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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Well, I’m finally back from the big tradeshow in Orlando, FL and am ready to get back into the swing of things — and sending you the best aviation tattoos from the finest artists around the world!

Kicking off the weekend is this fantastic early World War II dogfight sleeve project!  The smooth, vibrant color used here beautifully illustrates the vintage imagery of the era. Central to the tattoo is a Moraine-Saulnier MS.315 as well as an early Luftwaffe aircraft resembling a Heinkel HE-100 perhaps.

The artist, Nikko Hurtado of Ignition Tattoo in Apple Valley, CA did an amazing job with this piece.  Take a look at Nikko’s portfolio and you’ll see more stunning work!

Nikko is one of a host of artists using the Neuma tattoo machine — the first and only pneumatic tattoo machine that’s light, fully autoclavable, and maintenance-free. The kind of work these artists are putting out is really pushing the boundaries of the artform!

Please click on the link below or the image above to see a larger image and a second image of the sleeve!

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Today we’re glad to feature one of the worlds most adored and beloved airplanes — the Douglas DC-3.  Also known as the C-47 Skytrain and the “Gooney Bird”, the rugged DC-3 was one of the first successful passenger airliners as well as a popular transport and paratroop aircraft during World War II.  This particular tattoo shows a DC-3 as a C-47 with a bit of WWII-vintage nose art adorning the ample forward fuselage.

The colorful tattoo along with the propeller and wings was created 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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Finally!  I found a tattoo of my favorite plane — the Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydet.  The “Stearman” was usually the first plane a cadet got his hands on in flight training during WWII, and it made a great many pilots.  After the war many Stearmans saw service as crop dusters and sport planes and today many Stearmans are still flying as a reasonably priced warbird collectable!

This tattoo was beautifully done by Thomas Graham of Supergenius Tattoo in the Boeing birthplace, Seattle, WA.

Please click on the link below or the image above to see a larger image!

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A little change of scenery for a Monday morning — a tattoo of a dogfight involving the feared Messerschmitt BF-109 and a group of Supermarine Spitfires.  The scene, perhaps taken right from the Battle of Britain, was tattooed by Tim Dunne of Trader Tim’s Tattoo in Alderley, Brisbane Australia.

For a larger image, click on the link below or the image above.

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A little bit of a change today — and only slightly off topic, but cool nonetheless.  This is a tattoo of Atomic Robo, the main character of a great new comic series from Red 5 Comics (I say new, but it’s been out for a year, so not really).  He’s a bad-guy fighting, wisecracking robot who has been seen behind the stick of a few WWII planes in the series… so if you don’t know of Robo, take a look at their site here.

Friend and fellow college alum Scott Wegener does the art and inking for the comic and is damn cool mofo in my book.  He was a flight instructor for quite some time before making the switch to art — and based on his success and talent, he made the right choice!

So that’s what keeps us on topic right?

The tattoo below — perhaps the first Atomic Robo tattoo — was created by Stretch at Stretch Tattoos in East Hartford, CT.

And yes, I am a fan of the series as well, wearing my Atomic Robo t-shirt and staring at the five first run issue number ones on my shelf!

For a larger shot, please click on the link below or the image above!

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We all remember our dreams of flight as a kid, when we took the sheet of lined filler paper and made our first attempt at a paper airplane with it.  Unfortunately many of us failed to take into account such concepts as center of gravity and the fast that there were two huge holes in the wing for the binder rings!

Artist Jason Sweet of Freaks and Geeks Tattoo Studio of Fullerton, CA playfully placed a permanent picture of a paper plane on a passionate person — how’s that for alliteration!

For a detailed photo, click on the link below or the image above.

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Over the past few months we’ve come across various styles of tattoo art depicting aircraft and aviation themes, but this is one of the few that I have seen with a certain “propaganda poster” feel to it — very bold artwork and colors featuring the Supermarine Spitfire, one of the most famous RAF fighters of WWII.

Artist Stephanie Tamez of New York Adorned in New York, NY is really showing a unique side of tattoo art with this piece!

For a larger image, please click the link below or the image above.

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Taking a break from the warbirds and military planes, here is a classic Waco biplane tattoo playfully tattooed in with some swirling clouds.  Artist Jessie Hopeless of Exile Tattoo in Kansas City, MO is responsible for the fun execution of this colorful tattoo.

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

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This fantastic black and gray tattoo of Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed 10A Electra was sent to us this week by the wearer, a licensed pilot in Washington who chose the powerful design after searching for artwork to use in an aviation-themed piece. The tattoo was done by artist Collin Delgado of Baraka Naga Art Company in Seattle, WA. The tattoo took ten hours over three sessions to complete.

To see a larger version of the tattoo, please click on the link below to open the full story.

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