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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The invention of the helicopter, to me, is one of the best examples of the power of the human mind and our ingenuity. To envision, design, build and fly something that can maneuver so precisely all while battling the various challenges it faces through the laws of physics: torque and gyroscopic force, ground resonance, and all the complex aerodynamics of a rotary wing – it just boggles the mind!  Obviously, those who work intimately with rotorcraft have the utmost respect for the type as well… and we are proud to feature the tattoos of one such individual here today.

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As you see, the tattoo is a collection of helicopter and vertical flight imagery done in black and gray.  Central in the backpiece is the “aerial screw” concept as envisioned by artist, inventor, visionary and dreamer of flight, Leonardo da Vinci, in the 1480’s.  Though the design never worked, his concept was one of the first explorations into the idea of flying vertically as opposed to horizontally like a bird as tried by early experimenters in aviation. 

Nearly 300 years later, starting around 1760, a succession of inventors experimented with vertical flight through models and sometimes full-sized (but many time unsuccessful) craft.  A full history of this era in helicopter experimentation can be found at Wikipedia by clicking here.

It wasn’t until the experiments of the French brothers Jacques and Louis Breguet in 1907 and those of fellow French inventor Paul Cornu in the same year, that actual flight (though limited to a hover of a few feet) with a person aboard was proven.  It drove other inventors forward in experimenting with improvements that led to the modern definition of the helicopter controls that we know today: the cyclic, the collective, the anti-torque pedals, and the throttle.

The first true “modern” successful helicopter, the Sikorsky VS-300, was created and flown in 1940 by Russian immigrant and noted aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky.  His design used the simplified single main rotor configuration combined with a single vertical tail rotor for anti-torque. The Sikorsky R-4, derived from the VS-300, became the first helicopter to be mass produced and 131 were manufactured by Sikorsky for military use.

In the years since, helicopter development paralleled that of fixed wing aircraft and advancements in speed, capacity, maneuverability and safety have taken it from it’s roots as an unstable experiment to, perhaps, the most valuable asset in aviation today.  It’s ability to operate into areas not accessible by land or by traditional aircraft make it a crucial vehicle for use in military, rescue, exploration and urban transport flight operations.

Certainly our subject today feels the same way about his connection to the helicopter as it’s become a valuable asset in his life as well.  With over 20 years of experience in helicopters, his experienced ranged from Army service overseas for seven years to more recent work with the H-65 in Miami, Puerto Rico and Mobile, AL.  He even took part in Hurricane Katrina recovery with helicopters; a highlight of his service in his opinion. As he said about his experiences…

There is nothing as liberating as the freedom of movement that a helicopter offers - in all three dimensions, literally at your fingertips. I’m not sure where my life would be right now without my rotary-wing background…I guarantee it would be much duller.

The left side of his back is devoted to the Army – a Boeing CH-47 Chinook with a slingloaded howitzer under it. The right side of his back honors the United States Coast Guard (USCG) with an HH-65 Dolphin hoisting it’s rescue basket with a survivor. “The yin/yang of helicopter flight in the military – taking lives/saving lives” as he put it… a testament to the versatility of the design.

At the top are his wings from both the Army and the Navy, blended to together to represent their respective side.

The compilation of the helicopter tattoo work was created by artist Dave Tedder of All or Nothing Tattoo in Smyrna, GA and was done over a 5.5 hour sitting in April of 2007.  Thanks for sending us the great tattoo and the great story!

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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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In memory and honor of the men and women who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the service of the armed forces in defense of our nation, we take this day — Memorial Day — to pause and remember their efforts and pay tribute to their unselfish devotion to protecting our way of life.

Formerly known as Decoration Day and originally created to honor the soldiers lost during the Civil War, Memorial Day was expanded after World War I to include honoring all American casualties of any war or military action.  Memorial Day is held on the last Monday of May each year… and though it signifies a day away from work for many, it truly is much more than that… it’s a time to pause and reflect on the service of our veterans, living and deceased, and honor their commitment, great and small.

Tattoos have been used for many years as a way for fellow veterans and family members to honor their fallen comrades and soldiers, sailors and airmen.  To many, it’s a way to carry on the memory of the fallen in line with that of the wearer… for as long as the wearer keeps their name and image on their body, they will live through them during the term of their own life.

This moving tattoo, honoring the service of a fallen veteran with the images of a 21 gun salute and a formation of Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters was created by tattoo artist Dave Tedder of All or Nothing Tattoo in Smyrna, GA. 

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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.

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The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the dive bomber of choice for the United States Navy at the beginning of World War II.  In fact, a group of SBDs arriving in Hawaii from the USS Enterprise at sea were caught in the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. 

In US Army service, the type was known as the A-24 Banshee, but it saw limited service as many regarded the type as too slow, too short-ranged and too poorly armed for their needs.

Far more acclaimed in Naval Aviation service, the SBD is perhaps best known for it’s role during the Battle of Midway in June of 1942.  In one day, attacking SBD Dauntlesses sank or fatally damaged all four Japanese carriers — three (Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū) within six minutes and the Hiryū later in the day.

Though joined later in the war by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, many crews favored the “Slow But Deadly” (SBD) over the “Son of a Bitch, 2nd Class” (SB2C) as a dive bomber, though it was an older design.

This tattoo of an SBD Dauntless, ironically placed near a bellybutton on the stomach (a Navel Fighter?) was created by artist Nick Chaboya at Classic Tattoo Studio in Grass Valley, CA.

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