WITTMAN D-12 “BONZO”
Conceived, designed, built and raced by S.J. “Steve” Wittman of Oshkosh, WI, the Bonzo air racer was constructed in 1934. Careful attention to detail and clever streamlining allowed Bonzo to compete favorably with airplanes using twice the horespower. Wittman’s low budget, homebuilt airplane garnered second place in the 1935 Thompson Trophy Race against the world’s fastest racers. At one point, Steve had tuned and modified Bonzo to achieve 325 mph in level flight, putting him at the cutting edge of high-speed aerodynamics. Steve Wittman retired Bonzo from racing with the beginning of World War II; however, the innovative design of the Wittman leaf-spring landing gear as used on Bonzo has since been used on thousands of Cessna aircraft.

“I Learned about Flying from That”- by: Barry Ross

For the past 25 years Barry has illustrated Flying magazine’s monthly feature “I Learned About Flying From That”. These accounts of pilot’s sometimes hair-raising, sometimes funny and always educational experiences are the basis for the paintings that are featured here. He has tried to evoke both the risk and thrill of flight, capture the moment when things have gone awry, and yet give the viewer a hopeful feeling that the crisis will be satisfactorily resolved. Click here for more information.