About Us
- Aviation Artists for many years have been depicting the valiant exploits of military aviation from World War I to the present. One area that had been previously neglected was the role played by helicopters in the Vietnam War. For the past 40 years, Joe Kline has been filling that void. Kline, who served as a Huey helicopter crew chief with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, specializes in lifelike scenes depicting helicopters in action, with one interesting, added twist. He customizes about ninety-five percent of the limited edition prints that he sells by painting the client’s unit markings, nose art, tail number, etc. right onto the image.
- Kline, whose father was a B-25 bombardier in WWII, has actually beenpainting military aircraft from all eras for over forty years. Kline customizes the prints, by hand, with the same type of acrylic paint he uses for the original. In addition to his first-hand experience with helicopters during the Vietnam War, he has, over the years, built up an extensive file of helicopter unit markings.
- Since the vast majority ofhis clients are former pilots or crewmembers, Kline’s art has become very well known in the Army Aviation community, especially among Vietnam era veterans. Due to the fact thatthe artist has “been there, done that,” his art conveys a sense of feeling and realism that would be otherwise hard to convey.
- His works are in the collections of the National Air & Space Museum, Army Aviation Museum, U.S. Air Force Museum, and in the private collections of thousands of former military aviators. He is an Artist Member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association, the 101st Airborne Division Association, and is the founder of the Kingsmen Reunion Association. He lives in Gilroy, CA with his wife Donna.