Tattoos In Flight: Airplane, Flying, Aviation & Flight Themed Tattoos

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!

Even though the end of the Vietnam War was nearly four decades ago, when many people think of the war, one of the first images that comes to mind is that of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, more commonly known as the “Huey”. Its widespread use throughout the war by every branch of the U.S. military solidified it as a symbol of military service in Vietnam and as a result, many tributes for Vietnam Veterans feature the Huey… including the colorful half sleeve tattoo we feature today.

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Today’s featured aviation tattoo is one of the most iconic and well-known jet fighters in the world — the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.  Thanks mostly to its role in the wildly popular movie “Top Gun” from 1986 starring Tom Cruise, the F-14 was one of the few military aircraft that just about anyone on the street could identify.  For a generation of pilots and military aviators, the F-14 Tomcat and flying just like the character “Maverick” in the movie was the ultimate goal — and it even came true for some tenacious pilots that had what it took and actually flew in the real-life TOPGUN or formally known as the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program.

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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

I will admit, I waited a while before posting this tattoo… we wanted to display it at just the right time because we didn’t want such an amazing piece of tattoo artistry overlooked.  In fact, when I first saw this incredible tattoo of a General Electric GE90 turbofan engine as a cutaway image, I knew this was a feature to cherish.  So now, as the aviation world looks to the future this week at the Singapore Airshow in Asia… I felt it was the perfect time to post this tattoo of the ultimate evolution in commercial aircraft engines.

(click the image below for the full post and three larger photos of the tattoo in process)

And for good reason! This tattoo truly illustrates how far tattooing has evolved in the past few decades.  The amazing level of detail, shading, and technical precision that combined to create this technical triumph of turbine aircraft engine technology on a human canvas is staggering.

In fact, the subject of this tattoo and the tattoo itself are a lot alike.  The General Electric GE90 family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines are some of the most efficient, advanced, and powerful jet engines of the modern age of aviation.  The GE90 holds the world record for most thrust produced by a turbine engine and powered a Boeing 777-200ER that set the world record for the longest flight by a commercial airline aircraft.  On top of all this, it remains one of the largest engines ever built… and is the basis for the GEnx turbofan engine that has been developed to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Much like the engine, this tattoo illustrates a portion of what could be considered the peak of the art of tattooing… the line work, detail, and skill all combine to create an image that would look right at home in blueprints, 3-D CAD renderings, or detailed technical illustrations.  The fact that it was created on skin… a flexible living canvas with challenging curves and textures, proves that tattooing has not only evolved into an artform that mirrors that of other media, but perhaps even outranks in some cases because of the unique challenges that the medium presents to the artist.

Certainly the wearer, a dedicated aviation enthusiast and aspiring commercial pilot himself, made a very wise choice when he chose artist Brett J. Barr for this creation.  Brett is currently tattooing at Primal Tattoo Gallery in Orlando (Casselberry), Florida, so be sure to visit Brett’s portfolio for more amazing black and grey mechanical tattoo pieces as well as a diverse range of other amazing styles as well.  We are honored to have such a unique tattoo by such a talented artist featured here at Tattoos In Flight.

And thank you to our contributor for sending his masterpiece along as well as his patience… may the engine you have chosen to symbolize your career path, provide power and thrust on your journey into success within this fantastic industry of those who look to the sky and see more than just the clouds… they see the future!

Please click on the image above or the link below for three larger images of the tattoo in process and complete.

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Certainly the aviation industry isn’t immune to the occasional curse word… hell, I have heard quite a few conversations between pilots and mechanics myself where every other word is a “colorful adjective.”  That said, this colorful caricature of a female aviator (also known as an Aviatrix) buzzing about and dropping the “F-Bomb” certainly is a funny commentary on the skygods of swearing!

(click the image at left for the full post and larger photo)

Other than being a cute theme for a light-hearted flying-related tattoo, this tattoo is a great example of the awesome depth of color that can be achieved by today’s pigments used in tattooing.  A wide variety of colors and hues are now being used by artists… some pigments even being developed by artists themselves!  Some of these colors would have been unheard of 20 years ago… but now, the art is truly going through a renaissance of sorts with the medium!

This awesome tattoo was created by tattoo artist Mikey Sarratt who tattoos with High Noon Tattoo Parlor in Phoenix, AZ.  High Noon Tattoo Parlor is a great collaboration of experienced artists in the Phoenix area and spans a wide spectrum of styles… check them out!

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

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Normally I don’t like to post two tattoos of the same type of aircraft one right after the other, but since the P-51 Mustang WWII fighter is so popular as a tattoo and technique of this specific tattoo is so unique, I couldn’t help myself!

(click the image above for the full post and larger photos)

The P-51 that is the subject of this tattoo is the North American P-51D Mustang “Double Trouble Two” now owned and operated by the Fighter Factory of Suffolk, VA (and seen at many airshows around the East Coast).  Though the art is not as detailed as the real thing, the surreal… almost airbrushed look of this tattoo is quite interesting.  Unlike many tattoos, this one uses little outline and is defined almost entirely by subtle color work where the needle grouping almost acts more like a paintbrush than a pen.

The artist who accomplished this beautiful piece of aviation art skillfully applied to the curving canvas of an upper hip, lower right rib area is Kris Grimmer who performs his craft from Empire Tattoo of Clementon, NJ

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

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One of the things that makes tattoos featuring aircraft so challenging is the amount of detail that many aircraft require to look accurate.  As a result, airplane tattoos generally work better when they cover a larger part of the body rather than small areas… backs and torsos seem to work especially well.  The tattoo we are proud to feature today of a North American P-51 Mustang fighter from World War II is a perfect example of the artist and wearer giving a tattoo plenty of room to look its best!

(click the image above for the full post and larger photos)

The P-51 is considered by many enthusiasts to be the “Cadillac of the Skies” as they point out it’s aggressive appearance and powerful performance figures combined with its outstanding WWII record and active usage for years after the war.  Because of this, the P-51 has remained one of the most popular warbird aircraft flown by private collectors and museums today.  Over 120 P-51 Mustangs are maintained in flying condition today out of over 16,000 that were built – pretty impressive considering the fact that the design is over six decades old.  This popularity makes the P-51 one of the most recognizable aircraft of all time… and has made it a very popular tattoo subject as well.

The gentleman who sent us his P-51 Mustang backpiece was excited to share this fantastic piece of personal art with us and he certainly has a great reason to be excited!  The proportions of the P-51 are right on the money!  He got the tattoo in honor of his grandfather who flew as a crewmember aboard a B-29 Superfortress during the war.  The “S2” on the nose of the P-51 symbolizes both he and his wife as their initials both begin with the letter “S.”

The tattoo was created by tattoo artist C.W. who can be found at Royal Street Tattoo located in Mobile, AL.

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

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