The use of cartoons and humor goes a long way to lighten a stressful environment in times of war.  With any tough assignment, crew morale is an utmost concern and any opportunity to take some of the edge off the situation is welcomed.  Thus the reason for flight crews adorning the noses of their aircraft with elaborate (and sometime very risque) paintings known as nose art. 

Soldiers, sailors and airmen often doodled and cartooned to take their minds off the war as well.  Perhaps one of the most famous cartoonists of WWII was Bill Mauldin, a soldier with the 45th Infantry Division who became known for his cartoons of common soldiers or GIs.  Mauldin eventually began drawing for the newspaper Stars and Stripes, featuring the characters Willie and Joe.  Mauldin eventually went on to become a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist after the war.

This colorful tattoo, featuring a cartoon version of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was created by John Wayne of Beesting Tattoos in Belle River, Ontario CA

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As you may know, the Tattoos In Flight headquarters is located just outside of Phoenix, AZ in Mesa, AZ.  Mesa is where the former Hughes, former McDonnell Douglas helicopter factory — now operated by Boeing — is located and is the home of the AH-64 Apache helicopter.  I regularly see various versions of the AH-64 flying overhead and when I saw this tattoo, I immediately knew what it was!

The AH-64 Apache is the US Army’s primary attack helicopter and is the helicopter that replaced the venerable AH-1 Cobra (though the USMC still uses the Cobra as of 2008).  The Apache prototype, the Hughes Model 77/YAH-64A first flew in September of 1975, but it’s usefulness as an all-weather, day-night attack helicopter still reigns as it forges forward as the AH-64D Longbow Apache (the latest, Block III, was flown in 2008 and is currently in production).

The awesome black and gray version of the AH-64 as a tattoo was done by second-time Tattoos In Flight spotlight artist Jason Jones who can be found tattooing in Springfield, MO.  Jason was the artist for an earlier black and gray P-47 Thunderbolt tattoo which has become one of the more famous and popular tattoos on our site.

It was noted that the wearer was a mechanic with the US Army and was getting the tattoo to commemorate his time there.  He is adding unit insignia and more under the Apache, and what we see here is the result of only three hours of tattoo work - inkredible!

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