Aircraft "Nose Art"
Did you know that decorating airplanes with artwork goes back earlier than WWII? Ever since men went to war they have felt the need to personalize their aircraft with unofficial and personal markings. The first recorded example of nose art is said to have been an Italian flying boat in 1913 (it had a sea monster painted on the nose). It is also interesting to note that Italian and German airmen were instrumental in the practice of nose art. (Although at first it was usually just squadron insignias.) Ideas for nose art came from everywhere... girlfriends, wives, posters, calendars, comics, or historical events but they all had one thing in common and that was to inspire and to relieve the stress of war. The golden age of nose art is generally associated with World War II and the Korean war but there are examples from Vietnam, the Gulf War, and even the airplanes of today. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of them.... |
World War I
*Note the black horse artwork on the side of the airplane, it was later used by Enzo Ferrari as the company logo. |
World War II |
Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by artist Ben Hardaway and Walter Lantz animation studio and was very popular during WWII. Here he is featured on a B-24 bomber known as "Secrut Weapin." |
World War II |
|
World War II |
There was a B-24 featuring each of the zodiac signs except Taurus. |
World War II |
(She was a popular actress of the time.) |
World War II |
(It is now in the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.) |
Vietnam to Present |
|
Vietnam to Present |
|
Vietnam to Present |
|
Vietnam to Present |
The A-10 Thunderbolt "Warthog" on the left features a sharks mouth like the P-40 and F8 Crusader; it is the inspiration behind the A-10 Warthog "Bite 'Em" design I did for a T-shirt. |
I hope you enjoyed the brief look at some of my favorite nose art pictures. it was fun writing the story. If you would like to see some more of designs click here to visit my online portfolios...
Here is a book that I have and it has great pictures of aircraft noseart! Vintage Aircraft Nose Art (Motorbooks Classic) Paperback – by Gary Valant