Tampa Jewel
$250.00
Drew Field Municipal Airport opened in 1928 on land previously owned by land developer, John H. Drew. During the buildup of military forces prior to World War II, the City of Tampa leased Drew Field to the U.S. Government for 25 years, or until the end of the “national emergency.” During the war, the United States Army Air Forces expanded and modernized the airport. The airfield was used by Third Air Force and renamed it Drew Army Airfield. Third Air Force used it as a training center by 120,000 combat air crews and flew antisubmarine patrols from the airfield. After World War II, Drew Field was given back to the City of Tampa. The area is now Tampa International Airport.
Aviation nose art is an enduring military tradition. Air crews today still decorate their aircraft with designs - though the images may be a little more politically correct than the pin-ups of yesteryear. World War II was the golden age of nose art.
Hav-A-Tampa Jewels are the world’s largest selling wood-tipped cigar. These cigars are outfitted with distinctive wood tips that help to provide the cool taste and mellow flavor that they are known for. The naming of this nose art piece “Tampa Jewel” is a nod to the “Cigar City’s” history and to its aviation tradition. Today Tampa International Airport is indeed a “Tampa Jewel.” The plane depicted here is a B-25 which was flown out of Drew Field back in its heyday.
The 36"x24" (includes 2" border) archival giclée is printed by a local atelier on acid-free watercolor paper and features rich, saturated colors, deep dark tones, and finely nuanced details. Each museum quality print is inspected and approved by Tim Boatright before being signed and sealed with his embossed artist’s “chop.”
Please note: each piece is printed to order and may take up to three weeks to ship. The print is ready for framing.
