Skip to main content

Nose Art

That's "airplane" nose art:). I love this American tradition of personalizing an aircraft through artistic expression. Started in WWII, it was popular for a crew to name their aircraft, creating a personal connection to the plane, by creating artwork for the nose. Colorful to look at, most designs represented a time period in history, and/or a story about the crew of the aircraft. The tradition has carried forward from WWII, through the Korean and Vietnam wars...and into the present.

Look at http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/ for more complete information on the history of this art form, as well as to see some examples.



Today, many people still create an art piece for their aircraft, though the styles are definitely changing.

Comments

Pugelicious said…
Thanks for the encouragement about my cupcakes (I was pleased with myself). I love the artwork on the planes. My Dad loved planes and flying - it always brings back happy memories of my childhood when I look at your posts. Hope you have had a great trip Sandy :)
Char said…
I always loved looking at the WWII nose art as it was so beautiful - I'm not sure if I want it to be more graphic. LOL

beautiful shots
Looks like you guys are having fun! I love the old art and the show below looks exciting!
Glad you are having a good time!
Sandy K. said…
I will agree that WWII nose art is much more appealing. The newer versions are a bit much...though humorous. I don't want to lose the history, though, and think we need to help people remember the origination of nose art and what it is supposed to stand for. A little soapbox of mine:).
Lovely post.
British Airways does this well too.

Happy Monday.
joyce said…
You reminded me of an article I read where the pilots during the war would paint American movie stars, buxom & blond, on their aircraft to remind them of home & keep their spirits up. I think nose art is great!
Anil P said…
Nose art makes for a pretty sight, very colourful, and takes on the personality of the flyers.

I wonder what the birds make of it up in the skies. Surely they must pause to take it all in.
Laura said…
Hey Sandy, thanks for introducing me to this art form - I just love it!! And I agree with you that the origin of it is very important (as with any art form I believe)

Also - I scrolled down a bit on your posts and enjoyed reading the one about Texas. You are right on about how proud Texans are of their fine state and they are super friendly people too! We've only lived here a little over a year but feel very welcome :>
Sandy K. said…
In sorting through my pics I have some more fun nose art which I'll share another time. We'll be home Monday, with stable Internet:). We've taking a brief respit from Washington State Parks, which are beautiful.

I also found that things in Washington can be larger than life! Wait and see what I mean!

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Week- being home and loving photography

Roamin Meets the GPS- Stories from the Road Lisa, my favorite Curious Girl , created a wonderful idea for a week of "happy" posts. Share those things which make you happy, bring joy to your life, and generally fill you with happy thoughts (I do love the movie Hook , with Robin Williams). We are just returned from our fabulous 23-day, 5600 mile, 10 state, 4 time-zone adventure, and I am filled with happy thoughts today. I am also aware of the piles of laundry, the dirty car, the grocery shopping, and the weary body. Those are not the things I'll share today! Today it's about the joy of road-tripping. The miracle that we live in such a country that everywhere you go you see something to celebrate. I love driving down the road and seeing something new, or different, or unexpected. We drove for a very long time across the upper mid-west, while following signs for "Wall Drugs." Apparently this is a historic stop, originally a place for those who crossed the coun...

Celebrating 100 Posts - A Challenge

Yes, we are closing in on our 100th post . Truly amazing. Thank you for reading and participating, helping keep the ideas, words and photos flowing. In honor of this momentous occasion, let's have a party. A party where "100" is featured. Do not become concerned if an idea doesn't pop into your head right away. You have one week to come up with something which includes 100 . Think party, celebration and fun. Think creatively. Think challenge. Photography is about expressing yourself, and challenging yourself. Here's a real stretcher! Celebrate with us by posting a photo (or series) which depicts the number 100 in some way. Let me know if you're going to participate and I'll create a way for everyone to link to each other's pages - chuckling, laughing, crying and surprising. You'll be amazed what you see when you start looking. Still at a loss? Here is a non-exhaustive look at the number 100: 100 years ago (something nostalgic- there's wigg...

Here We Go...

Meet our Roaming Gnome. He's busy looking at the map and helping us get ready to begin our adventure across the northern part of the United States. We leave Friday morning, and our house is a total disaster as we decide what we need to take and what we can leave behind. It's a camping journey - tent camping. We have not done this in ages and are a bit nervous about it. But we're prepared: tent, ground cover, sleeping bags, camp stove, cooking tools, food, clothing (well, after the laundry is finished), maps, books, notebooks, camera gear, bug spray, camera gear, sunscreen, camera gear - you get the picture:). This little gnome caught my fancy. I do believe you recognize him from some Travelocity commercials, though I haven't compared them side-by-side. He came with a passport, and a little history of garden gnomes and their journeys. It seemed so appropriate to have one, as a garden gnome begins in the country, in the garden, and then takes a journey away from that saf...