I will admit, I waited a while before posting this tattoo… we wanted to display it at just the right time because we didn’t want such an amazing piece of tattoo artistry overlooked.  In fact, when I first saw this incredible tattoo of a General Electric GE90 turbofan engine as a cutaway image, I knew this was a feature to cherish.  So now, as the aviation world looks to the future this week at the Singapore Airshow in Asia… I felt it was the perfect time to post this tattoo of the ultimate evolution in commercial aircraft engines.

(click the image below for the full post and three larger photos of the tattoo in process)

And for good reason! This tattoo truly illustrates how far tattooing has evolved in the past few decades.  The amazing level of detail, shading, and technical precision that combined to create this technical triumph of turbine aircraft engine technology on a human canvas is staggering.

In fact, the subject of this tattoo and the tattoo itself are a lot alike.  The General Electric GE90 family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines are some of the most efficient, advanced, and powerful jet engines of the modern age of aviation.  The GE90 holds the world record for most thrust produced by a turbine engine and powered a Boeing 777-200ER that set the world record for the longest flight by a commercial airline aircraft.  On top of all this, it remains one of the largest engines ever built… and is the basis for the GEnx turbofan engine that has been developed to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Much like the engine, this tattoo illustrates a portion of what could be considered the peak of the art of tattooing… the line work, detail, and skill all combine to create an image that would look right at home in blueprints, 3-D CAD renderings, or detailed technical illustrations.  The fact that it was created on skin… a flexible living canvas with challenging curves and textures, proves that tattooing has not only evolved into an artform that mirrors that of other media, but perhaps even outranks in some cases because of the unique challenges that the medium presents to the artist.

Certainly the wearer, a dedicated aviation enthusiast and aspiring commercial pilot himself, made a very wise choice when he chose artist Brett J. Barr for this creation.  Brett is currently tattooing at Primal Tattoo Gallery in Orlando (Casselberry), Florida, so be sure to visit Brett’s portfolio for more amazing black and grey mechanical tattoo pieces as well as a diverse range of other amazing styles as well.  We are honored to have such a unique tattoo by such a talented artist featured here at Tattoos In Flight.

And thank you to our contributor for sending his masterpiece along as well as his patience… may the engine you have chosen to symbolize your career path, provide power and thrust on your journey into success within this fantastic industry of those who look to the sky and see more than just the clouds… they see the future!

Please click on the image above or the link below for three larger images of the tattoo in process and complete.

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To balance the modern fighter scale here on Tattoos In Flight after our post of the F-16 Viper last week, we’re presenting a tattoo of a similar high performance modern fighter this week… the Mikoyan MiG-29 “Fulcrum” from Russia.  Still one of the most capable 4th generation fighters in the world, the MiG-29 certainly deserves it’s permanent placement as the upper chest tattoo we feature today.

The MiG-29 was conceived in the early 70’s, along with the Sukhoi Su-27, as a Soviet response to the development of what would become the F-15 Eagle in the United States.  As the new American fighter would easily eclipse Soviet fighters of the time, a study was initiated to develop a fighter capable of countering this new threat.  Similar to the solution chosen by the United States, the Soviet Union decided on two designs to suit the evolving air warfare environment… one as a powerful, all-weather, multi-role air superiority fighter and one as a fast, light, agile dogfighter.  The Sukhoi Su-27 countered the American F-15 as the air superiority fighter and the MiG-29 was the Soviet answer to the F-16.

The first flight of the MiG-29A was on October 6, 1977, however it’s entry to service was delayed by engine-related problems and resulting accidents.  Finally in August of 1983, the MiG-29B entered service and acceptance trials were complete by 1984. It was subsequently deployed as a front-line fighter for intercept duties, while the Su-27 remained dedicated to the role of the intimidator in deep, air-to-air sweeps of NATO assets.

Similar to many previous Soviet designs, the MiG-29 was extremely well-built and could be operated from damaged or unprepared airfields that would be common in an advancing ground war.  Rugged landing gear and protective grates on the turbine intakes made it perfect for the role of a front-line fighter.

While in production with the Soviet Union, and later Russia after the collapse of the Soviet government, the MiG-29 was exported to nations other than it’s Soviet/Russian homeland.  The Air Forces of India, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Germany, Poland and many other states that formerly comprised the Soviet Union.  The MiG-29 also served with air forces in Middle Eastern and North African nations such as Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and Algeria (as well as others). 

Cuba even operated the type and were brought to the forefront after an incident in 1996 when a MiG-29UB shot down two U.S. based Cessna 337s after they crossed into Cuban airspace. The Cessnas were operated by the Miami-based organization Brothers to the Rescue who are described as a humanitarian group with a mission to aid and assist refugees from Cuba and “support the efforts of the Cuban people to free themselves from dictatorship through the use of active nonviolence.” Cuba believed otherwise and deemed the group as terrorists.  The downing led to International condemnation of Cuba for it’s actions.

This upper chest tattoo done in black and gray linework was created by tattoo artist Marin Urbanc of Gandalf Tattoo in Zagreb, Croatia.  You can also see the studio and their portfolio on their MySpace page here.

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

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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.

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Tattoos have been used to show intense loyalty to certain passionate brands and manufacturers for years.  Companies like Harley-Davidson, Cadillac and Playboy have reaped the benefits of enthusiastic fans who forever pay homage on their skin.  Today we’d like to feature a tattoo paying tribute to the logo of aircraft engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney.

What we in aviation know as Pratt & Whitney (click here for corporate site) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler in Hartford, CT.  Few people realize that the name Pratt & Whitney actually comes from Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Company, the company that Rentschler was loaned $250,000, manufacturing space in their building, and the ability to carry their established name on his aircraft engine product… what would become the R-1340 Wasp radial engine.  Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Co. was already well known at the time for sewing machine and gun-making machinery that spanned back to it’s own founding in 1860.

Rentschler ended the official tie-in with the machine company in 1929 and formed United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC). As part of the agreement, he was able to keep the product brand of Pratt & Whitney for the engines his company would produce.  This resulted in the Pratt & Whitney name evolving into a brand that would become more famous than its namesake in modern times. Today, Pratt & Whitney is a brand that is joined by sister aviation companies Hamilton Sundstrand and Sikorsky Aircraft under the conglomerate United Technologies (corporate site) – the name that UATC evolved into.

Pratt & Whitney went on to manufacture some of the most famous radial piston engines such as R-985 Wasp Junior, R-1830 Twin Wasp, R-2800 Double Wasp, and R-4360 Wasp Major.  With the coming jet age, Pratt & Whitney met the challenge by creating turbine engines like the JT8D turbojet found on Boeing 727s and DC-9s, the JT9D – the first high bypass turbofan engine and used on Boeing 747 and C-5 Galaxy aircraft.  Today, Pratt & Whitney remains one of the three largest powerplant manufacturers producing the civil engines PW2000, PW4000, and PW6000.  On the military engine side, Pratt & Whitney manufactures the F100 (used on the F-15 and F-16), the F119 (used on the F-22 Raptor), and the F135 (used on the F-35 Lightning II).

This tattoo on the inner bicep of the arm was created by artist Lelo at Gatto Matto Tattoo Studio in Campinas - Sao Paulo, Brazil.  The wearer had been waiting to get the tattoo for 15 years, and finally made his dream come true at the age of 30.

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

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Near the end of World War II, the Flight Test Division of the U.S. Army Air Force teamed with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to research flight in the transonic speed range — or flight past the sound barrier.  The joint partnership contracted with the Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, NY to build a test aircraft that would be used only for this research and never for mass production.  This contract yielded three XS-1 aircraft, later shortened to X-1.

The Bell X-1 was modeled after the Browning .50 caliber bullet, which was known to be stable in supersonic flight.  This seemingly simple design approach made for a clean looking aircraft, made extremely fast by the ethyl alcohol and liquid oxygen fueled rocket engine providing thrust.

The X-1 first flew in a glide on January 25, 1946 over Pinecastle AAF near Orlando, FL by Bell chief pilot Jack Woolams.  After the initial glide tests, the aircraft was taken back to Bell for preparation to conduct powered testing from Muroc Dry Lake in California… now known as Edwards Air Force Base.  Before the flights began, Jack Woolams was killed in a crash while practicing for an air race.  He was replaced by Bell pilot Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin who made 26 successful flights in both the XS-1 and X-1-1 until June 1947.

The Army Air Force became frustrated with the slow pace of the testing under Bell’s watch and took the contract to fly the X-1-2 from Bell and put it in the hands of NACA for testing. 

On October 14th, the X-1-2 #46-062 piloted by Air Force Captain Charles “Chuck” Yeager was dropped from the modified bomb bay of a Boeing B-50 Superfortress over Muroc and began flight #50 in the program.  On that flight, the aircraft became the first manned aircraft to achieve supersonic flight — reaching a recorded speed of Mach 1.06 (807.2 mph).  The aircraft, christened “Glamorous Glennis” after Yeager’s wife, successfully landed after the flight and was recorded in the history books.  The story of the test program was the subject of the hit Hollywood film “The Right Stuff”.

The Bell X-1 #46-062 now hangs in the Milestones of Flight Gallery of the National Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC on permanent display.

This colorful tattooed tribute to the historic aircraft was completed by artist Ant Iannucci of Ascension Tattoo in Orlando, FL.

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

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I thought it was a good time to change things up a bit after a string of military aircraft. Therefore, I’d like to present a tattoo of one of my favorite heavy airliners, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

First flown in August of 1970, the DC-10 met a specification for a long-haul airliner similar in capacity to the Boeing 747, but capable of operating from shorter runways.  In direct competition with the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar which arrived in the market a year later, the DC-10 eventually was able to distinguish itself by finding a second engine supplier (which helped cut costs) and creating a longer range aircraft earlier than the L-1011 series did.

Northwest Airlines was the final operator of the DC-10 in passenger service - with the last DC-10 being retired from service on January 8, 2007.  The remaining flyable DC-10 aircraft now fly on as modified cargo aircraft, many with FedEx alongside the MD-11 — the replacement for the DC-10.  In fact, most FedEx DC-10’s have been modified to carry the designation MD-10 which allows pilots with MD-11 type ratings to also fly the -10.  The upgrade included the upgrade of the cockpit to Advanced Common Flightdeck (ACF) standards which eliminated the flight engineer position as required on most DC-10’s.

This tattoo was passed on to us by the wearer who had a special attachment to the DC-10, Northwest Airlines, and a Captain for the airline:

My Father, a 39-year Northwest Airlines Captain passed away after a four and half year battle with cancer. He has been my greatest inspiration to follow my dreams and take to the sky to leave my own contrails. The DC-10 was his favorite aircraft and I could think of no better way to represent that than on my chest!

With Northwest Airlines being merged with Delta Air Lines in April 2008 and the retirement of the Northwest Airlines brand, it seems this tattoo will also live on as a tribute to the airline his father committed his flying talents to over nearly four decades.

The tattoo was created by artist Eddie at Skin Factory Tattoo in Las Vegas, NV.

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

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