John Mollison is an accomplished aviation artist, writer and film maker. For Mollison, history is nutritious. He interviews Veterans and draws the aircraft that were a critical part of their story. His images are stunning; displayed in galleries, museums and collections in at least fourteen countries.
Mollison also has a secret – those beautiful images he produces are often an excuse for hearing and recording that hero’s story. Since April of 2026, he has interviewed approximately 185 combat aircrews and Veterans from WWII up to the Gulf War for his project “Old Guys and Their Airplanes”.
We discuss Mollison’s latest film “Press Record”. The film features Vietnam Cobra Pilot Michael O’Niel. In a heartbreaking revelation, when Mollison asked O’Niel what people think when they hear his story, O’Niel replied “I don’t know, no one has ever asked.” This strikes to the heart of the motivation that drives Mollison to pursue his passion for recording history.
Mollison recently returned from a trip to Vietnam with several Veterans of that war. During that trip he had the opportunity to fly in an OH-6 “Loach” at 100 miles per hour four feet above the water. The helicopter was piloted by the Veteran who flew it during the war.
We discuss Mollison’s concerns about artificial intelligence and it’s impact upon historical documentation. He is not anti-AI but cautions that we must be very careful. “The genie has left the bottle, and the genie is very compelling.”
Mollison has been working with training AI to become a better student of how to protect his client’s intellectual property. He says it has been interesting to see how HIS content has been contributing to teaching AI.
TAKEAWAY: “AI is doing a great job of collecting names, dates and places. But it misses the human element.”