"Luck Lindy Finds A Hole"
Artist: Raymond D. Crane
Back cover EAA SPORT AVIATION magazine January 1989

My thoughts about this picture...
I like this picture for it's vivid colors and dramatic angles.  It's the only one of the four pieces of CAM-2 art that shows the radiator and bottom of the cowling the proper color, which is silver, as evident in the many b&w photos of the four original Robertson DH-4s.  Also notice in the b&w photos that a silver top cowling is shown in the early posed publicity shots of the airplanes.  Artist Ray Crane has left the silver top cowling off the DH-4 in his painting, which is accurate according to photos that show the airplanes in actual use.

All of the photos I have show the fin silver, just like the rudder, not red as shown in this painting.

This painting shows the fuselage lettering in white, which I believe is accurate according to these sources:
1) The book "LINDBERGH" by Scott Berg says that the fuselages were "painted maroon, with U.S. Air Mail printed boldly in white".
2) The book "AIR MAIL: An Illustrated History" by Donald B. Holmes also says that the lettering was "white".

I don't know if Robertson DH-4 number 109 lived long enough to get wing mounted landing lights, but later CAM-2 mail planes did have them.

Upon first seeing "Lucky Lindy Finds A Hole", I questioned whether the wing and landing gear struts should have been painted red.  I had assumed they were varnished wood.  However, in support of Ray Crane's decision to depict them in red, close study of the b&w photos does show hardly any difference in the shades of gray between the struts and the red fuselage.  I'd like to find more conclusive evidence.

I believe artist Crane's interpretation of the wheel hubs being silver is also probably correct, again judging by the best source we have, the numerous b&w photos from the CAM-2 innaugural period.