Tattoos In Flight

Forever First in Flight: Wright 1903 Flyer Tattoo

Icarus — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:11:31 +0000

To celebrate the first anniversary of Tattoos In Flight, I thought it would be fitting to post the first successful powered aircraft, the 1903 Flyer built and first flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright from the dunes at Kitty Hawk, NC on December 17, 1903. The brothers from Dayton, OH owned a bicycle shop, The [...]

Supersonic Ink: Bell X-1 Tattoo

Icarus — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:28:50 +0000

Near the end of World War II, the Flight Test Division of the U.S. Army Air Force teamed with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to research flight in the transonic speed range — or flight past the sound barrier. The joint partnership contracted with the Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, NY to build [...]

Barnstorming Ink: Curtiss JN-4 Stunt Plane Tattoo

Icarus — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:44:52 +0000

In the early days of the 20th Century — in the years right after World War I, the airplane went through a time of “teenage rebellion” when barnstorming and flying circuses swept over the United States. Barely two decades old, the airplane was still something of a rarity to see in the air. For people [...]

Winged Wednesday: Elayne Angel’s Wings Tattoo

Icarus — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:44:37 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve run the Winged Wednesday feature… and since the most elemental image of flight involves the feathered wings seen on birds, it is truly the starting point for all flight related tattoos. When it comes to tattooed wings, it only makes sense to restart the feature with the most famous tattooed [...]

McDonnell Douglas Memorial: DC-10 Airliner Tattoo

Icarus — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:38:49 +0000

I thought it was a good time to change things up a bit after a string of military aircraft. Therefore, I’d like to present a tattoo of one of my favorite heavy airliners, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. First flown in August of 1970, the DC-10 met a specification for a long-haul airliner similar in capacity to [...]

In Honor of Memorial Day: Fallen Veteran Tattoo

Icarus — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:26:13 +0000

In memory and honor of the men and women who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the service of the armed forces in defense of our nation, we take this day — Memorial Day — to pause and remember their efforts and pay tribute to their unselfish devotion to protecting our way [...]

Tattoo of the Flying Tank: Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik

Icarus — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:10:09 +0000

The Ilyushin-II “Sturmovik” is something of a legend in World War II aviation history. Created in the Soviet Union as a ground attack aircraft by Sergey Ilyushin and his team at the Central Design Bureau, the “Flying Tank” as it was called, first flew in December of 1939, though wasn’t fully brought online until 1941. The [...]

Mustang - One, Zero - Zero: WWII Fighter Tattoo

Icarus — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:12:51 +0000

First emerging during the early days of aerial warfare in World War I, the term “dogfight” has been a part of fighter pilot vernacular since the advent of the aircraft as a weapon of war. In aerial warfare, the battleground is three-dimensional and the complex maneuvering leads to a fierce fight involving incredible skill and [...]

Air Racing Art: Gee Bee R-2 Air Racer Tattoo

Icarus — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:10:54 +0000

For many aviation enthusiasts, it’s one of the most iconic aircraft ever built. With its short wings, tiny cockpit at the tail, and massive engine compartment, the Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster built by the Granville Brothers of Springfield, MA is, perhaps, the most famous air racer of all time. Built in 1932, the [...]

A Bear of a Tattoo: Grumman F8F Bearcat Tattoo

Icarus — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:35:12 +0000

This weekend I was supposed to be in Chino, CA for the annual Planes of Fame Air Museum Airshow - one of the most well-known warbird airshows in the world. One of the highlights of the airshow this year is the assembly of no less than five Grumman F8F Bearcats in one place… and three [...]

Turboprop Transport Tattoo: C-130 Hercules

Icarus — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:34:04 +0000

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is the oldest serving transport aircraft design currently in Armed Forces inventory. As a result, thousands of crew members have served aboard the “Herkey Bird” throughout its service history. Many crew are intensely proud of the aircraft and as a result, the C-130 is, perhaps, the most tattooed transport aircraft out [...]

Scooter Skin Art: Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Tattoo

Icarus — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:28:51 +0000

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most timeless turbojet aircraft ever to have been produced. Despite the fact that the design is over fifty years old, with it’s first flight taking place on June 22, 1954, it still flies as a front line fighter in some Air Forces and Naval Arms worldwide today. [...]

Pilot’s Pursuit: Pin-up and Corsair Tattoo

Icarus — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:51:12 +0000

The term “pin-up girl” first came into mention in popular culture in 1941 and became even more popular in the years immediately after. The provocative drawing and photo spreads found in magazines of the glamorous models, movie stars, and starlets of the time were popular with the soldiers, sailors, airmen and grunts fighting in World [...]

Coming Out of the Sun: P-51 Mustang Tattoo

Icarus — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:19:08 +0000

We’ve featured lots of North American P-51 Mustangs on Tattoos In Flight over the past year (see our P-51 archive) and it remains one of the most popular aviation tattoo subjects out there today. There’s not much I can add to the history and background of the P-51 that I haven’t said before, but I’d [...]

Traditional Ink: B-25 Mitchell Tribute Tattoo

Icarus — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:03:43 +0000

There’s a lot of traditional flash art that’s out there featuring military or Naval themes… but so few designs feature anything aviation-related. When we saw this great old-school-style tattoo featuring the North American B-25 Mitchell on the web, we had to feature it here! The B-25 Mitchell is named after General Billy Mitchell - a man [...]