Top Cover by Michael Rondot

With Top Cover, Michael Rondot portrays a pilot's eye view of the speed and excitement of modern high-tech aerial warfare. High over a panorama of broken clouds, a pair of F/A-18C Hornets from VFA-81 'Sunliners' dive onto a group of F-16s simulating an attack on a formation of low flying A-7 Corsairs far below. The low-flying A-7s are in deep trouble, having been bounced by the F-16s, and will evade as hard as they can to shake off their opponents. For the F/A-18 Hornet pilots the priority is to kill the F-16s before they can threaten the A-7s. The Fight's on! You could easily be forgiven for believing that US Navy and Marine Corps aviators enjoy an unfair advantage in life. They fly the finest aircraft around, in the most demanding and exciting roles, and they get to practice their art in some of the most beautiful and exotic parts of the world, basking in the glamour and mystique of US Naval Aviation.

The reality is more down to earth. Flying the F/A-18 Hornet in both the air-defence and the ground-attack role is hard, challenging work. Pilots from the attack community have to learn the skills of air-to-air fighting, and air defenders have to learn the art of putting bombs and bullets onto a pinpoint target from a first-pass attack in bad weather. It is an uncompromising and unforgiving environment, with no room for bullshit.

TOP COVER is beautifully reproduced as a single limited edition print using the same fine-art quality printing and materials associated with all Collectair publications. Each print is artist signed, dated and numbered, stamped with the Collectair seal, and issued with a signed and numbered certificate of authentication to guarantee the edition size. Remarqued copies with an original pencil drawing on the print border are available to further enhance the value of this strictly limited edition.

Taken from a single limited edition of 500, numbered and stamped with the Collectair seal and individually signed by Michael Rondot. A numbered and signed certificate is issued with every print to guarantee the total edition size and authenticity.