Mike Shampine: Delta Pilot, Air Force Officer, Artist

This is the third of a number of articles written on the people and events of the EAA’s AirVenture 2024 held at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
 

Aviation has a lifelong relationship with art. 

Think of those art deco posters, elegantly illustrated and usually captioned in French, that captured the romance of aviation in its earliest years. Or the David Klein travel posters commissioned to depict the great places and cities on the routes of Trans World Airlines, artwork so unique and vibrant it came to exemplify the luxurious state of air travel in the 50s and the birth of the jet age in the 60s.

But military aviation and art have always shared a bond even more special than the promotion or marketing of a product or service. Indeed, the very insignias found on the aircraft of World War I were a form of art, visual symbols that with a glance identify the plane and pilot as friend or foe, or that symbolize the power of a nation. 

Then there is “nose art.” These decorations on warplanes, usually unofficial and unapproved by the powers in command, also began in World War I with artwork such as a prancing horse, a kicking mule, shark’s teeth, and even Uncle Sam’s hat tossed into a ring. They represented a more personal touch, a display of a squadron’s or an person’s sense of individuality in face of military uniformity. By World War II, nose art, and the other fuselage and tail illustrations the term encompassed, had grown to include names for the planes, patriotic or humorous slogans, even depictions of loved ones (American super-ace Ira Bong recreated a portrait of his wife on the nose of his P-38 Lightning) or other objects of desire. Many a pin-up girl found herself immortalized on the warplanes of the Second World War, as well as in the hearts of their pilots and crew.

It is at this intersection of folk art, contemporary anime, and classic comic book illustration that you’ll find the unique artistry of Mike Shampine, who, in his free time, flies Boeing 717s for Delta Airlines and is a C-17 Commander for the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Shampine is a prolific illustrator whose work serves a multitude of purposes in addition to being expressive and entertaining.

Shampine’s work is animated, playful, and sexy. But it is also insightful to each subject depicted. Many of the characters portrayed are real life service people who have asked Shampine to create the artwork for them as a memento of an aircraft assignment or tour of duty. As such, his work serves as a morale booster valuable to the unit as well as the individual.

“The guys in the squadron found out I was an artist, and I would draw pieces for them to boost morale on tours of duty. I’d draw caricatures of the guys,” Shampine explained while standing in front of of his C-17 on the tarmac of Boeing Plaza at Oshkosh 2024.

“Well, it later came out that the Air Force needed some nose art for airplanes. However, there are strict rules now. So the nose art of ‘back in the day’ is gone. I wanted to keep that nose art of those days going, so I asked the Air Force how I could do this. They said I can do it under my own banner and sell it at air shows. So I created AirborneArt. It does boost morale. It also makes money for the squadron, which in turn boosts morale.”

With the skill and artistry of a Disney animator, Mike brings out the very human aspects of his subjects while immortalizing the airplanes they are associated with. Shampine also does commissioned work for individual customers.

“We celebrate history with the old propaganda, “Give ‘Em The Guns” look, and we also tailor it for people who want a custom piece for themselves, especially with a new aircraft.”

Shampine got his start in both art and aviation at a young age. Both his parents were artists. 

“My dad used to draw for me as a kid. At there same time, I was taken up in a Cessna 172 by my uncle. When the time came for college, I needed money for college and the best kind of scholarship to get was an art scholarship. But I called the military up and asked, what kind of degree do you need to be a pilot? Any degree, they said.”

Even an art degree? Shampine asked. The answer was Yes, you can!

“So I graduated from college and went straight into the military. They saw I had the degree, that I had some Cessna flying time, so off I went to pilot training.”

Shampine now flies the C-17 for the Air Force Reserve. He also flies the Boeing 717 for Delta Airlines. One would suspect there are few commonalities between the nimble twin-jet airliner and a four-engine behemoth whose maximum take-off weight is a full five times that of the smaller plane. But Shampine begs to differ.

“There are a lot of similarities, believe it or not. You’d think this big military jet and the 717 are vastly different airplanes. They’re not. In fact, in the box- ” the “box” being a term for the cockpit popular in military circles - “if you look at the multi-function displays and other things, it’s essentially the exact same components.”

Both the C-17 and the 717 were designed and manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas before the company was acquired by Boeing in 1997. 

“It’s not too hard to swap back and forth. Every once in a while I just need to find where the new starter button is,” Shampine quipped.

Mike Shampine was accompanied to Oshkosh by his spouse, and a table of his artwork was set up alongside the fuselage of the C-17 he had flown into the show. In addition to air shows and the website for AirborneArt, Mike’s work can be find on various popular online outlets such as Etsy.