My grandfather (Robert E. Cole) took this picture and my grandmother colorized it with some kind of markers that they used in those days. The original (featuring just the plane) hung in their hallway all my life. When they passed away I inherited it.
Wow, what a cool picture to have in the house growing up! Always was my favorite plane growing up. I am building a 1/32 scale P40E with the Johnnie Petach markings. I’ve seen several colorized photos that show the nose cone, blue. Johnnie’s plane is on the cover art of this Trumpter brand kit, with an olive drab nose cone. Any Idea if his #106 plane truly had a blue nose, or if your grandmother took some artistic license? If you look at the original b/w photos it’s hard to detect a tonal difference between the nose cone and the body color.
Thank you! Yes my father Danny John Petach, John’s nephew colorized all the black & whites on this website. The factory color was olive drab on Johnny’s #106. My father Danny took poetic license to add a little blue color to the nose but, the lips on Johnny’s first plane the B model #47 did have blue painted lips. The 2nd Squadron pandas official color.
-Danielle Petach (Johnnie Petach’s Great Niece & Danny Petach’s daughter)
THE FLYING TIGERS | JOHNNIE PETACH 
My grandfather (Robert E. Cole) took this picture and my grandmother colorized it with some kind of markers that they used in those days. The original (featuring just the plane) hung in their hallway all my life. When they passed away I inherited it.
Wow, what a cool picture to have in the house growing up! Always was my favorite plane growing up. I am building a 1/32 scale P40E with the Johnnie Petach markings. I’ve seen several colorized photos that show the nose cone, blue. Johnnie’s plane is on the cover art of this Trumpter brand kit, with an olive drab nose cone. Any Idea if his #106 plane truly had a blue nose, or if your grandmother took some artistic license? If you look at the original b/w photos it’s hard to detect a tonal difference between the nose cone and the body color.
Thank you! Yes my father Danny John Petach, John’s nephew colorized all the black & whites on this website. The factory color was olive drab on Johnny’s #106. My father Danny took poetic license to add a little blue color to the nose but, the lips on Johnny’s first plane the B model #47 did have blue painted lips. The 2nd Squadron pandas official color.
-Danielle Petach (Johnnie Petach’s Great Niece & Danny Petach’s daughter)