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.
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!
Please click on the image above or the link below for two larger images.
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I will admit that when I first saw this tattoo, I thought the aircraft pictured was a North American AT-6 Texan… one of the more common trainers of WWII vintage. However, as I reviewed it this past week as I was preparing posts, I realized it was far more rare than an AT-6… this tattoo features the obscure Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcon. Certainly one of the more unique aircraft we have featured here.
