Pete Fleischmann

I honestly don’t think of myself as a modeller. I consider myself an artist who occasionally enjoys focusing his artistic energy to create representations of aircraft that I love. (I know: it sounds pretentious and magniloquent—possibly some eye rolling—but stick with me on this.)

I’ve had a life-long affinity for artistic expression; be it music, drawing, painting, sculpture, design: you name it. My current medium of artistic expression happens to be plastic, resin, and metal—striving to capture the essence of my subject with as much realism as possible. To those who know me, this makes sense. It’s the same attachment to realism that is with me when I draw or paint. As an artist I am a student of the hyper-realist school and also (sometimes) a surrealist. Admittedly often choosing the path of least resistance, I’ll start with a kit off of the shelf to explore with the artistic process; using it as a canvas—but I am equally happy to create from scratch when required. But regardless, always coming from the understanding that one’s imagination is the womb of creation; and that nothing can exist before it is first imagined—not a painting, sculpture, or even a scale replica of an airplane. One’s own imagination is the single most powerful tool of artistic expression we possess. When your efforts fall short of your vision, you alone know it. Honouring your imagination and manifesting a creation from it is not easy, but is the most fulfilling part of any artistic endeavour. Perhaps this is where I am a little different in my approach to the process.

I am fortunate that my subject matter is very familiar to me. As a life-long professional pilot, I have developed relationships with many different and magnificent flying machines. From flying combat sorties in the F-16, to spanning the globe in heavy jets. After thousands of hours of interaction with them I feel drawn to capture the defining elements of their very individual personalities and physical traits. These are not soulless machines, but living, breathing creatures. They prove it to me every day—and this is what I try to bring forth and share when I create a likeness of these magnificent beings.