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.

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The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is the oldest serving transport aircraft design currently in Armed Forces inventory.  As a result, thousands of crew members have served aboard the “Herkey Bird” throughout its service history.  Many crew are intensely proud of the aircraft and as a result, the C-130 is, perhaps, the most tattooed transport aircraft out there… but that’s just a guess from our crack editorial staff!

Over 2300 C-130′s have been produced and they are still under production as the C-130J Super Hercules – nearly the same externally as the basic C-130 but with new engines, six-bladed propellers, digital avionics and other upgraded systems.  The fact that it’s still rolling off the assembly line after 55 years is an amazing testament to the durability of the design and usefulness of the aircraft in a changing military over more than five decades.

A little known fact about the C-130 is the fact that it currently holds the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier – a record set through a series of trials in October and November 1963 with a USMC KC-130F aboard the USS Forrestal. 

This tribute tattoo of a C-130 as a paratrooper ship was created by artist Melissa Zimmer of Black Lantern Tattoo in Glendale, AZ.

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The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most timeless turbojet aircraft ever to have been produced.  Despite the fact that the design is over fifty years old, with it’s first flight taking place on June 22, 1954, it still flies as a front line fighter in some Air Forces and Naval Arms worldwide today.

The A-4 was designed by famous Douglas aircraft designer Ed Heinemann in response for a U.S. Navy order to replace the carrier-borne, propeller-driven Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider attack aircraft. The simple, delta-winged design weighed only half the U.S. Navy specification and the wings were so small that they didn’t require wing-folding mechanisms to operate and be stored on aircraft carriers.  It’s nimble performance earned it the nicknames “Scooter” and “Heinemann’s Hot-Rod”.

The Skyhawk remained in production until 1979 and 2,960 aircraft were built. it fought through the Vietnam War and was used by Israel in the Yom Kippur War and Argentina in the Falklands War against the British Royal Navy.

A tribute to the tiny attack jet, this realistic tattoo was created by tattoo artist Jesse Rix, owner of Secret Lake Tattoo located in Keene, NH.

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