Chronicling History of Flight
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| By SANDRA STOKLEY / The Press-Enterprise |
| Published December 19, 2003. Reprinted
with permission from The Press-Enterprise. |
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| RIVERSIDE - Commemorating the centennial
of the momentous flight of the Wright Brothers, Riverside Airport
unveiled a mural this week chronicling the history of powered flight
in the U.S. |
| As conceptualized by Murrieta aviation artist
Stan Jones, the mural depicts Orville and Wilbur Wright and the "Wright
Flyer" as the starting point for a century of stunning achievements
culminating with the Space Age and the Space Shuttle fleet launching
orbital cargos. |
| Pictured along the way are legendary aviators
such as Eddie Rickenbacker and the Red Baron, Jimmy Doolittle and
Amelia Earhart from the Golden Age of Aviation and World War II flying
ace Richard Bong. |
"We're very pleased with the finished
product," airport Director John J. Sabatello said in a telephone
interview. "It's a visually pleasing mural but highly educational." It
is on display in the lobby of the airport terminal building. |
Jones, 73, is retired from the aerospace
industry, in which he worked as an illustrator and graphics designer. During
his years with Rockwell International, formerly North American
Aviation, Jones produced conceptual art for displays and exhibits
and created brochures. |
| Jones said he has had a lifelong fascination
not only with the concept of powered flight, but with the construction
of the machines that made that flight possible. |
| As a teenager growing up in Redlands during
World War II, Jones won a poster design contest sponsored by the
U.S. government and spent the remainder of the war building airplane
identification models. |
| "They were to teach our troops and gunners
who the enemy aircraft were," Jones said. "So they could
quickly identify friend or foe." |
| Since his 1988 retirement, Jones has worked
as a free-lance artist and has donated several paintings to the Air
Force Art Collection. |
| Sabatello said Jones was one of three artists
considered for the project. Jones' detailed reproductions of aircraft
and aviation were crucial to his selection, Sabatello said. |
| The mural project cost $9,800. Lithographs
of the mural are on sale at the airport for $38. Signed lithographs
sell for $54, Sabatello said. |
| Other News Coverage |
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In October 2002, the
Riverside Business Press reported "Airport Eyes Jet Growth". |
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In March 2001, the Riverside
Business Press selected Riverside Airport as one of the “Top
Companies to Work for in the Inland Empire”. |
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In January 2001, Airport
Business Magazine designated Riverside Airport as the cover story
for that month noting the very successful business and aviation
operations there. |
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In December 2000, the
National Air Transportation Association designated Riverside Airport
as “One of America’s 100 Most Needed Airports”. |
