Pilot combines love of aviation, art [with picture]

Valley Press ^ | Monday, January 14, 2008. | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

Pilot Mark Pestana not only sails through the wild blue yonder, but he uses his artistic talents to convey the images to others. Pestana, a research pilot at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and a retired Air Force colonel, recently won accolades for his work - acrylic on canvas and photography - in Aviation Week and Space Technology's photo and art contests.

The contest winners were published in the magazine's Dec. 24-Dec. 31 issue.

"It is very exciting to reach that level," Pestana said.

His painting, "The Quest for Mach 10," won first place in the space category for aerospace art.

It depicts NASA's X-43 unmanned hypersonic research plane as it is launched by a Pegasus rocket booster on its history-making flight in 2004.

As it rockets across the sky, a Dryden F/A-18 chase plane stands sentry.

During the flight, in which the experimental scramjet aircraft was dropped from the B-52 mothership, the aircraft reached Mach 9.8, a new speed record for an air-breathing engine.

That accomplishment is what inspired Pestana to commemorate the flight in his art.

"It was a pretty significant milestone to achieve for an air-breathing engine. It's a pretty unique accomplishment," he said. "I wanted to recreate that visually."

The actual point at which the X-plane reached Mach 9.8 was at 98,000 feet altitude, far beyond the range of the chase aircraft, so he depicted it at the beginning of the flight, he said.

"PRIZE WINNER - Artist Mark Pestana's painting "The Quest for Mach 10" depicts NASA's X-43 unmanned hypersonic research plane as it is launched by a Pegasus rocket booster, with a Dryden F/A-18 chase plane standing sentry. The painting won first place in the space category for aerospace art in Aviation Week and Space Technology's annual art contest." NASA Dryden

[SouthernBoyupNorth]

Wow....