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A closer look at the unique interpretation of the Millennium Falcon on the wing and vertical stabilizer.
“Aviation helped change the paradigm for my business,” he said. “It played a key role in helping us expand our business.”
Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Holt fondly remembers his father’s passion for flying. An aircraft financier, Holt’s father struck up a friendship with world-famous air racer and aircraft designer Steve Wittman, to whom he loaned the money to build his first Tailwind, a popular two-seat experimentally built aircraft. Wittman, for which the Oshkosh, Wisconsin airport was named, remained a close family friend of the Holts.
After his father lost his medical and gave up flying, Mark decided it was his turn to move to the left seat. Mark sought the advice of friend and aviation mentor Doug Rozendaal, an Iowa business owner, CFI and warbird enthusiast. At the same time, he was traveling exhaustively throughout the upper Midwest working for a bio-tech company. He had seen the power of aviation as a business tool, and was anxious to apply it to his business.
“Doug sat down with me and a pad of paper and mapped out a path to attain my ratings,” Mark remembered. “A year later, I came back with my license.”
A De Havilland Otter featuring John Stahr’s unique artistry.
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February 2017
The Artist Behind the Millennium Phenom
When we typically think of custom paint design for aircraft, we envision unique stripe patterns or color combinations. However, John Stahr takes the definition of custom paint design to a whole new level. The artist behind the show- stopping Millennium Phenom paint design, Stahr creates the intricate illusions of texture and three-dimensional detail that makes the artwork come alive once it is applied to the surface of the aircraft.
A pilot and aviation enthusiast, Stahr has been a profes- sional artist and designer since 1978. The airborne canvass for John Stahr’s creations ranges from business jets to am- phibious twins to warbirds and small personal aircraft. He also designs custom paint for motor coaches, tractor-trailer rigs and a variety of tow vehicles. In all, his designs have graced the exteriors of more than 1,000 vehicles and aircraft.
Stahr’s studio is located in Eugene, Oregon, but he regu- larly travels all over the country to bring his artwork to life. An expert airbrush artist, he specializes in aircraft nose and tail art along with other specialty applications. He also does com- missioned paintings and is well known for his realistic style and dramatic cloudscapes.
Stahr worked with owner-pilot Mark Holt for five months concepting, designing and completing the Millennium Phenom project, which features dozens of tiny details and subtle nods to the famous sci-fi movie series of the 1970s and 1980s. He also airbrushed custom helmets fashioned after the one Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker wore flying his X-Wing Starfighter.
“The Millennium Phenom was definitely in the top 10 of the projects I have done in my career,” he said. “It was so gratify- ing to see the concept come together. And knowing how Mark is using the aircraft on behalf of Veterans Airlift makes it just that much sweeter.”
For more information, go to stahrdesign.com.