Open Skies
A photographic reconnaissance Spitfire is shown at high altitude, banking gently above a broken cloud layer in the distinctive pale blue finish known as PRU blue — a colour developed specifically to make the aircraft invisible against the sky when viewed from below. She is unarmed and alone, stripped of guns and armour to save weight, relying entirely on speed and altitude for survival.
The photographic reconnaissance units of the RAF operated throughout the Second World War, flying unarmed Spitfires over enemy territory at altitudes above 30,000 feet to bring back the aerial photography that guided Allied strategy. It was dangerous, solitary work — a single aircraft, a single pilot, and no means of defence except the ability to outrun and outclimb anything that gave chase.
Sold at the Guild of Aviation Artists Annual Exhibition in 2025.
Interested in a similar subject? Commissions of aviation subjects are always welcome.
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