The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is considered by some to be the ultimate fighter created during WWII.  The sleek, twin-engine, twin-boom fighter that came from Lockheed in Burbank, CA was immortalized for many years during and following the war in media ranging from film (like 1943’s “A Guy Named Joe“) all the way down to the doodles penned by countless students in composition books as they day-dreamed about the ultimate fighter plane.

Somewhere in the middle lies the tattooed image of the P-38, like the tattoo we are featuring today.  This particular tattoo was created by Tony Honaker of Sacred Body Art in Amelia, OH.

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Before there were airplanes, there were gliders, and before there were gliders, there were balloons.  In fact, balloons and dirigibles were the only way a human could take flight for 120 years — the time between the first flight of the Montgolfier brothers’ first human-carrying balloon in 1783 and the Wright Brothers’ flight in a heavier-than-air vehicle in 1903.

This tattoo shows an early gas-filled balloon common throughout the 19th century.  It was done by Annie Lloyd at Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn, NY.

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Starting off the week is one of the rare commercial airliner tattoos we find every so often as we scour the web for new material.  This particular tattoo of a Boeing 747 airliner caught our eye and it’s owner Denise was more than happy to explain the story behind the tattoo for us.

As for the story behind it - I’ve always been obsessed with planes. My Grandfather worked at SeaTac airport and my Grandmother for Boeing. I lived in the Seattle area as a child so I think perhaps I was predisposed to thinking that Boeing makes the best planes. However, I started having a recurring nightmare of seeing a passenger jet crash. It didn’t deter my love of planes or prevent me from flying but I found the nightmare very troubling. I thought that maybe getting the 747 tattoo (my favorite plane) would serve as a talisman of sorts. I live under a flight path so I see A LOT of planes taking off and it caused some anxiety. However, since I got the tattoo my anxiety about witnessing a crash has completely vanished.

The tattoo was created by Alex McWatt of True Blue Tattoo in Queens, NY.  Make sure to check Denise’s blog out as well at: http://logicallogic.blogspot.com.

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The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, affectionately known as the “Jug” by pilots and crews for its portly shape and as an abbreviation for “juggernaut” speaking to its ruggedness in battle, was the largest single engine fighter of WWII.  The P-47 was one of the first high-altitude escort fighters that could accompany bomber formations into enemy territory in the European theater from bases in England to help protect the bombers from enemy fighters.  The P-47 had a reputation as a powerful fighter, though it’s maneuverability wasn’t as great as later fighters such as the P-51 — but it excelled as a ground attack fighter and helped support allied troops in the invasions of France in 1944.

Ian Mckown of Bound by Design in Denver, CO tattooed the powerful P-47 as a memorial of a loved one on the wearer and colorfully illustrated it’s reputation as a tough fighter in the scene depicted.

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Switching it up a little today — enough with the propeller and piston planes — time for some kerosene!  And to honor that fuel we call Jet-A, here we feature one of the most efficient machines to turn kerosene into noise, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.  Used extensively in the Vietnam War and through the 1980’s, the F-4 Phantom remains one of the icons of air power bridging the gap between the first generation jets and the modern jets of today.

This tattoo was done by Jason at Aloha Tattoo Studio in West Chester, OH.

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Over the past few weeks, we have seen an upswing in the number of tattoos featuring the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.  It’s obvious that the plane made famous by the Flying Tigers is a popular tattoo subject.

This tattoo is certainly no exception!  One of the first things we noticed as how well proportioned the tattoo is, especially considering the aggressive angle of the image.  Additionally, we also noticed how straight the wings were — not easy since the surface of the calf is so curved.

This tattoo was created by Sean Beck, an artist at Mom’s Tattoos in Wilmington, NC.

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The iconic sharkteeth of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) Curtiss P-40 Warhawks are some of the most famous markings ever to be found on an aircraft.  The large oil cooler scoop on the front of the plane and large nose was nearly perfect for the snarling mouth.

This inner arm tattoo shows that famous snarl to great effect!  It was tattooed by Hawk Chait while he was at Incognito Tattoo — but Hawk currently tattoos at Oxygen Tattoo Studio in Bend, OR.

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Sometimes the best tattoos are the simplest, just take a look at the old school designs popular in the earlier days of Western tattooing.  Thick lines, bold contrast and simple designs… the building blocks of good tattoos.

Some may think airplane designs are the same way, simple equals better. Well… in some ways.  For the sake of pure whimsy, early biplanes can’t be beat.  Tough as nails, simple construction and more fun than should be legally allowed.

And that’s what this tattoo represents — the simple, fun biplane done in the simple and fun old school style. It was created by Virginia Elwood currently tattooing at NY Adorned in New York City, NY.

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Marking a first for Tattoos In Flight, we present to you today our first skydiving tattoo!  While some in aviation may ask “Why jump out of a perfectly good aircraft?” we certainly know many aviators choose the adrenaline rush of freefall by choice.

Are pilots naturally drawn to these psychokinetic thrills? AOPA Pilot Editor-at-Large Thomas A. Horne even poses this question in his recent blog post…

And what of the adrenaline rush you get when getting at tattoo?  Is that a natural draw of the thrill seeking pilot, biker, or skydiver?

Either way, here’s a tribute to the skydive as executed in black and gray by artist Shawn Willmorth at The Hive Tattoo & Piercing in Moses Lake, WA.

See a larger shot of the tattoo by clicking on the link below or the image above.

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When I started becoming interested in tattooing in the 90’s, one of the first images that connected my passion for aviation and tattooing was the one we are featuring here today. This tattoo of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh by famed tattoo artist Shotsie Gorman was featured in countless magazines and exhibitions after it was completed. We’ve found a video clip where Gorman speaks about the tattoo and the challenges it presented — click here to view it.

Shotsie Gorman has relocated to Sedona, Arizona and now practices his art from Shotsies Soul Signing in the beautiful and artistic central Arizona community.

This particular photo was taken by photographer Bill DeMichele of Proteus Press. DeMichele’s work is seen each month in International Tattoo Art magazine and this month’s 15th Anniversary issue of the magazine features a full article on DeMicheles work.

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