When I got the call a few months back from Alton K. Marsh, a Senior Editor for AOPA Pilot Magazine (the official publication for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), I was surprised to say the least!  Mr. Marsh has been a favorite writer of mine at AOPA for years and to get a call from him was a thrill to say the least.  When I learned what the call was about, I was even more thrilled… he was researching an upcoming article for AOPA Pilot on Aviation Tattoos!  He had been doing a little bit of research and inquiry on the AOPA Member Forums when he learned of my little website here, Tattoos In Flight, so he gave me a call to see if we could lend him a hand in finding the aviators around the U.S. who were passionate enough about aviation and flying to get a permanent tribute in the form of a tattoo.  Needless to say, I was glad to help!

Well, I am proud to say that the finished article has been published in the October 2011 issue of AOPA Pilot Magazine under the title “Tattoos in the Air: Visual Evidence of a Passion for Flight” by Alton Marsh.  The article is complete with some amazing photography of some of our featured subjects on Tattoos In Flight including the famous portrait tattoo by Shotsie Gorman of Charles Lindbergh, the amazingly detailed cutaway tattoo of the General Electric turbine engine by Brett J. Barr, and the Piper PA-28R Arrow tattoo by Jim Judeikis.  As for the identity of the proud wearers, well, you’ll just have to read the article!

So, if you’re a member of AOPA, make sure to keep an eye out for it in your mailbox.  If you aren’t a member of AOPA yet, why not become a member and support the future of General Aviation… it’s well worth the $39.00 per year!  And if you just can’t wait, you can always read the article online at this link to “Tattoos in the Air” at AOPA Online and see some of the photos as well.

Once you’ve read it, come back here and let us know what you think!  Post a comment!

Update: August 2, 2011 – We’re having some problems with the new theme file, so we’ve held off on unveiling the new look until we are 100% ready, but we’ve started posting new content again! 

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for something new to be posted here on Tattoos In Flight, have no fear… that’s all going to change this weekend!  After months of working on a new look and a new navigation for the site, we have finally finished all the work we can perform up to actually installing it on the site… and that’s what is going to happen this weekend!  Have no fear, all of our posts, pictures and links will remain working and the URL will remain the same (as will the RSS feed for those of you who read the site as a news feed)… though you might see some weirdness at certain points over the weekend as we change things around.  With any luck, we’ll have the site fully switched over by Monday and will have some new posts to add shortly after!

You might ask why we’re doing this and why it’s taken so long?  Well, when I say “we” I really mean… well, me.  Since Tattoos In Flight started back in June 2008, it’s been a one-man operation.  Though when I first started the site, I was on a one-month break between leaving one job, moving across the U.S. to Arizona, then starting a new one, I began the site when I had some spare time on my hands. But since then, I’ve pretty much had a full-time career plus a few side jobs while working on the site — and you know how it goes.  And over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot more about how a blog should work and have learned a lot about WordPress (the system that runs the blog), so an upgrade has been long overdue!

I can’t wait to get the new design launched and see what you all think of it!  I am pretty proud of how far TattoosInFlight.com has come and thank you all for being a part of the site and hope you’ll keep coming back when TattoosInFlight 2.0 goes live this weekend!

Hi fans and followers of Tattoos In Flight!  You’re probably wondering “where are the new posts”? — well, they are coming soon!  We’ve been working on a newer, easier to navigate layout for the site and haven’t been able to post much as we work on the new format.  In a few weeks you’ll see more fantastic aviation tattoo work displayed here with our own new look… so stay tuned! 

In the meantime, keep sending in your tattoos for consideration to be published… YOUR tattoo may be one of our new featured pieces!  Thanks! – The Editor

Today’s featured tattoo was created by artist Jason Stephan of King Street Body Gallery in Cocoa, FL.  We’ll talk about it more later on though.

(Editor) I’m going to take a break from my normal discussion of an aircraft’s lineage or history and how it relates to the tattoo featured, and instead I am going to talk a little about the devotion a person feels for a certain subject — in this case, aviation — to have a significant tattoo permanently added to their body.  Call it my early post for Valentine’s Day, professing my love for flying.  It’s fitting the tattoo we feature today has the “heart” to help me out don’t you think?  Oh yeah, and the tattoo at the left isn’t mine…

For me, aviation has been as much a part of my identity as my hair, or the small freckle I have over my lip.  People know me by my love for the sky — despite the fact I don’t have as many hours of flight time in my logbook as many others nor have I flown a great number of aircraft. 

What I DO know is that I have traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to see an airshow or airplane.  I have trusted people who were strangers only hours before to take me flying in an airplane I know little about.  When I’m driving, I plot my route to pass as many airports as I can and have been known to drive the perimeter at many to catch a peek at what surprises may have in store.  I have read thousands of books, magazines, and websites filled with facts, figures and stories on a wide range of flying-related topics.  I work in aviation, I dream in aviation, I LIVE in aviation.

And as a result, I display that love upon the one canvas that will stay with me through my living days, never needs a wall to hang upon or a frame to live within.  My gallery, or rather, my tribute to a life aloft is permanently recorded on my skin.  I have devoted my back and my left thigh to it thus far — and I have plans for many more hours under the needle to expand it. 

Click here or the image above to read more & view a larger image »

Are you a Facebook user and a fan of Tattoos In Flight?  Why don’t you stop by and list yourself as a “fan” on Facebook! 

We’ve created a basic page on Facebook to promote the site, so stop by and add yourself as a fan and help us spread the word about Tattoos In Flight!

Hey!  Click here to go to our Facebook Page right now!

Thanks everyone!

Well, it’s been two months since I started the Tattoos In Flight blog and I’ve really been enjoying it.  It’s great finding new artwork out there and putting it up here for everyone to see.

I certainly hope those of you who follow the blog are enjoying it too!  I’d love it if you have any comments or feedback on what you like or what you think I should improve on here — afterall, it’s here for your eyes, not just mine!

So leave a comment and tell me what you think so far!  Even if you don’t have suggestions, just comment and let me know you’re out there!

Additionally, I just added a new form that allows you to submit photos of your tattoo work without sending an email.  Just go to the “Submit a Photo / Story” button at the right and you’ll see the form right there.  Try it out!

As always, please feel free to drop me a line at tattoosinflight@gmail.com if you have anything you’d like to share or comment on personally.  I’m always interested in what our readers have to say!

Thanks! – R.K.

If you are a fan of Tattoos in Flight and want to know more, please sign up for our email mailing list!  We’ll be sending new site information and news, special offers, and some members-only content in the future!

Sign up by clicking this link!

We’ll always have the button at the right sidebar too — you can sign up there too.

Your information is kept confidential and will not be sold or used for anything other than Tattoos In Flight related information. We won’t spam you either!

Thanks! – Icarus

I woke up this morning with quite a surprise… Tattoos In Flight has been featured in the blog at Needled, one of the (if not THE) best and most well-known sites on highbrow tattoo culture out there!  Marisa at Needled was nice enough to even post the entire “essay-like” backgrounder I sent to her.  Thanks!

Needled is an amazing site, with lots of content including some great videos… and if you haven’t visited, please do so!

So if you are visiting via Needled, welcome!