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The closure of RAF Coltishall in April 2006 marked the end of the line for a historic Battle of Britain fighter station. Opened in 1940, Coltishall was the last RAF station to operate three squadrons of aircraft from flight lines in front of squadron hangars, and was the last operational front-line former Battle of Britain station. During the 1960s it was a famous Lightning fighter base until, in 1974, it became the home of the RAF Jaguar Force.
Michael Rondot's painting portrays a busy day on the line at Coltishall as ground crews and pilots prepare their aircraft to fly. Their attention is diverted by the approach of a pair of Jaguars carrying out a mock airfield attack, flying low and fast over the 41(F) Squadron engineering buildings. The attention to detail and accuracy are typical of the artist's fluid painting style, and absolutely capture the atmosphere of a busy front-line fighter station.
Published in a very restricted limited edition, Coltishall, End of the Line by Michael Rondot recalls, for collectors of military aviation art, the golden years of the Royal Air Force.
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