The iconic sharkteeth of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) Curtiss P-40 Warhawks are some of the most famous markings ever to be found on an aircraft.  The large oil cooler scoop on the front of the plane and large nose was nearly perfect for the snarling mouth.

This inner arm tattoo shows that famous snarl to great effect!  It was tattooed by Hawk Chait while he was at Incognito Tattoo — but Hawk currently tattoos at Oxygen Tattoo Studio in Bend, OR.

Please click on the link below or the image above to see a larger view.

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Sometimes the best tattoos are the simplest, just take a look at the old school designs popular in the earlier days of Western tattooing.  Thick lines, bold contrast and simple designs… the building blocks of good tattoos.

Some may think airplane designs are the same way, simple equals better. Well… in some ways.  For the sake of pure whimsy, early biplanes can’t be beat.  Tough as nails, simple construction and more fun than should be legally allowed.

And that’s what this tattoo represents — the simple, fun biplane done in the simple and fun old school style. It was created by Virginia Elwood currently tattooing at NY Adorned in New York City, NY.

For a larger photo, click on the link below or the image above.

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Marking a first for Tattoos In Flight, we present to you today our first skydiving tattoo!  While some in aviation may ask “Why jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?” we certainly know many aviators choose the adrenaline rush of freefall by choice.

Are pilots naturally drawn to these psychokinetic thrills? AOPA Pilot Editor-at-Large Thomas A. Horne even poses this question in his recent blog post…

And what of the adrenaline rush you get when getting at tattoo?  Is that a natural draw of the thrill seeking pilot, biker, or skydiver?

Either way, here’s a tribute to the skydive as executed in black and gray by artist Shawn Willmorth at The Hive Tattoo & Piercing in Moses Lake, WA.

See a larger shot of the tattoo by clicking on the link below or the image above.

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When I started becoming interested in tattooing in the 90′s, one of the first images that connected my passion for aviation and tattooing was the one we are featuring here today. This tattoo of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh by famed tattoo artist Shotsie Gorman was featured in countless magazines and exhibitions after it was completed. We’ve found a video clip where Gorman speaks about the tattoo and the challenges it presented — click here to view it.

Shotsie Gorman has relocated to Sedona, Arizona and now practices his art from Shotsies Soul Signing in the beautiful and artistic central Arizona community.

This particular photo was taken by photographer Bill DeMichele of Proteus Press. DeMichele’s work is seen each month in International Tattoo Art magazine and this month’s 15th Anniversary issue of the magazine features a full article on DeMicheles work.

For a larger view, please click on the image above or the link below.

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And we’re back!  After a week of headaches over those afore-mentioned hackers, we finally got things back under control and problem-free — and ready for action!

Speaking of action, let’s get back to basics with a classic World War II vintage Curtiss P-40E Warhawk in Flying Tigers colors.  The P-40 is one of the most popular tattoo designs (short of the P-51 Mustang) we’ve seen, so it seemed like a great choice for the first post after a week away!

Beautiful execution by artist Matthew J. Hockaday of Avatar Studios in Waterford, MI – evidently done on a client who was going to school for aviation.

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We’re approaching the 70th anniversary of the conception of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator — the most produced bomber aircraft of World War II.  The US Army Air Corps formally invited Consolidated to submit a design in January 1939 for a bomber with higher speed, greater range, and higher ceiling than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress — the dominant bomber at the time.  With a first flight in late 1939, the B-24 Liberator was destined to become one of the most successful bombers of the war, with over 18,000 aircraft constructed from 1940-1945 — the highest produced multi-engine aircraft ever (a record that stands to this day).

The B-24 never received the public limelight that the B-17 got, mostly because of it’s rather boxy and ungainly look and the fact the B-17 was featured in several popular war films and documentaries. Still, the B-24 flew more missions, dropped more bombs, and was used in more theaters of operations than any other bomber.

In tribute of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, we present to you this fantastic black and gray tattoo of the B-24.  This particular tattoo, of a D-Model (with the greenhouse style nose) was created by artist Hector Cedillo of Skin Graff Tattoo in Worcester, MA. 

Interestingly, Worcester, MA is only several towns over from Stow, MA — the home of the Collings Foundation, operators of one of the two remaining flyable B-24 Liberators in the world.  It tours the nation annually with a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, and P-51 Mustang as part of the Wings Of Freedom Tour.

Please click on the image above or the link below for a larger image plus a second detailed shot of the nose of the bomber.

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OK, so the site was down for a few hours this AM because Tattoos In Flight was hit by a malicious script that corrupted a bunch of files and probably was giving you virus warnings all over the place.  Luckily things are cleaned up and back to normal.

If you see anything snarky, please email me at tattoosinflight@gmail.com.  Thanks.

Well, I’m finally back from the big tradeshow in Orlando, FL and am ready to get back into the swing of things — and sending you the best aviation tattoos from the finest artists around the world!

Kicking off the weekend is this fantastic early World War II dogfight sleeve project!  The smooth, vibrant color used here beautifully illustrates the vintage imagery of the era. Central to the tattoo is a Moraine-Saulnier MS.315 as well as an early Luftwaffe aircraft resembling a Heinkel HE-100 perhaps.

The artist, Nikko Hurtado of Ignition Tattoo in Apple Valley, CA did an amazing job with this piece.  Take a look at Nikko’s portfolio and you’ll see more stunning work!

Nikko is one of a host of artists using the Neuma tattoo machine — the first and only pneumatic tattoo machine that’s light, fully autoclavable, and maintenance-free. The kind of work these artists are putting out is really pushing the boundaries of the artform!

Please click on the link below or the image above to see a larger image and a second image of the sleeve!

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