When looking at the most successful aircraft designs of the modern age, it’s hard not to consider the General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon… or Viper as it’s better known to crews. Obviously someone else felt the same way and had an everlasting tribute tattoo created, which is the subject of today’s post.
The F-16 is a lightweight, multirole jet fighter aircraft that celebrates it’s 35th year in flight this year. Originally developed as a relatively low production cost, high speed and highly maneuverable fighter for Visual Flight Rules combat or "dogfighting", the F-16 has evolved into the flexible, multirole capacity which it enjoys today.
The F-16 can reach speeds of over Mach 2 and can sustain 9-g maneuvers, making it one of the most nimble fighters in the skies. As the first aircraft to use the Relaxed Static Stability/Fly-By-Wire (RSS/FBW) flight control system, the F-16 is able to be so maneuverable for the fact that the aerodynamics make it inherently unstable. If it weren’t for the calculations and corrections made in the Fly-By-Wire system, the F-16 would be extremely difficult to handle using manual controls.
As an export fighter, the F-16 is one of the most used aircraft in the current inventory of nations other than the U.S. — the air forces of 25 countries use the F-16. Though currently not under production for United States contracts and the design is scheduled for phase-out by the USAF in 2025, the F-16 is still under production in advanced versions for export. Over 4,400 have been built since its first flight on February 2, 1974.
One of the more recognizable uses of the F-16 is as the primary aircraft used by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration team. Used by the team since 1983, the F-16 carries the distinctive white with blue and red trim paint scheme that has represented the USAF and America at home and abroad since 1953. The six-ship team is featured at no more than 88 events per year and has never cancelled a show due to a maintenance problem.
This awesome F-16 tattoo was created by artist Craig Beasley who may be found through his website at TheArtofCraigBeasley.com as he’s currently on the road but he can be also found on occasion at Ink & Dagger Tattoo in Atlanta, GA. I had the opportunity to meet Craig at the Hell City Tattoo Festival in Phoenix, AZ this past month and he’s not only a fantastic artist, but a hell of a nice guy on top of that – look him up and get a masterpiece of your own!
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 Army! - 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}
Jim Pixley Says:
Wow - It’s a small world. I ran across this, just tonight, and immediately recognized it as belonging to my son.
When I was in the Air Force, I went to an off-limits tattoo parlor in Mississippi to have a camouflaged B52, dropping full racks of bombs, put across my back. I came around, hours later, mysteriously tucked in my bed back on the base. No tattoo!
Posted on September 28th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Icarus Says:
Hi Jim - Thanks for stopping by! Your son has a great tattoo and hope it’s holding up well! He made a great choice in artist… Craig has some great talent.
Sometimes those seat-of-the-pants tattoo decisions are better off when they end like yours did… those off-limits shops types may have made your B-52 look like the Spruce Goose!
Posted on September 28th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Jeff Says:
Jim is right. That’s me. Here’s the rest of the story:
An Air Force photographer took a photo of me in early 2002 during air refueling over Saudi Arabia after a mission over Iraq (during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH). The photo appeared as the centerfold of Combat Edge magazine in late 2002. I brought the centerfold to Craig and asked him if he could do it justice. He said he had never done an aircraft before, but was willing to take a shot. After looking through his portfolio, I knew I could trust him.
It took about 5 hours to complete and turned out better than I could have hoped. It has held up nicely over the past few years (mostly because I don’t spend too much time in the sun.
For the aviation buffs out there: It’s a Block-30 F-16C configured with 2 HARMs, 4 AMRAAMs, 2 370-gallon external fuel tanks, and an ECM pod (a configuration you’re not likely to see these days).
People often accuse fighter pilots of being conceited. I used to deny it, but that’s hard to do now with a foot-wide tattoo of myself on my back.
Posted on September 28th, 2009 at 7:44 am