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 in rural communities, the appearance of an airplane could be the biggest occurrence for months. Because of this, pilots from WWI with an entrepreneurial spirit set out in surplus military aircraft and toured the country — selling airplane rides and operating from impromptu airfields mowed from farm pastures.
The most common aircraft used by barnstormers was the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny - a common biplane trainer used during the war and sold for as little as $200 (the aircraft was purchased $5000 new) after the end of the war. The Jenny was a sturdy and relatively simple aircraft and was well suited for the abuse it could suffer “on the road”.
When barnstormers started partnering up to create larger shows or “flying circuses”, the aerial antics became more and more daring. Aerobatics, wing walking, performers jumping from a moving car into an airplane in flight, and even, as illustrated by this tattoo, performers moving from one aircraft to another in flight. Because pilots and touring groups were always trying to out-shine and outperform each other, the stunts became more and more daring and risky. Many pilots lost their lives in these unregulated, free-for-all days of flying because of this.
With the passage of the Air Commerce Act on May 20, 1926, the basis of federal regulation of aviation was established under the newly formed Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce. Over the next several decades and name changes, federal regulation became the responsibility of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). That organization gave birth to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958 that placed all elements of aviation and airspace regulation and safety under the one agency.
This black and gray tattoo on the back of a calf commemorating the early days of flight was created by tattoo artist apprentice Christel Perkins currently apprenticing at Mile High Tattoo in Denver, CO.
Please click on the image above or the link below for a larger image.
Click the above image for the full-size photo.
Join the Tattoos In Flight Air Force! - If you have or find any aviation-themed tattoos on the web, send the photo to us along with the name of the artist, studio, location, and a website! Send them along to tattoosinflight@gmail.com, or use the “submit” tool at the right.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Ambyr Amoureuse Says:
this tattoo look like real air plane :)) this is something new, something different and unusual
i like it:)
Posted on July 20th, 2009 at 10:21 am