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.

(click the image for the full post & a larger photo)

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!

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

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It’s been a while since we’ve run the Winged Wednesday feature… and since the most elemental image of flight involves the feathered wings seen on birds, it is truly the starting point for all flight related tattoos.

When it comes to tattooed wings, it only makes sense to restart the feature with the most famous tattooed wings ever, the wings worn by famous piercer Elayne Angel. 

She is, perhaps, one of the first people in the modern history of tattooing to have wings tattooed on such a scale and with such realism on their back — and believed it unique enough to apply and attain a registration by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  It was the first and to date is the only tattoo to be trademarked in such a form.  On November 5, 2002 Elayne Angel’s wings were issued Registration No. 2,645,270.  On the advice of her attorney, she had the encircled “R” symbol tattooed at the bottom of the wings to afford her greater legal protection in the case of action brought about from infringement of her mark.

The tattoo was created in 1986 by veteran tattoo artist Bob Roberts, owner of Spotlight Tattoo in Hollywood, CA. The tattoo was completed by Roberts in 18 hours, done over four sessions within a month.  Her black and gray wings remain one of the most well-known tattoos in the past several decades.

Elayne Angel owned and operated Rings of Desire, her own studio in the French Quarter in New Orleans, LA.  Unfortunately, the studio (and business) was badly impacted by Hurricane Katrina and as a result Elayne Angel closed the studio and relocated to Mexico.  She remains one of the pioneers of modern, safe, and sterile piercing practices in the U.S.

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

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Decided to put something a bit light and whimsical up today — a good relaxing change for the weekend.  This surreal combination of fighter nose (looks a lot like the P-40 Warhawk but with a two-blade prop) and butterfly wings is certainly an interesting combination.

This tattoo was created by Paul Wren of Old Ghost Tattoo (formerly Th’Inker Tattoo) in Melbourne, FL.

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

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Since the early days of aviation, wings as a “fashion accessory” for aviators has been a natural fit.  This particular tattoo — done on a lower stomach area (yes, ouch) — illustrates the type of wings used during World War II by the Army Air Corps. 

This tattoo was created by artist Seth Mushrush of Baker Street Tattoo in Media, PA.

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

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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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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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