by Tom Porta
“Being an artist, Tom’s task is to see what others neglect, capturing the essence of something that escapes almost at everyone. Just what he did with these photographs. He was able to look beyond the aluminum, steel and paint shot in glossy pictures, capturing the true soul of these planes, inseparable from the men who made them fly during a battle.
These images are powerful because they dig – instead of overlooking – where these vehicles were built and driven. They honor the men who took them to battle and capture the emotion of an era that was constantly characterized by desperate lives and fatal fights. If this were not so, only half of the story would be told. […]
As you look at these images, do not be surprised to feel like you were watching the past through a crack of time, listening to the recall of distant echoes of history. It is not your imagination, it is the power of great photography.” (William E. Hamilton – Former General Manager of the Planes of Fame)
