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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It’s a common practice for those in the Armed Forces to permanently commemorate their service in the form of a tattoo.  Just as sailors collected tattoos ages ago on their visits to exotic ports of call to remember their travels, today’s soldiers, sailors, and airmen (and women) still do the same to remember a part of their life that helped shape their adulthood.

Such is the case in today’s post… a Lockheed C-130 Hercules tattoo decorating the shoulder of a wearer who holds the strength and power of one of the most heralded transport aircraft in history close to his heart.  He is not alone, at least two more people have done the same and certainly there are more who we just haven’t found yet!

The C-130 certainly deserves such recognition.  Aside from being one of the longest produced active military aircraft… still rolling off assembly lines after 55 years, the C-130 is also one of the most flexible transports ever.  It’s service has covered every continent in the world… even Antarctica!  Special LC-130H’s operated by the 109th Airlift Wing based at Stratton ANGB in Scotia, NY supported the National Science Foundation in Antarctica to supply the scientific bases there by landing on the ice with specially designed skis fitted to the landing gear.

This shoulder tattoo, created in black and gray shading, was created by artist Erik Payne of Inkvision Tattoo Studio in Boise, ID.

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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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The mighty Lockheed C-130 Hercules is one of the most recognizable transport aircraft in the world today.  First flown on August 23, 1954, the “Herky Bird” is one of only five aircraft types that have met and surpassed the 50-year mark of continuous service in current inventory.  The C-130 is still being produced in fact, as the C-130J.  The C-130 was originally designed as a troop transport, but it’s scope has broadened over the years to include service as an inflight refueler (KC-130), gunship (AC-130), and even use by the US Navy and Air National Guard to support operations in Antarctica on skis!

For many who crewed on or currently fly aboard the C-130, the airplane holds a special place in their heart. For the subject of this entry, his passion for the C-130 Hercules extended to the point where he had one permanently placed on his forearm as a tattoo tribute to the timeless transport.

Artist Matt Bremer of Sinnin Skinn Inkworks in Orfordville, WI did the great piece in black and gray for the client with great results!

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The Bell UH-1 Iroquois - affectionately known as the “Huey”, used extensively in (and became an icon of)the Vietnam War, could be considered one of the most important aircraft of the 20th century.  Able to insert or extract soldiers from rugged combat zones, the Huey revolutionized the way wars were fought.

This black and gray rib tattoo scene shows what the Huey was built for — an en masse formation of Hueys placing infantry in the middle of a rugged jungle. The tattoo was created by Cody Meyer of Aces High Tattoo Shop in West Palm Beach, FL.

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