![]() Nose art on C-60 Lodestar "Classy Chassy" (staff photo) |
Today the fascination with military aviation nose art continues, with a number of artists and studios creating reproductions or take-offs on some of the favorite classics of WWII.
The popularity of the art form has even led to creation of "nose art galleries" and "nose art studios" which specialize in the creation and sale of various type of art works.
Prints, posters, metal signs, decals, patches, bomber jackets and scale models are available from many sources.
In addition, artists continue to express the nose art tradition by paintings on the large fleet of restored WWII warbirds such as those maintained by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).
Nose art on "Goodtime Gal", a Lockheed C-60A Lodestar owned by the Houston Wing of the CAF |
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Nose art on the B-29A Superfortress "Raz'n Hell" in Atwater, California |
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Nose art on the B-29 Superfortress "Lucky Lady", S/N 44-84076, on display at the Strategic Air Command & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby" on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |
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Nose art on B-24 Liberator "Strawberry Bitch" at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |
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B-25 "Lazy Daisy Mae"A group of dedicated enthusiasts in the Atwater-Merced area formed the Castle Air Museum Foundation, Inc. near Merced, California. The museum opened in 1981, on a site adjacent to the former Castle Air Force Base. At the Museum you can actually get up close to the planes, and touch them! To make the experience even more personal, they even schedule “Open Cockpit” days during the Memorial Day weekend; other special events are scheduled during the year. The outdoor plane galleries cover 11 acres, and indoor exhibits features photographs, uniforms, and other war memorabilia. |
Nose art on the B-25J Mitchell "Lazy Daisy Mae" S/N 44-86891 at the Castele Air Museum![]() |
Nose art on B-29 Superfortress "Peachy" at Pueblo Weisbrod in Colorado |
B-29 "Peachy"The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is located six miles east of Pueblo, Colorado on U.S. Highway 50 at Pueblo Memorial Airport. The airport is located on the site of historic World War II Pueblo Army Air Base constructed in 1941. The base conducted advanced training for crews of the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator and the B-29 Superfortress. Today the collection includes about 30 vintage aircraft, displayed outside and in two large indoor hangars. |
Nose art on Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Miss Liberty" S/N 231340 at the Barksdale AFB airpark |
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Nose art on B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar" S/N 44-27297 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio |
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B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" S/N 44-86292 nose art ... at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C. | |
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B-29 Superfortress "Sentimental Journey" S/N 44-70016 at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona |
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Nose art on the B-29 Superfortress "Command Decision" on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force![]() |
Photo of nose art on the B-29 Superfortress "Tinker's Heritage" S/N 427343 in the markings of the 57th Weather Recon Squadron on display at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City |
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Nose art on North American PBJ-1J "Devil Dog" patrol bomber, a B-25 variant for the Marine Corps Part of the Devil Dog Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), located in Georgetown, TX |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "I'll Be Around" nose art, at the 390th Memorial Museum, Tucson |
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Military bomber nose art on B-17 Flying Fortress "Short Bier" on display near Salt Lake City![]() |
Nose art on Curtiss P-40N Warhawk "O'Riley's Daughter" at Seattle's Museum of Flight ![]() |
Nose art on the B-17G Flying Fortress "Virgin's Delight" - S/N 43-38635 - near Merced, California |
Nose art on the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft" on the Wings of Freedom Tour in Tyler, Texas |
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Nose art on the B-29 Superfortress 44-61669 ... "Three Feathers" ... March Field Air Museum in California |
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Nose art on the Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Bungay Buckaroo" S/N 44-44175 flown by the 446th Bomb Group based in Bungay, England. On display at Pima Air & Space in Arizona |
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Nose art on P-51D Mustang "Audrey" in Ogden, Utah |
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Nose art on North American F-82B Twin Mustang "Betty Jo", National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |
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Nose art on the B-17G Flying Fortress, "Starduster", S/N 44-6393, at the March Field Air Museum in California |
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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Aluminum Overcast" nose art |
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Nose art on Boeing Stearman N68461... "Sweet C" (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric) |
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Douglas B-26C (A-26C) Invader "Dream Girl" at the Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, OH |
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Nose view of C-47 Skytrain "That's All, Brother", S/N 42-92847, Registration N47TB, Cherbourg, France, June of 2014. (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric) |
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Nose art on T-28A "Big Lolo", Registration F-AZKG, at St Yan, France (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric) |
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Close-up view of cockpit and nose art on the C-47A Skytrain, Miss Montana, Registration N24320, S/N 42-24320. (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric) |
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P-51D Mustang "Nooky Booky IV", Registration F-AZSB, Rochefort, France (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric) |
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