Some people snip their shirt-tail off and pin it to the wall for their first solo, others (like at my flight school) were traditionally thrown by their fellow pilots into the nearby Duck Pond after doing their three stop-and-goes aloft by themselves… but some, like the subject of our tattoo feature today, choose to commemorate the first solo flight in a much more permanent and personal way.

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Tattoo artist, pilot, and flying enthusiast Jack Lowe, owner of Skin Kitchen Tattoo in Des Moines, IA, had this tattoo done on January 26, 2009 – the day he made his first solo flight.  Michelle Lowe, a fellow artist at the studio, gladly stayed late to tattoo Jack after he demanded that the tattoo be completed on the same day!

Along with the first solo date, the tattoo includes a pair of pilot wings, an altimeter, and the FAA Registration or “N-Number” of the plane he flew… N2974N, a Piper Archer II operated by Des Moines Flying Club.

Following his first solo in January, Jack passed his Private Pilot checkride on May 7th, 2009 and is now a fully FAA-licensed pilot… congratulations Jack!

I remember the day I first soloed… and always look back on that logbook entry with a big smile on my face. AOPA Pilot Associate Editor Jill Tallman recounts a group of first solo experiences in Flight Training Magazine in May 2008… a good read! 

Again, the tattoo was created by tattoo artist Michelle Hall of Skin Kitchen Tattoo in Des Moines, IA.

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I completely realize that we have featured this fantastic black and gray back tattoo honoring famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart before, but in honor of the opening weekend of the movie Amelia by Mira Nair and featuring Hilary Swank, we decided to bring it back!  It was an early post of ours and perhaps not everyone has had the chance to see this fantastic tattoo.

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While Amelia Earhart was certainly one of the most famous female aviators due to her celebrity and of course her mysterious disappearance, there are a great many more women who have bravely taken to the skies despite the considerable challenges they faced.  Some of the notable aviatrixes on our list include:

- Harriet Quimby – First Licensed American Female Pilot
- Bessie Coleman – First African-American licensed pilot (male or female)
- Beryl Markham – First woman to fly Atlantic Ocean East to West
- Jackie Cochran – Record breaking female air race pilot & entrepreneur.
- Pancho Barnes – First female movie and stunt pilot in film
- Amy Johnson – First woman to fly solo from England to Australia
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh - 1st woman to fly great circle route, NYC to China
- Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) – First US military female pilots
- Valentina Tereshkova – First woman in space, USSR Cosmonaut
- Sally Ride – First US woman astronaut

Their own accomplishments should never be overlooked – and their pioneering spirit paved the way for many more since.  Our editor even has a portrait tattoo of Jackie Cochran as part of his Bendix Trophy piece in honor of her win in 1937.

This fantastic tattoo of Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed 10A Electra featured here today was created by artist Collin Delgado of Baraka Naga Art Company in Seattle, WA. The tattoo took ten hours over three sessions to complete.

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I will admit that when I first saw this tattoo, I thought the aircraft pictured was a North American AT-6 Texan… one of the more common trainers of WWII vintage.  However, as I reviewed it this past week as I was preparing posts, I realized it was far more rare than an AT-6… this tattoo features the obscure Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcon.  Certainly one of the more unique aircraft we have featured here.

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There is a reason why few people know of the CW-22 – only around 600 were built from 1940 onward, originating from Curtiss-Wright’s St. Louis factory.  Originally designed from the single-seat CW-21, the –22 was a two seat, light sport or training aircraft that found it’s way into becoming a combat trainer and light attack airplane.

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force was the main customer of the CW-22 as 36 were exported to support their defense of the East Indies.  However, due to Japanese advancement, the exported CW-22’s were delivered to the Dutch in Australia. The CW-22B was later delivered to Turkish forces and some replaced original –22’s with the Netherlands and some even made their way to South America flying with Peru, Bolivia and Uruguay.

The US Navy bought 455 unarmed aircraft and designated them the SNC-1 Falcon and operated them as trainer aircraft.  One SNC-1 hangs in the hall of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL… one of four still in existence.

This colorful tattoo of the CW-22 was created by tattoo artist Brian Mcdermott at Electra Art Tattoo in Corpus Christi, TX.

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In commemoration of the annual, World famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which is happening right now in Albuquerque, NM, we are delighted to present this colorful rib tattoo featuring two hot air balloons. Propelled only by gossamer breezes and lifted by hot air contained within the colorful envelope, hot air ballooning remains one of the most serene forms of aviation today.

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What makes the Albuquerque Int’l Balloon Fiesta special is the unique Autumn weather patterns that the region enjoys.  The “Albuquerque Box” where the cool morning temperatures in October promote Southerly low level winds and Northerly higher level winds – thereby allowing balloon pilots to fly in a vertical box pattern that will optimally bring them back near the launch site for landing.  This convenient meteorological phenomena eliminates the need for crews to travel far from the launch site for recovery.

The Fiesta traces it’s roots back to 1972 when KOB, the local radio station, approached Sid Cutter, an owner of Cutter Flying Service (now Cutter Aviation) and the first person in New Mexico to own a hot air balloon, to fly his balloon “Roadrunner” as part of the station’s 50th anniversary festivities.  As the discussion continued, it was decided to expand it in an attempt to break the record for the largest gathering up until then… a 19 balloon gathering in England.

The original event in 1972 drew 13 balloons from around the United States, but the event grew rapidly after that point. Balloon attendance reached it’s peak of 1,013 balloons in 2000, but a cap of 750 entrants was established after that as a way to promote “quality over quantity.”

In addition to the nine-day event being the World’s largest gathering of hot air balloons, it is also widely considered to be the World’s most photographed event… with the sight of hundreds of colorful balloons in the air to be one of the most breathtaking sights in aviation.

This beautiful tattoo on the ribs of a fit female balloon enthusiast was created by tattoo artist Ant Iannucci of Ascension Tattoo in Orlando, FL.

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While visiting the forums on the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) website, I found a post by a passionate pilot from Southern California about aviation tattoos containing this photo of his latest addition: a North American P-51 Mustang tattoo on the right side of his upper back.

We have featured the famous fighter from World War II here at Tattoos In Flight before… in fact it remains the single most popular aviation tattoo design we’ve featured.  There is something about the timeless design of the “Cadillac of the Sky” that inspires people… and certainly it’s superstar status in pop culture as one of the icons of WWII helps too!

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If you’d like to read about the history of the P-51 Mustang, we encourage you to read some of the previous posts we’ve made on the famous fighter… check them out here.

Today, we’d like to talk a bit about the story behind this particular tattoo. Our subject learned how to fly at a back patio flight school at the famous Van Nuys Airport in the Los Angeles area. The airport, featured in the 2005 documentary One Six Right, remains the World’s busiest General Aviation airport and has been home to many aircraft, including many P-51 Mustangs over its history.

During his training, our subject became friends with a fellow student pilot at the club, a Russian native who also happened to be a talented tattoo artist from Hollywood.  His name is Konstantin Nossatchev.

Since both were obviously aviation fans, they talked about a deal to create an elaborate piece for our subject. As both knew and loved the P-51 Mustang, the design was a perfect fit. Also incorporated into the design was the tail-number of the Cessna 172 he first soloed in, his lucky number as the squadron number on the fuselage and his last name as the nose art. The entire piece took Konstantin three sessions to complete.

And being a true artist, Konstantin even found the perfect light and background for this photo for his portfolio… within one of the hangars at Van Nuys Airport.

If you are interested in a great piece of work from a fellow pilot and artist, Konstantin can be reached through his website at Noskos.com for private appointments in the area.

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