High in the Sunlit Silence

The aviation art print ‘High in the Sunlit Silence’ by artist Michael Rondot depicts a lone Spitfire as it wheels and turns, its classic Silhouette burnished by the evening sun. Against a backdrop of towering cumulus clouds, the pilot searches the sky, looking for trouble. With his characteristic style, artist Michael Rondot has captured the beautiful lines and graceful shape of this legendary aircraft in a painting charged with atmosphere. There is danger present; fatigue and cold, but for a brief moment time stands still. It is a scene that must have unfolded a thousand times during the air-battles of World War II, as a pilot finds himself suddenly alone, separated from his wingmen and turned out of a fight into a seemingly empty sky.

The cannon-armed Spitfire was a fighter pilot's dream - fast, manoeuvrable and deadly. It combined thoroughbred handling qualities with a formidable mix of rapid-fire machine-gun and heavy-calibre cannon armament that was to become the scourge of enemy aircraft and ground targets throughout the whole period of the war. There were some who preferred the early eight Browning machine-gun fit, but it soon became apparent that the killing power of a single 20mm cannon strike was often far more effective than multiple .303 machine-gun hits. In this configuration the Spitfire was able to take on and kill anything it came up against.

Each print in this collector's edition is signed by the highest scoring Allied Air Forces fighter pilol of WWII, Air Vice Marshal J. E. ‘Johnnie’ Johnson CB GEH DSO DFC, in support of the ‘Johnnie’ Johnson Charitable Foundation, a registered charity. One of the most successful Spitfire pilots in history, he ended the war with 38 confirmed victories in the air, and is now closely associated with the history of the Spitfire.