Click on the image for more about artist James Baldwin
Welcome to the Falklands
While recovering from a life-saving organ transplant at London’s King College Hospital, former British Airways 747 Captain Chris McLaughlin could never have imagined where life would take him. Luckily, his supportive wife, and co-pilot Corrine encouraged him to plan a trip in their beloved “Blue Jay,” a decades-old Cessna 172XP. The idea: a flight “From Cape Cod to Cape Horn.” As residents of both Guildford, Surrey, UK and Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, the McLaughlin’s planned their 23,000 mile trip to include a risky flight out to the Falkland Islands, almost 400 miles from the coast of Argentina and a historically-important British colony. With special clearances in place, Chris and Corrine approached the islands, radar contact was in place and they were asked if they’d like to be "embellished.” Soon after, along came the RAF’s “Eagle One” and “Eagle Two. As they looked out the left window, there was a Typhoon jet, nose pointing skyward to match Blue Jay’s speed, as they glided by the flyers.
"Welcome to the Falklands" the pilot cheerily said as he lit the burners and disappeared with Eagle Two blasting by seconds later, all with the Falkland Islands beneath them. Chris was ecstatic as he shared that “my whole flying life could be boiled down, and the essence of it would be these few moments” when he shared the sky with the two Royal Air Force Typhoons.
Artist James Baldwin lives and works in Carlisle, Cumbria, UK. Since completing his BA in Fine Art, he has specialised in high-quality pencil drawings, with stunning realism, choosing to leave behind his paintbrushes. Initially, James’ work centered on motorsport with commissions from various teams in the world of Superbikes. During this time, he was asked to draw a Spitfire, rekindling a long-standing passion for aircraft that began at RAF Finningley Air Show. As an aviation artist, there is always plenty of inspiration as it can seem to be a playground for various air forces, especially the RAF. In addition to aviation drawings of modern aircraft, James produces historically accurate and detailed World War II drawings. The quality of his drawings have resulted in commissions from the Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Joint Services Command and Staff College at the UK Defence Academy. James has exhibited in galleries in London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Kendal; currently, he is working on artwork for the 2013 RAF Typhoon Display Team.
“Welcome to the Falklands” was created by James Baldwin, working from photographs taken by Chris and Corrine McLaughlin as the RAF Typhoons approached their aircraft, before they put on their after burners and headed into the darkening skies. The signed and numbered print celebrates not only the McLaughlin’s amazing achievement but also the important contribution of the Transplant Unit at London’s King’s College Hospital, who saved Chris’ life, along with the need for people to register as organ donors. Because of the McLaughlin’s commitment to encouraging people to become donors, a portion of the proceeds from each print will go to King’s College Hospital or to the Nantucket Flying Association, Inc., who will distribute the money to organ donor charities in the US.
The cost of each hand-signed print is £70 and $100 respectively. The size of this Limited Edition print is 22” x 16” on 300 GSM paper. To order the print in the UK, contact James Baldwin: jamesbaldwinart@hotmail.co.uk, where you can use PayPal to purchase the print - to be shipped flat. In the US, see website of the Nantucket Flying Association, www.ackfly.org to place your order using PayPal. And, to learn more about the flight of “Blue Jay,” from “Cape Cod to Cape Horn,” and a future trip, set for June of 2014 across the North Atlantic, please visit the McLaughlin’s website: www.flight4lives.com.
Note: When purchasing prints, there is an additional charge for packing & postage.
"Welcome to the Falklands" the pilot cheerily said as he lit the burners and disappeared with Eagle Two blasting by seconds later, all with the Falkland Islands beneath them. Chris was ecstatic as he shared that “my whole flying life could be boiled down, and the essence of it would be these few moments” when he shared the sky with the two Royal Air Force Typhoons.
Artist James Baldwin lives and works in Carlisle, Cumbria, UK. Since completing his BA in Fine Art, he has specialised in high-quality pencil drawings, with stunning realism, choosing to leave behind his paintbrushes. Initially, James’ work centered on motorsport with commissions from various teams in the world of Superbikes. During this time, he was asked to draw a Spitfire, rekindling a long-standing passion for aircraft that began at RAF Finningley Air Show. As an aviation artist, there is always plenty of inspiration as it can seem to be a playground for various air forces, especially the RAF. In addition to aviation drawings of modern aircraft, James produces historically accurate and detailed World War II drawings. The quality of his drawings have resulted in commissions from the Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Joint Services Command and Staff College at the UK Defence Academy. James has exhibited in galleries in London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Kendal; currently, he is working on artwork for the 2013 RAF Typhoon Display Team.
“Welcome to the Falklands” was created by James Baldwin, working from photographs taken by Chris and Corrine McLaughlin as the RAF Typhoons approached their aircraft, before they put on their after burners and headed into the darkening skies. The signed and numbered print celebrates not only the McLaughlin’s amazing achievement but also the important contribution of the Transplant Unit at London’s King’s College Hospital, who saved Chris’ life, along with the need for people to register as organ donors. Because of the McLaughlin’s commitment to encouraging people to become donors, a portion of the proceeds from each print will go to King’s College Hospital or to the Nantucket Flying Association, Inc., who will distribute the money to organ donor charities in the US.
The cost of each hand-signed print is £70 and $100 respectively. The size of this Limited Edition print is 22” x 16” on 300 GSM paper. To order the print in the UK, contact James Baldwin: jamesbaldwinart@hotmail.co.uk, where you can use PayPal to purchase the print - to be shipped flat. In the US, see website of the Nantucket Flying Association, www.ackfly.org to place your order using PayPal. And, to learn more about the flight of “Blue Jay,” from “Cape Cod to Cape Horn,” and a future trip, set for June of 2014 across the North Atlantic, please visit the McLaughlin’s website: www.flight4lives.com.
Note: When purchasing prints, there is an additional charge for packing & postage.
