346408

Each volume is a beautiful illustrated hardcover with 160 pages showcasing a 2 year long project in the making now finally available for pre-order. Trust me, you'll definitely one to grab one of these collector's edition Wings of Angels books today before they are SOLD OUT!

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd; 1 edition (May 28, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764346415
• ISBN-13: 978-0764346415

Join me in congratulating Michael Malak for seeing his dream come true!!!I've ordered mine today, have you?

1944 North American NA-88 Texan (AT-6D) (SNJ-5)

Today's Tribute to WWII Aircraft highlights the North American NA-88 Texan (AT-6D) (SNJ-5) the plane featured in Judy Luck's Wings of Angels Photo Shoot. This beautiful plane currently resides at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.

"In 1937 North American won the Air Corp design competition to produce the new combat trainer that developed into the AT-6.

The most universally used trainer in the allied air forces. Known as the AT-6 by the USAAF, the T-6 after 1948, was produced well into the 1950's.

Cadet training consisted of 26 weeks of pre-flight, 11 weeks primary training in the N3N and 22 weeks advanced training in the SNJ.

Carrier landings, gunnery, bombing and rocket attack were completed and finally the reserve officer was moved to a combat training team.

The attack on Pearl Harbor found the Navy with only 4,000 combat pilots.  By the end of the war there were 60,747 Navy aviators.

Over 2,000 AT-6's remained in service after WWII also serving abroad as the famous T-6F Harvard.
This powerful trainer was very successful in prepping pilots for fighter aircraft." (Yanks Air Museum)

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Forceand other air forcesof the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s, and of Israel. Designed by North American Aviation, the T-6 is known by a variety of designations depending on the model and operating air force. The USAAC and USAAF designated it as the AT-6, the United States Navy the SNJ, and British Commonwealth air forces, the Harvard, the name it is best known by outside of the US. After 1962, US forces designated it the T-6. It remains a popular warbird aircraft used for airshow demonstrations and static displays. It has also been used many times to simulate the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero in movies depicting WWII in the Pacific.

Specifications:

Manufacturer: North American
First Produced: 1938
Horsepower: 550
Service Ceiling: 24,200 feet
Top Speed: 205 mph
Range: 750 miles
Armament: (1) .30 cal forward firing machine gun, (1) .30 cal machine gun in rear cockpit

Photo Credits: Michael Malak, Malak Photography.com, Wings of Angels, Yanks Air Museum

The Heritage Flight of Electra Jr.

So just what does famed photographer Michael Malak do for fun on the weekends, he invites his sister and brother-in-law along for an air to air photo shoot at Yanks Air Museum out in Chino, California. Under brilliant blue skies and few clouds and temperatures hovering around mid 80's, we all meet for a pre-flight check for the Lockheed 12-A Electra Jr (C-40D) (UC-40D), a plane similar to that of the one Amelia Earhart purchased and flew. Built in 1938, this nostalgic plane had quite the flying history.

This glistening beauty was polished and shined to perfection for an air to air shoot using the Texan T-6 Trainer as the plane that Michael would use for the photos you see represented here. As the pilots gathered for a pre-flight check and discussion of the types of shots that they wanted to gain, it was agreed that they would do two passovers the Yanks Air Museum before heading out to Lake Elsinore and Lake Matthews for some brilliant air to air shots that only a handful of people ever get to witness.

Michael was strapped in the gunner's seat which is capable of rotating 360 degrees allowing for freedom of movement within the plane itself. The only thing lost in the process was Michael's Texas Tech baseball cap (pictured above) probably landing somewhere over the airport or the city of Chino. If you happen to find it, please drop it off at Yanks and tell them you found Mike's hat! All in all the photo shoot was pretty incredible and can't wait for even more opportunities to do this in the future.

Some fun facts about the Lockheed 12-A Electra Jr (UC-40D) (C-40D) that is housed in Yanks Air Museum is that it was the fastest transport plane in the world. It could out-climb and out-fly any other twin, it handled nicely, had power to spare and pilots liked to fly it. Night crossings and poor terrain were restricted to twin aircraft in 1934, this created a need for the new Electra. Big and small businesses like the advantage of landing in many small town airports. Many options were offered including: autopilot, partitions, plush seats, couch, lavatory, desk and typewriter. The first all-metal aircraft and the first twin-engine aircraft built by Lockheed was the Electra. The fastest transport aircraft in the world was the Lockheed Electra Jr. The Electra name was made famous by the story of Amelia Earhart. A favorite of oil barons, the steel industry and the government this was a glistening, glamourous, revered aircraft. Just being inside this beauty was truly a once in a lifetime experience. (Yanks Air Museum.) 

Photo Credits: Michael Malak, Malak Photography.com, Yanks Air Museum, Steven Smith Photography (Behind the Scenes Photo)

Special Thanks to All Pilots involved: Lockheed Left Seat Pilot: Matt Walker, Right Seat Pilot: Frank Wright, Back Seat: Bob Haden, T-6 Camera Ship Pilot: Chris La Fave, Christen Wright

A heart felt thanks goes out to Yanks Air Museum for the opportunity to take part in this Heritage Flight of the Electra Jr Air to Air Photo Shoot! What a memorable time!

After 76 years it's still going strong!

Name that Caption!

Love to get your best caption for this photo! Feel free to submit as many as you would like!

Just A Quick Reminder

There is still time left to ensure you are part of my latest giveaway for an Exclusive Wings of Angels Publishing Pack. This is not something that you can buy or find on Ebay and is truly a one of a kind must have for collectors of WWII models and aircraft.

So what does this publishing pack include? I can tell you from personal experience as Michael's sister, in seeing this close up from that just the packaging alone is incredible with Claire Sinclair on the cover. This Wings of Angels Publishing Pack box alone was hand crafted personally to house the items you will find inside. The box measures 1 1/8 inches thick, by 17 3/4 inches long by 11 3/4 inches wide. Inside you will find a mock up draft induction notice, project overview sheets and detailed book description, a Wings of Angels Newspaper Front Page, an 11 x 17 print on silver metallic paper of cover model Claire Sinclair with embossed logo, a sample of Jessamyne Rose's mock up book layout which includes (2) pages of black and white prints, (2) pages of color prints, and (2) pages of sepia tone prints;  A sponsor sample proof sheets of Claire Sinclair, Alexa Rajcova, Sarah Barton, Rosie the Riveter (features all three Rosie's used for the book, Lexie Weege, Amanda Varela, and Angela Riccio,) which each sponsor sheet showcases 8 different images per sheet; (3) mock up vintage Coca Cola ads featuring Alexa Rajcova, Claire Sinclair, and Kacie Marie. All prints in this publishing pack measure 11 x 17 and are hand numbered and signed by Michael Malak. 

When Mike brought this to me over Christmas, I was simply floored by the exceptional packaging. I would have been happy simply to have the box alone. This entire package contains so many wonderful prints from WWII Pinups to the vintage Coca Cola ads that my daughters wanted to display, to a wonderful WWII draft induction notice and front page of a newspaper and so much more. You WON'T believe just how much is in this pack and the pictures don't do it justice at all. There is so much creativity that was placed into each piece of this publishing pack that if you don't get in on the opportunity to sign up, you will have missed out big time!

By the way, I did not give my daughters their Coca Cola prints because I wanted the publishing pack to stay intact. They did ask me how to participate in the giveaway so they could have a shot at it and here's what I told them.

1. Click on the link to the giveaway, Exclusive Wings of Angels Publishing Pack Giveaway. 

2. If you do not have a Twitter, Yahoo or Google account, simply click on the tab to the right hand side of the Wings of Angels Blog and click on the button that says "Join This Site." Once there it will tell you how to create a Google, Yahoo or Twitter Account. If you already have a Google, Yahoo or Twitter Account, simply click on the "Join This Site" button as well and you will be asked to become a follower of the Wings of Angels Blog. It will walk you through all the steps including selecting a picture for your follower icon.

3. Simply click on the comment button at the end of the giveaway blog post to add your comment. Tell us why you think you should win this exclusive giveaway in detail if possible. You could share with us what you plan on doing with it, who you plan on giving it to, or tell us what has motivated you to enter the giveaway. The more details the better! You never know your story just might inspire the panel that will chose the giveaway winner!

4. Don't forget to include your email address. You can even use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols for spamming security. But if you don't include it, we can't notify you if your the lucky winner! Who wants to miss out on that.

5. Finally, just by being a Facebook follower doesn't mean you're entered. We are verifying all the criteria is being followed to ensure you're entered to win. But don't forget if you haven't stopped by the Malak Photograpy Facebook page or Michael's personal Facebook page, be sure you do and "Like" his page.

The giveaway ends on January 31st and we will be emailing the winner at that time. You will have 72 hours to reply to the email before another winner will be selected. So don't miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime. 

Finalizing Details

The devil is in the details or so they say. I've had the opportunity to really take a look at some of the pictures I've shot in the Wings of Angels Project while gathering pictures for the blog and it's created a sense of discipline for me to see things with new eyes. I am still finalizing pictures for the Wings of Angels Book to make sure that the ones that you see when the book is published will be something that I am truly pleased with. I've been given me one last opportunity to look over everything to ensure that I am satisfied with what will be coming out.

The most incredible thing about the Wings of Angels Project has been the stories that have been uncovered in the process. From talking to some actual WWII veterans and hearing what really went on during the war, to those current military personnel that are returning home for the war. Then there are the survivor stories, the stories of families that are part of the current war effort I discover during the photo shoots. I found out its not just about taking pictures of beautiful models and fantastic WWII aircraft. It's learning from the models themselves that their grandparents or family had served in the war, much like my own grandfather. It's being able to capture those stories in the photos I took to be able to give back a sense of that servitude and honor of our military heroes and their family.

It has also taken the models into a different sense of history as well to see these war birds up close and personal. The stories that they are even getting from emails from military personnel or interactions with people they meet has engaged them in a profound and life changing way. They have shared those in previous model spotlight posts on my blog. It really has taken this project to a whole new level and I hope that this project conveys the honor and respect that is due to every single person who has served both in the war or as a family supporting the cause.

Limited Edition Numbered and Signed Wings of Angels Publishing Pack Giveaway

This is definitely one opportunity you won't want to miss out on) I am giving away one Wings of Angels Limited Edition Publishing Pack. This is a Promotion Pack that was presented to publishers as an invitation to be the one to publish the Wings of Angels Book. This gave publishers an idea of how the Wings of Angels book might look if they chose to take part in this endeavor. It was truly a one of a kind Limited Edition gift to the publishers. There was only 25 created and I happen to have one left just for one lucky winner of this giveaway.

So what does this publishing pack include? I can tell you from personal experience as Michael's sister, in seeing this close up from that just the packaging alone is incredible with Claire Sinclair on the cover. This Wings of Angels Publishing Pack box alone was hand crafted personally to house the items you will find inside. The box measures 1 1/8 inches thick, by 17 3/4 inches long by 11 3/4 inches wide. Inside you will find a mock up draft induction notice, project overview sheets and detailed book description, a Wings of Angels Newspaper Front Page, an 11 x 17 print on silver metallic paper of cover model Claire Sinclair with embossed logo, a sample of Jessamyne Rose's mock up book layout which includes (2) pages of black and white prints, (2) pages of color prints, and (2) pages of sepia tone prints;  A sponsor sample proof sheets of Claire Sinclair, Alexa Rajcova, Sarah Barton, Rosie the Riveter (features all three Rosie's used for the book, Lexie Weege, Amanda Varela, and Angela Riccio,) which each sponsor sheet showcases 8 different images per sheet; (3) mock up vintage Coca Cola ads featuring Alexa Rajcova, Claire Sinclair, and Kacie Marie. All prints in this publishing pack measure 11 x 17 and are hand numbered and signed by Michael Malak. 

This gives you a sneak peek of what the Wings of Angels Book will look like before any one else gets an opportunity to see it. Just by Michael giving me one, I know I can't part with any of the prints, and just getting this from Michael completely made an incredible once in a lifetime Christmas gift for me. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on any opportunity to get your hands on this. There will not be any more of these publishing packs created. If you are a Wings of Angels Collector, you'll definite want THIS one!!!

 So here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of Wings of Angels Project Blog. 

2. "Like" my Malak Photography.com Facebook page. If you have already "Liked" my Facebook page, leave me a comment on this post on Facebook.

3. This giveaway is open world wide but please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment below telling me in detail why you feel you want to win this publishing pack. Please be sure to include your email address along with your comment. You can use (at) and (dot) instead of the actual symbols.

This giveaway will end on January 31, 2014. Be sure you have met all giveaway criteria so you don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity. The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.

End of a Legend - F6F-5 Hellcat

Today's tribute to World War II Aircraft goes to the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat which was the plane used in the Wings of Angels Photographs featuring model Victoria Elder. It is currently on display at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, CA. The United States Navy preferred the F6F-5 Hellcat over the F4U Corsair due to the preference of carrier landings despite the speed difference of the Corsair. This was a critical component for success for the Navy and thus the Corsair was used primarily for land based sorties. The Corsair was eventually cleared for carrier landings but not until late in 1944. The Wildcat was the forerunner to the Hellcat. It truly earned its name with an average kill ratio of 19:1 against the enemy attacks.

The U.S. Navy loved that the Hellcat was easy to maintain and able to withstand considerable damage in addition to it's superiority in being utilized for the aircraft carrier sorties. They were designed with the task of getting the pilot back to base and take damage if needed. Designed with a bullet-resistant windshield, add in 212 pounds of cockpit armor as well as an armor fitted oil tank and oil cooler and you have the makings of a tank with wings in retrospect. Combined with armament of six .50 inch M2/AN Browning machine guns with 400 rounds per gun along with a center-section under the fuselage could carry a single 150 gal (568 l) disposable drop tank. Later planes were equipped with single bomb racks underneath each wing. Further revisions would include the use of night radar and cameras for reconnaissance duties.

The Hellcats despite their air superiority in being faster, did in fact have some disadvantages when utilized against the Japanese Zero Type 52 planes. The F6F outclimbed the Zero marginally above 14,000 ft and rolled faster at speeds above 235 mph. The Japanese fighter could out-turn its American opponent with ease at low speed and enjoyed a slightly better rate of climb below 14,000 ft. When it came to engaging the enemy it came down to one simple strategy:

“Do not dogfight with a Zero 52. Do not try to follow a loop or half-roll with a pull-through. When attacking, use your superior power and high speed performance to engage at the most favorable moment. To evade a Zero 52 on your tail, roll and dive away into a high speed turn." (Spick, Mike. Fighter Pilot Tactics . The Techniques of Daylight Air Combat. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens, 1983.)

What makes the F6F-5 Hellcat that I utilized in the Wings of Angels Photographs is that this is one of the few planes that still retain the original "cat mouth" paint scheme that earmarked this plane for use aboard the USS Princeton. When the Princeton was attacked and sunk, the painted Hellcats were requested to comply with current Naval regulations in which Hellcats were supposed be painted in accordance to the aircraft carrier to which it was assigned. The Navy frown on the "cat mouth" design since this was something done strictly for Hellcats stationed aboard the USS Princeton, and thus this one is truly a one of a kind aircraft and the end of a WWII legend. 

 Photo credits: Malak Photography.com, Michael Malak, Wings of Angels. F6F-5 Hellcat courtesy of Yanks Air Museum.