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About Rising into the Storm Limited Edition
Rising into the Storm<br> LIMITED EDITION PRINT
“They came from our secret base at Shangri-La,” replied President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when asked by reporters where the “land-based” bombers of Lt. Colonel “Jimmy” Doolittle’s raid had originated. In reality, Shangri-La was the USS Hornet and the idea of launching B-25s from an aircraft carrier was the result of determined and superb inter-service conception, planning and execution.
It is now 70 years since the USS Hornet’s loudspeakers blared, “Army pilots man your battle stations for take off!” Task Force 16 had been detected at 7:38 AM April 18, 1942, a staggering 170 miles short of their estimated point of departure, by the Japanese picket boat No. 23 Nitto Maru. The decision was quickly made to launch the attack early. Doolittle’s aircraft, the first to go, roared down and off the deck of the Hornet at 8:20 AM. Fifty-nine minutes later, by 9:19 AM, the sixteenth plane, under the commanded of Lt. W.G. Farrow, was headed towards Japan.
To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of this historic event the five surviving Doolittle Tokyo Raiders will gather at The National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB April 17- 20, 2012. Consider this: of the 80 officers and crew that flew the one-way mission into enemy territory that day, there remain today only enough airmen to man a single B-25.
William S. Phillips’ Rising Into the Storm places us just off the bow of the Hornet seconds after Doolittle’s B-25 has left the deck. The atmosphere moments before had been tense. While two test take-offs from the ship had been performed months earlier off Norfolk, VA, those aircraft were not fully laden with fuel, bombs and crew. Throttles at full power, flaps down and his B-25 straining against its brakes, the plane rattled and roared as Doolittle waited for the release from the flag man.
When the signal was given, it was timed so that the carrier would be surging up on the crest of a wave as Doolittle’s plane left the deck. The joint velocity of the aircraft, ship and headwind pushed 50 knots. As Doolittle cleared the bow, a wind blast combined with the nose-high attitude they practiced, shot his Mitchell bomber sharply up in the air. He leveled out before stalling just as the mighty Hornet crashed back into the sea.
At his side sat Lt. Richard E. Cole, his co-pilot and one of the co-signers of the 70th Anniversary Commemorative Editions of Rising Into the Storm. Time has been kind and granted you the opportunity to own an authentic piece of Doolittle Raider history. These editions, beautiful works of art unto themselves, become historical documents when signed by the actual Raiders attending their 70th reunion in Dayton, OH:
Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole
Co-pilot of No. 1
Maj. Thomas C. Griffin
Navigator on No. 9
Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite
Co-pilot of No. 16
Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor
Engineer-Gunner of No. 15
Master Sgt. David J. Thatcher
Engineer-Gunner of No. 7
There are two separate editions of Rising Into the Storm. The Fine Paper Art Edition, to be countersigned by the Raiders attending the 70th Anniversary Reunion, measures 27 x 23 1/2 and is limited to an edition 200. Designed into the border area of this print, along with the real signatures of actual Raid participants, is a complete roster, by plane, of the original Doolittle Raiders. The Fine Art Giclée Canvas is a stunning 36 x 22 and looks and feels like the original work of art. This edition will be signed by the Raiders attending the 70th reunion and is limited, in honor of the event, to an edition of 70.
Nearly three quarters of a century ago, 80 men, all volunteers, unhesitatingly climbed aboard their B-25 bombers with the full knowledge that their aircraft did not have the range to land at the friendly airfields the mission design had called for. It is a sense of duty that any service member can relate to; theirs is a job where uncommon acts of valor are common place. Of those original 80 airmen, only five remain. Purchase this piece of history before time passes you by.
Royalties from the sale of these or any other Doolittle Raider Fine Art Editions support the Doolittle Tokyo Raider Scholarship Fund.
It is now 70 years since the USS Hornet’s loudspeakers blared, “Army pilots man your battle stations for take off!” Task Force 16 had been detected at 7:38 AM April 18, 1942, a staggering 170 miles short of their estimated point of departure, by the Japanese picket boat No. 23 Nitto Maru. The decision was quickly made to launch the attack early. Doolittle’s aircraft, the first to go, roared down and off the deck of the Hornet at 8:20 AM. Fifty-nine minutes later, by 9:19 AM, the sixteenth plane, under the commanded of Lt. W.G. Farrow, was headed towards Japan.
To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of this historic event the five surviving Doolittle Tokyo Raiders will gather at The National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB April 17- 20, 2012. Consider this: of the 80 officers and crew that flew the one-way mission into enemy territory that day, there remain today only enough airmen to man a single B-25.
William S. Phillips’ Rising Into the Storm places us just off the bow of the Hornet seconds after Doolittle’s B-25 has left the deck. The atmosphere moments before had been tense. While two test take-offs from the ship had been performed months earlier off Norfolk, VA, those aircraft were not fully laden with fuel, bombs and crew. Throttles at full power, flaps down and his B-25 straining against its brakes, the plane rattled and roared as Doolittle waited for the release from the flag man.
When the signal was given, it was timed so that the carrier would be surging up on the crest of a wave as Doolittle’s plane left the deck. The joint velocity of the aircraft, ship and headwind pushed 50 knots. As Doolittle cleared the bow, a wind blast combined with the nose-high attitude they practiced, shot his Mitchell bomber sharply up in the air. He leveled out before stalling just as the mighty Hornet crashed back into the sea.
At his side sat Lt. Richard E. Cole, his co-pilot and one of the co-signers of the 70th Anniversary Commemorative Editions of Rising Into the Storm. Time has been kind and granted you the opportunity to own an authentic piece of Doolittle Raider history. These editions, beautiful works of art unto themselves, become historical documents when signed by the actual Raiders attending their 70th reunion in Dayton, OH:
Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole
Co-pilot of No. 1
Maj. Thomas C. Griffin
Navigator on No. 9
Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite
Co-pilot of No. 16
Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor
Engineer-Gunner of No. 15
Master Sgt. David J. Thatcher
Engineer-Gunner of No. 7
There are two separate editions of Rising Into the Storm. The Fine Paper Art Edition, to be countersigned by the Raiders attending the 70th Anniversary Reunion, measures 27 x 23 1/2 and is limited to an edition 200. Designed into the border area of this print, along with the real signatures of actual Raid participants, is a complete roster, by plane, of the original Doolittle Raiders. The Fine Art Giclée Canvas is a stunning 36 x 22 and looks and feels like the original work of art. This edition will be signed by the Raiders attending the 70th reunion and is limited, in honor of the event, to an edition of 70.
Nearly three quarters of a century ago, 80 men, all volunteers, unhesitatingly climbed aboard their B-25 bombers with the full knowledge that their aircraft did not have the range to land at the friendly airfields the mission design had called for. It is a sense of duty that any service member can relate to; theirs is a job where uncommon acts of valor are common place. Of those original 80 airmen, only five remain. Purchase this piece of history before time passes you by.
Royalties from the sale of these or any other Doolittle Raider Fine Art Editions support the Doolittle Tokyo Raider Scholarship Fund.
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About the Collection
Aviation art meets nostalgic American landscapes in finely detailed compositions that capture the beauty of flight and historical moments. With a focus on military aviation fine art and vintage aircraft scenes, each painting showcases the precision and drama of flight through masterful realism. From WWII aircraft artwork to classic flight illustrations, these works bring aviation history to life with dynamic sky compositions and rich, atmospheric detail. Patriotic landscape art blends aviation heritage with timeless settings, preserving the legacy of historic air combat and peaceful moments in aviation history. Whether depicting soaring aircraft or flight-inspired landscapes, these paintings combine technical accuracy with artistic emotion, creating a compelling tribute to the golden age of aviation.
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This piece is artist signed and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
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Image copyright © 2026 by William Phillips.
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"Phillips grew up loving art but never thought he could make it his
livelihood. At college he majored in criminology and had been accepted into
law school when four of his paintings were sold at an airport restaurant.
That was all the incentive he needed to begin his work as a fine art painter.
Bill Phillips is now a renowned aviation artist and the landscape artist of
choice for many collectors. Bill's strengths as a landscape painter, a
respect and reverence for a time and place, help him when painting aviation as
well as classic landscapes. Phillips often spends days observing landscape
subjects. Finding companionship with the land, he is able to convey the
boundlessness of nature on the painted canvas inspiring a reverence for the
natural landscape in its beholders.
After one of his paintings was presented to King Hussein of Jordan, Phillips
was commissioned by the Royal Jordanian Air Force. He developed sixteen major
paintings, many of which now hang in the Royal Jordanian Air Force Museum in
Amman. The Smithsonian Institution s National Air and Space Museum presented
a one-man show of Phillips work in 1986. He is one of only a few artists to
have been so honored.
In 1988, Phillips was chosen to be a U.S. Navy combat artist. For his
outstanding work, the artist was awarded the Navy s Meritorious Public Service
Award and the Air Force Sergeants Association s Americanism Medal. At the
prestigious annual fund raiser for the National Park Service, Bill s work has
been included in the Top 100 each year he has entered the competition and his
work has won the Art History Award twice.
Phillips was selected as the Fall 2004 Artist in Residence at the
North Rim of the Grand Canyon and tapped by the U.S. Postal Service to paint
the stamp illustrations and header design for a pane of twenty stamps in 1997
entitled Classic American Aircraft. He was chosen again in 2005 for a pane of
twenty stamps (ten designs) entitled American Advances in Aviation."
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