Aircraft
Nose Art
From the Kuwaiti War
Painting of the noses of aircraft, to personalize
the aircraft and to bring good luck to its crew, first became popular during
World War II, and continued through out the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.
Although it can probably trace its roots back to the early days of sailing,
when the proper selection of a figurehead, was not only said to provide
"eyes" so the ship could see where it was going, but was also thought to
bring luck to the ship and its crew.
During the Kuwaiti War the aircrew of
Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) and crew members of USS Theodore Roosevelt
(CVN-72) revived this venerable tradition by painting the nose of the leading
aircraft of each of the squadrons, stationed on board the carrier. During
the heydays of aircraft nose art the most popular subjects were usually
beautiful woman, with the occasional popular cartoon character of the day
thrown in for variety. As can be seen by the pictures below, the tastes
of the modern day sailor has not changed all that much from their World
War II counterparts.
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F-14 Tomcat (VF-84)
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F-14 Tomcat (VF-41)
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S-3A Viking (VS-24)
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A-6 Intruder (VA-36)
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A-6 Intruder (VA-65)
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EA-6B Prowler (VAQ-141)
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E2C Hawkeye (VAW-124)
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