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First Solo Flight Forever: Student Pilot Tattoo

Posted on October 31, 2009

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.

(click the image for the full post & a larger photo)

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.

Please click on the image above or the link below for a larger image.

Click the above image for the full-size photo.

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