Tuesday August 03, 2010 12:33 -0600

Career Book
A look into the Career of Rick Broome
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ABOUT THE ARTIST RICK BROOME

By Len Morgan

One of the rewards of writing about aviation is the interesting people you meet. Rick is one of the most unusual. I have never known anyone more consumed by a passion for flying. He is fascinated by its history and excited by its impact on modern life. He lives and breathes aviation. As a teenager he traded aircraft paintings for flying time and soloed on his 16 birthday, He qualified as an A&P mechanic and was hired by United Airlines, meanwhile doing paintings for its pilots. In 1971 he took a  gutsy gamble, giving up his job for a career in aviation art. In 1988, he was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, the youngest person so honored at the time. Artistic success in a specialized field like ours requires more than enthusiasm and talent. Painstaking research lies behind works that are imaginative and technically correct. Rick spends hours with his extensive references before picking up a brush.

Len Morgan, FLYING MAGAZINE Contributing Editor and author of the popular column VECTORS is a former Braniff Airlines 747 Captain. Rick flew jump seat on Len's checkout in the Boeing 747 on November 9, 1970 as shown in this photo. United Airlines provided training for Braniff's early crews. Len's checkout as copilot departed from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at sunset. Captain Morgan traded his 4 stripes in command of the Boeing 707-320 series for the chance to be copilot on Braniff's first 747 trip. Rick created a STARLITE original painting titled "BIG ORANGE"

of that famous flight for the Morgan family years later. The then brand new Jumbo Jet N4713U had less than 100 hours TT that evening when they were dispatched from Gate 76. Rick worked this gate many times from 1968-1971. When he was hired by United and qualified for the flight line he was also the youngest A&P at LAX. Rick obtained his A&P ratings when he was just 21 years old! Len has been both a father and a brother to Rick since Broome was a teenager. Another former FLYING MAGAZINE contributor and writer Ed Mack Miller introduced them to each other by mail when Rick was 19. SEE ALSO INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE

Richard R. Broome was born in Pueblo, Colorado on October 13, 1946. This was exactly one year before Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. Throughout his youth Rick was fascinated with birds and flying. His mother, the former Rachael Ann Smith from Corinth, Mississippi was the first Miss Mississippi to compete in the Miss America contest. A few years later she and her family moved to Colorado where she met and later married Rick's father George Broome Jr. in 1939.

 In 1912, Rick's grandfather, George Broome Sr. opened a small photo finishing lab and retail Camera store in Pueblo known as Broome Brothers Camera Shop. Rick's dad grew up in the family business and following his service in the Air Force during World War II expanded the family owned operation to include a chain of Broome Brothers Camera stores as well as a number of Hallmark Card Shop franchises. He also formed a very large 9 state exclusive wholesale company known as Sparkletone Photo Service.

In addition to providing photo finishing for hundreds of wholesale accounts they also were the exclusive manufacturer representatives for many of the industries Giants. Among them were Eastman Kodak, Bell & Howell, and Polaroid as well as Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba. Rick's father died of cancer in 1970. At that time the family owned business had over 135 employees and was highly regarded in the film and photo industry.George served 31 months as an enlisted man with the Air Force in the Pacific during the Second World War. During that period of time the photo reconnaissance outfits he was assigned with advanced from Australian North through New Guinea and beyond as American Forces battled the entrenched Japanese occupation. Broome's service included both photo intelligence missions involving the Lockheed F-5 Lightning (P-38 derivative) and management and operation of photo labs. George also served as an occasional combat photographer documenting operational, personnel and other phases of his Air Force air base, combat and unit history activities as they advanced throughout the Pacific Theater.

Other close relatives of Rick who served in the armed forces during the war included his childhood mentor and most wonderful guide, Rick's Uncle, James P. (JP) Smith. He enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and following extensive training, served as an " Aviation Machinist Mate" According to Uncle Jim, he was a "damn good aircraft mechanic" in the Caribbean throughout the war effort. Following capitulation and brief World peace, Rick's Uncle Jim re-inlisted in the Air Force . He was initially commissioned as an NCO Tech Sergeant and served as an aircraft mechanic during the Berlin airlift on both the C-47 and C-54 aircraft. In 1950 he was given a direct commission as a second lieutenant. JP (as Rick always called him) completed his Air Force career in 1962 while serving as a maintenance officer at Webb AFB, Texas. Rick lived with his Uncle Jim during the summers of 1957 and 1961. These were formative and exciting years for Rick who was developing his passion for both maintenance and aviation.

His Uncle Harvey Thompson (HT) Martin also guided Rick toward his determined self-reliance. HT completed his service to America during the war as an Air Force Martin B-26 instructor pilot in Tampa Bay, Florida. Married to Rick's Aunt Esther Lee Smith "HT" as Rick called him was most influential in helping Rick with the difficulties of coming of age. Rick live d with the Martin family following his parents divorce. Rick attended Colorado Academy during this period of his life. And this was when Rick learned oil painting under the tutelage of Mrs. Rhodes, his grade art teacher. Dr. Tom Martin was Dean of Students at Denver University at that time. Rick also had another uncle who was married to his dad's sister and was a P-51 Mustang pilot during the war.

Most Famous of his immediate relatives us Rick's cousin, USAF Colonel James Wayne Wood was also an influence on Rick's direction and guidance. Wayne and Uncle JP grew up together and were best friends. Wayne's Ai r Force Career is amazing. He graduated from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1956 and was an experimental flight test pilot at the Air Force Flight Test Center when named to pilot the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar. After the program was canceled he remained on active duty with the Air Force and was the first USAF pilot to fly the F-111. Later he was Wing Commander of the first F-111's assigned to war missions in Viet Nam. "Uncle Wayne" as Rick knew him was also involved with many other programs in serving our Nation. He was in good company with Gus Grissom and Gordo Cooper-two of the original 7 Mercury astronauts. Wayne died of a heart attack in 1990 while he was preflighting his personal Beechcraft Bonanza for a coast to coast flight. In September 1970, he delivered a paper at the annual symposium of SETP entitled "The F-15 Air Superiority Fighter" as a USAF Colonel. He was Director, Test and Deployment Deputy for F-15. The F-15 first flight was in July 1972.

In 1972, he was selected as a Fellow of the Test Pilot Society. And in 1974-75, he was the Society's President. He was well respected in the community. From X-Planes, by Jay Miller, he is referenced as one of the pilots for the X-20, Dyna Soar program. Finally, Testing the Lifting Bodies at Edward's by P Hoeg makes several References. First in Appendix A, part 4.0, there is reference of the Dyna Soar project. Rick's famous relative is listed as the Chief Pilot. In Chapter 3.4, he made some test flights of the M2-F1 which was a small lifting body that was towed behind a car. It has him making 10 flights on 2 Feb 1964. TO BE CONTINUED.