C-130 Nose Art

AUSTRALIAN aircraft in the Middle East have stood out from the coalition crowd thanks to one airman's artistic flair.

RAAF ground crewman Leading Aircraftsman Simon Rush, 24, of Ayr, has applied nose art to three C130H Hercules aircraft, in the best tradition of combat aviation.

LAC Rush illustrated the designs Miss Behavin, The Rainmaker and Snake Eyes at night with a limited palette of red, yellow, blue, green, white and brown chinagraph pencils.

He bought pastels to colour Miss Behavin, so named because the aircraft had a history of "not playing the game."

LAC Rush studied art at Ayr State High School, from which he graduated in 2000.

He joined the RAAF in 2004 as an aircraft technician, trained in the maintenance of airframes and engines.

His art has attracted the admiration of coalition soldiers and airmen, who have reportedly clustered around the aircraft for photos when they land in Afghanistan.

The Australian detachment from Richmond's 37 Squadron has begun to call the aircraft by their nose art names instead of their tail numbers.

The Hercules rotations have traditionally been decorated with nose art, but LAC Rush has taken it to the next level with larger designs and a racy nod to World War II pin-ups that graced fighters and bombers in Europe, Africa and the Pacific.

Nose art flourished during its golden years between 1939 and 1945, when designs were painted on aircraft to boost morale.

Some aircraft were adorned with cartoons and pin-ups, while Australian aircraft often sported kangaroos and foaming beer mugs.

Nose art was revived during Operation Desert Storm.

LAC Rush, an airbrushing enthusiast, said he sketched the designs on paper before he began work on the aircraft.

He has regularly touched up the graphics, but would leave designs in his mates' care when he returns home to Sydney in December.

During its deployment to the Middle East Area of Operations, the RAAF C130H detachment of about 155 people has provided intra theatre airlift and sustainment support to Operation Catalyst in Iraq and Operation Slipper in Afghanistan.

On missions the 29.7m long, 11.8m high aircraft would carry a crew of five including two pilots, a loadmaster, flight engineer and navigator.

With a wingspan of 40.4m and a top speed of 595km/h, the C-130H has flown up to 5,100km with a 14,000kg payload.

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• ADF
• Australian
• Defence
• Force
• C-130