One of the things that makes tattoos featuring aircraft so challenging is the amount of detail that many aircraft require to look accurate.  As a result, airplane tattoos generally work better when they cover a larger part of the body rather than small areas… backs and torsos seem to work especially well.  The tattoo we are proud to feature today of a North American P-51 Mustang fighter from World War II is a perfect example of the artist and wearer giving a tattoo plenty of room to look its best!

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The P-51 is considered by many enthusiasts to be the “Cadillac of the Skies” as they point out it’s aggressive appearance and powerful performance figures combined with its outstanding WWII record and active usage for years after the war.  Because of this, the P-51 has remained one of the most popular warbird aircraft flown by private collectors and museums today.  Over 120 P-51 Mustangs are maintained in flying condition today out of over 16,000 that were built – pretty impressive considering the fact that the design is over six decades old.  This popularity makes the P-51 one of the most recognizable aircraft of all time… and has made it a very popular tattoo subject as well.

The gentleman who sent us his P-51 Mustang backpiece was excited to share this fantastic piece of personal art with us and he certainly has a great reason to be excited!  The proportions of the P-51 are right on the money!  He got the tattoo in honor of his grandfather who flew as a crewmember aboard a B-29 Superfortress during the war.  The “S2” on the nose of the P-51 symbolizes both he and his wife as their initials both begin with the letter “S.”

The tattoo was created by tattoo artist C.W. who can be found at Royal Street Tattoo located in Mobile, AL.

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As a follow-up to yesterday’s post that featured the poem of RCAF pilot John Gillespie Magee, today we feature a beautiful tattoo of the aircraft that inspired that poem, the Supermarine Spitfire.

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The Spitfire was one of the most famous fighter aircraft of World War II.  Known for it’s nimble maneuverability, the Spitfire was a formidable defender as it went head-to-head against Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters of the German Luftwaffe over the skies of England during the Battle of Britain in the Summer of 1940.  The Spitfire operated through the end of WWII and was the only Allied fighter that was produced continually from before the war through the end of the war.  In fact, from 1938 through 1948, over 20,351 Spitfires were produced, making it one of the top 10 most produced aircraft in history.

Over 44 Spitfires remain in flying condition, many being found in England or other British Commonwealth countries in private ownership.  Many can be found flying during the annual Flying Legends Air Show at IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire England each summer, which is sponsored in part by the Fighter Collection, operators of many WWII fighter aircraft based at Duxford.

Its history combined with its performance and refined styling has made it a highly cherished collectors item for aviators worldwide. Because of that demand, restored and flying Spitfires have sold for over $2 Million dollars in recent years.

So, if you can’t afford to buy your own Spitfire, you can at least have a permanent homage to the famous fighter tattooed on you!  This colorful calf tattoo of a pair of Spitfires in flight over a field of poppies was created by tattoo artist Derek Dufresne of Fleshworks Tattoos in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

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For many who find their true home in the sky, flying is far more than a mode of transportation… it is an artform, a state of being, and the intrinsic spirit that propels them forward.  The romance of dancing around clouds and soaring above the Earth moves aviators to poetry, song, and verse to describe the unique and special emotions that float through the brain while held aloft.

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One of the most famous poems ever written about the passion for flight was “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, Jr. The poem, written by Magee in the Summer of 1941, was inspired by his flights as a young pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I.  His seventh flight in the Spitfire where he took the aircraft up to 33,000 feet moved him so much that the poem was his way of expressing the wonder that he felt as he climbed through the rarified air…

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air….

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark nor even eagle flew—

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Tragically, Magee lost his life in a midair collision on December 11, 1941 over the village of Roxholm in Lincolnshire England as he was returning to his base at RAF Digby.  He was only 19 years old.

The poem carried Magee’s memory on for many generations and will certainly stand the test of time for many more.  Aviators young and old have read it and many have developed a special connection to the poem.

Such is the case with the subject of today’s post… a young woman who used the poem to connect her with the spirit of her father.  She wrote:

My dad, who passed away six years ago, was an avid pilot. I grew up hanging around the airport and flying with him in our Cessna 310, a Diamond jet, and the B-25 Mitchell "Fairfax Ghost" (he once flew it with Travis Hoover* sitting in the co-pilot’s seat). He was a Quiet Birdman, and so the poem "High Flight" was read at his funeral. I remember him reading it to me when I was 4, and a framed copy of it was my last Father’s Day present to him.

I chose to use only the first two lines to make it my own. I’m a classical flutist, and those words evoke the feeling I get any time I perform, but also the memory of the man who encouraged me to go for my dreams.

(*editor note: Travis Hoover was one of the original crewmembers of the Doolittle Raid)

Her tattoo in memory of her father was created by tattoo artist Jason Jones of Kaleidoscope Ink in Springfield, MO.  Jason has been featured here at Tattoos In Flight several times before and our subject spoke highly of him as well: “He’s a brilliant artist and an absolute pleasure to work with” she said.

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Greetings Tattoos In Flight fans!  We know it has been a long time since we last posted and we thank you for the patience… we had some technical difficulty with our server and finally got all resolved this past week… so we are ready to fly in some new ink for the new year!

And we decided to start back up with something amazing… a fantastic full-torso tattoo tribute to helicopter heritage that arrived a while back in our inbox.  The tattoo, comprised of some stunning old school color work at the top of the chest and continuing down into a perfect illustration of the realism that high-quality black and grey tattooing can lend itself to. And cap it all off with some great lettering including a phrase from the quote “Once having tasted flight, you will walk this earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return” by Leonardo da Vinci – the ultimate quote expressing the passion for flight that aviators feel.

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Our subject today is a Commercial Helicopter Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor in Rotorcraft as well as a successful business owner and brought his passion and family history in helicopters to life in this substantial tattoo.  The tattoo as well as his career in aviation was inspired by his grandfather who flew numerous missions in the Bell UH-1 Huey during the Vietnam War.  The formation of Hueys pictured became a symbol of the Vietnam War where the concept of the Aerial Calvary to transport troops in and out of the dense jungle really illustrated the tactical benefits of vertical flight to the world.  For many, the UH-1 was the first thing people think of when Vietnam comes to mind.

This amazing tattoo is the work of tattoo artist Chris Walkin who tattoos from Avalon Tattoo II in San Diego, CA.  Avalon is one of the most respected studios in San Diego and has been host to many of the new masters of the tattoo world through it’s history and Chris is no exception to that standard!

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