I completely realize that we have featured this fantastic black and gray back tattoo honoring famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart before, but in honor of the opening weekend of the movie Amelia by Mira Nair and featuring Hilary Swank, we decided to bring it back!  It was an early post of ours and perhaps not everyone has had the chance to see this fantastic tattoo.

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

While Amelia Earhart was certainly one of the most famous female aviators due to her celebrity and of course her mysterious disappearance, there are a great many more women who have bravely taken to the skies despite the considerable challenges they faced.  Some of the notable aviatrixes on our list include:

- Harriet Quimby – First Licensed American Female Pilot
- Bessie Coleman – First African-American licensed pilot (male or female)
- Beryl Markham – First woman to fly Atlantic Ocean East to West
- Jackie Cochran – Record breaking female air race pilot & entrepreneur.
- Pancho Barnes – First female movie and stunt pilot in film
- Amy Johnson – First woman to fly solo from England to Australia
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh - 1st woman to fly great circle route, NYC to China
- Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) – First US military female pilots
- Valentina Tereshkova – First woman in space, USSR Cosmonaut
- Sally Ride – First US woman astronaut

Their own accomplishments should never be overlooked – and their pioneering spirit paved the way for many more since.  Our editor even has a portrait tattoo of Jackie Cochran as part of his Bendix Trophy piece in honor of her win in 1937.

This fantastic tattoo of Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed 10A Electra featured here today was created by artist Collin Delgado of Baraka Naga Art Company in Seattle, WA. The tattoo took ten hours over three sessions to complete.

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

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To celebrate the first anniversary of Tattoos In Flight, I thought it would be fitting to post the first successful powered aircraft, the 1903 Flyer built and first flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright from the dunes at Kitty Hawk, NC on December 17, 1903.  The brothers from Dayton, OH owned a bicycle shop, The Wright Cycle Company, by trade, but were consummate inventors and began experimenting with aeronautics at the turn of the century.

The brothers built and conducted glider experiments at Kitty Hawk from 1900 through 1902 and tested various designs and means of control… including turning control via the concept of wing warping.  These elements were incorporated into the 1903 Flyer along with the ingenious and light four-cylinder inline, gravity-fed engine engineered and constructed by their shop mechanic Charlie Taylor in only six-weeks.

Wilbur Wright was the first to attempt flying the aircraft on December 14th 1903, resulting in a three-second attempt where the aircraft stalled after takeoff and was slightly damaged as it hit the ground.

After the machine was repaired, Orville made the next attempt.  Against a freezing headwind gusting to 27 mph, Orville set down the takeoff rail and made the first controllable flight of a heavier-than-air craft… a 12 second flight covering 120 feet.  Two more flights that day by Wilbur and Orville respectively, covered 175 and 200 feet. The fourth flight of the day by Wilbur covered the longest distance… 852 feet over 59 seconds.  Unfortunately the aircraft was significantly damaged by a gust of wind as it was being taken back from the fourth flight and the aircraft never flew again.

The aircraft was shipped back to Dayton and was eventually restored years later by Orville before it toured to various locations in the U.S. and eventually was placed on display at a British museum – and eventually was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution as of 1948 after a long-standing conflict over the Wright claim as first in flight and a similar claim of Samuel Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1896 to 1906, who unsuccessfully attempted flight in October and December of 1903 using his own craft, the Aerodrome.  For more information on this odd controversy, follow this link.

In honor of this historic aircraft and historic flight, this beautiful black and gray inner arm tattoo was created by tattoo artist Hoffa at Ascension Tattoo in Orlando, FL.  Ironically Hoffa is also from Dayton, OH himself.

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

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There’s a lot of traditional flash art that’s out there featuring military or Naval themes… but so few designs feature anything aviation-related. When we saw this great old-school-style tattoo featuring the North American B-25 Mitchell on the web, we had to feature it here!

The B-25 Mitchell is named after General Billy Mitchell - a man who many consider the father of the U.S. Air Force.  Appointed as deputy director of the fledgling Air Service division of the U.S. Army after World War I, Mitchell was a crusader for an increased investment in air power by the United States military. He even proved the value of aircraft in battle with several aircraft versus naval vessel tests that resulted in aircraft showing a clear advantage.

Mitchell had a tumultuous career in the military as he was considered something of a firebrand in the eyes of his superiors for his frequent arguments and criticisms of their leadership. He was demoted to Colonel in 1925 and later that year was court marshaled for insubordination after accusing Army and Navy leaders of an “almost treasonable administration of the national defense.”

Though he resigned from military service shortly afterward and was only honored with a posthumous commission to Major General by the President after he passed away, Mitchell was immortalized in 1940 when the North American B-25 medium bomber was named after him.

This tattoo tribute to the man and the machine named “Mitchell” was conceived by it’s wearer in honor of his grandfather who served in the USAAF in World War II, his childhood love of WWII history, and his first home on his own at the age of 19 — in Milwaukee, WI, home of General Mitchell and where a B-25 stands guard at the airport in the city that bears his name.

His other tattoo work is primarily traditional-style work inspired by the work of traditional tattoo master Bob Shaw (1926-1993).  Our wearer participates as a World War II re-enactor at local events and airshows… so the style fits perfectly.

The tattoo was created by tattoo artist and friend Matt Wes who is currently tattooing at Family Tattoo in Chicago, IL.  The photo below show’s the tattoo six years after it was done… and is as vibrant and clear as the day it was done.

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

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We’re striking back up our “Space Saturday” feature with this inner arm tattoo of a Russian (former Soviet) cosmonaut. The tattoo is of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to be launched into space on April 12, 1961 and the first to orbit the Earth.  Gagarin was a pioneer in the early space race as the USA and USSR fought to match or beat each others triumphs in spaceflight.  Tragically, Gagarin lost his life on March 27, 1968 at the young age of 34 during a routine training flight when the MiG-15 UTI he was flying with an instructor, crashed near the town of Kirzhach.

Artist Jason Butcher of Immortal Ink in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, United Kingdom fittingly immortalized Gagarin in this tattoo.

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

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If you have even the basic familiarity with history and aviation, you’ve surely heard of Charles Lindbergh and his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, making him the first human to make such a journey via airplane alone.  Throughout his aviation career, Lindbergh made a name as a pioneer of air routes in some of the most remote and far-away places.  Certainly he can be considered one of the greatest aviators of the 20th century.

This tattoo tribute to Lindbergh was created by artist Jason Riggs of Lazy Lightning Tattoos in Indianapolis, IN. 

Click on the image above or the link below to see a larger image.

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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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