Wingwalker and Kidney Donor

By ANN Contributor Aleta Vinas

The airshow circuit is not (yet) filled with an abundance of women. We all know Patty Wagstaff but who's that other pretty blonde and what's she doing on the outside of the airplane -- while it's flying? That lady is the most experienced and recognized wingwalker at airshows today -– Teresa Stokes.

As a young girl, Stokes's planned a career not in aviation, but in art. She won her first art contest at age four. Stokes's believes her artistic abilities were inherited from her father's side of the family. This natural talent helped her win "a whole slew of contests as a kid growing up."

She started flying when she was just an infant. Her mother had several friends with airplanes. Stokes, her mother and four sisters were often given rides. Once old enough, Stokes managed to lay a firmer claim on the passenger seat since her siblings were not as enchanted with flying as she. The pilots would let the young Stokes handle the controls. Stokes would "brag" to friends about "flying across two states."

Stokes' art sales allowed her to pay for her flying lessons. She started flying and soloed in 1983. She obtained her Private license in 1984. She went on to add her commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings. In 1985, shortly after obtaining her private ticket, Stokes started aerobatic lessons. Her primary aircraft was a Decathlon.

Her instructor was Bruce Bohannon. You might know the name. Bohannon, holder of several aviation records, tried, unsuccessfully to break the absolute Unlimited US altitude record for piston aircraft in the Exxon Flyin' Tiger, at Oshkosh earlier this year.

Stokes took the aerobatic lessons for fun. "I just go up there, where nobody can see me and flail around and have a ball." Her favorite maneuvers are loops and Cuban 8's since they are easier than other maneuvers and she could "do them better."

At some point it was only natural that Stokes's love of art and aviation should intertwine. "The thing about flying to me is the beauty of it," she said. "What you get to see. Even a terrible looking place on the ground will look beautiful from the air. That's what strikes me about flying is the beauty of it and the freedom of it. I just want to try to put that in the paintings so everyone else can get to see it. To get that feeling across."

She established Teresa Stokes Aviation Art in 1977, specializing in commissioned work as well as signed, limited edition lithographs. After only a few short years, she was able to purchase the houseboat where she currently lives.

Her aviation art took a slight detour for rock and roll. In 1977 Aerosmith used her painting skills on the vinyl album sleeve of the "Rocks" album. Later it was used on the CD re-release.

Stokes' art work is on display in museums and galleries all over the world. They are in two royal palaces and the Johnson Space Center. Her proudest aviation art moments were having her "Plane ‘n Pilot" caricatures launched into space. Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-27 in December 1988 and STS -106 in September of 2000 carried her creations on board.

Her original intention was certainly not to see her work in space. She painted the caricature of the STS-26 crew. The detail oriented folks reading this will be wondering why the caricature of the STS-26 crew went up on STS-27. The STS-26 crew was the first crew into space after the Challenger tragedy. "I did the light-hearted painting because I wanted to celebrate the return to flight because I thought it was a great and positive thing." Stokes seemed to notice much negativity and criticism in the media and she desired to "put a positive light on a truly positive thing." Stokes made prints and sent out a mass mailing. Seems it was mostly the aviation/space publications which felt it was newsworthy enough to print.

Stokes took the painting to the astronaut office at Johnson Space Center. She showed the STS-26 crew. She left the painting there to be photographed. Seems the friendly rivalry of the Shuttle crews had the crew of STS-27 sneaking little sarcastic comments onto the painting above the crewmembers heads. Not to be outdone, the STS-26 crew created their own captions directed at the STS-27 crew. The painting was hidden among the items to find after the STS-27 crew was in orbit. Revenge is a dish best served cold in the blackness of space. The prank received some laughs and the painting was hung on the "wall" of the Shuttle.

In 1995, based on her reputation as an aviation artist, Stokes was asked to draw the portrait of the first Airshow Hall of Fame inductee, Bob Hoover. She has been asked to draw the portraits each year since. She works from photographs to create a line drawing. The drawing is then etched onto a bronze plaque. Two plaques are made, one for the Aviation Hall of Fame and one for the inductee.

These days, with the busy airshow schedule, Stokes must work on her paintings during the off season or during a lull in the schedule when she is able to make it home. "They kind of get wedged in wherever they can." Occasionally the paintings are small enough so she can carry them with her to the shows.

Before she was on the airshow circuit as a wingwalker, Stokes would attend the Reno Air Races in search of private commissions from the proud pilots and owners of the pristine, vintage racers. "You couldn't ask for a better job, to get paid to paint something that beautiful."

(Don't miss part two of Teresa's story in tomorrow's edition of Aero-News)

FMI: www.genesoucy.com, www.umm.edu/transplant, www.shareyourlife.org