In the early days of the 20th Century — in the years right after World War I, the airplane went through a time of “teenage rebellion” when barnstorming and flying circuses swept over the United States.  Barely two decades old, the airplane was still something of a rarity to see in the air.  For people in rural communities, the appearance of an airplane could be the biggest occurrence for months.  Because of this, pilots from WWI with an entrepreneurial spirit set out in surplus military aircraft and toured the country — selling airplane rides and operating from impromptu airfields mowed from farm pastures.

The most common aircraft used by barnstormers was the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny - a common biplane trainer used during the war and sold for as little as $200 (the aircraft was purchased $5000 new) after the end of the war. The Jenny was a sturdy and relatively simple aircraft and was well suited for the abuse it could suffer “on the road”.

When barnstormers started partnering up to create larger shows or “flying circuses”, the aerial antics became more and more daring.  Aerobatics, wing walking, performers jumping from a moving car into an airplane in flight, and even, as illustrated by this tattoo, performers moving from one aircraft to another in flight.  Because pilots and touring groups were always trying to out-shine and outperform each other, the stunts became more and more daring and risky.  Many pilots lost their lives in these unregulated, free-for-all days of flying because of this.

With the passage of the Air Commerce Act on May 20, 1926, the basis of federal regulation of aviation was established under the newly formed Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce.  Over the next several decades and name changes, federal regulation became the responsibility of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).  That organization gave birth to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958 that placed all elements of aviation and airspace regulation and safety under the one agency.

This black and gray tattoo on the back of a calf commemorating the early days of flight was created by tattoo artist apprentice Christel Perkins currently apprenticing at Mile High Tattoo in Denver, CO.

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

Read the rest of this entry »

Besides the fact that this tattoo includes the famous Curtiss JN-4 Jenny — one of the first practical training aircraft built for U.S. Army service, this tattoo also depicts one of the most famous stamps in the world, The Inverted Jenny.

First let’s talk about the aircraft. The Curtiss JN line of biplane trainer aircraft started production in 1915, but the early models were plagued with shoddy construction and inadequate power for flight.  The JN-4, improved with the Curtiss OX-5 V8 engine, was an improvement and found itself ideal for training pilots.  The 90hp engine gave the JN-4 a top speed of 75 mph and a ceiling of 6,500 feet. About 6,813 JNs were built and hundreds were sold off after military service and became the early backbone of aviation in the 20’s.  Many of the planes could be seen in the hands of barnstormers, stunt pilots, and sport pilots in traveling flying circuses.

The stamp, known as the Inverted Jenny or Jenny Invert to those familiar with American philately, is one of the rarest known to exist.  Issued on 10 May 1918, the stamp was an error due to a rush to get stamps made for the inauguration of Airmail service between New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Since the stamp was two colors, the sheets of stamps needed to be printed on twice… an error prone process.  It is believed that three sheets with the inversion error were caught during printing and destroyed, but one sheet of 100 somehow slipped through and in the ensuing decades, have become something of a “White Stag” to stamp collectors.  A single stamp sold at auction in November 2007 fetched $977,500 and a block of four sold at auction in 2005 for $2.7 Million.

This unique tattoo of the rare stamp was created by artist Margaret Bushell of The Painted Lady tattoo studio in Harrisonburg, VA and was done on her husband.

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

Read the rest of this entry »

This old school-style tattoo of an aviatrix was expertly completed by Walter McDonald of Lifetime of Sol Tattoo in Denver, Colorado.  It’s fairly common to see classic images of aviators in tattoo work, but fairly rare to see a woman’s head used — a refreshing change!

Click on the link below to see a larger version of the tattoo!

Read the rest of this entry »