I remember always stopping to watch when that fly over my elementary school, since we weren't very far away from the field.

I've seen Sentimental Journey fly in person. Beautiful airplane. More beautiful Nose Art. I'm a sucker for the old pin-ups.

I don't know how many times I've been through Sentimental Journey at the Prescott air show. I got a real treat though when I was 14, in 1992. I got to tag along with my grandparents for my Grandfather's 8th Air Force 50th anniversary reunion. He flew a B-17G out of Lavenham England with the 487th Bomb Group. At one point the reunion tour group went to the London RAF museum, the curators saw all the vets and let them all aboard the B-17 they had on display. I got to check out the whole thing, from the bombardier's station to the tail gunners seat - all the places they rope off in the SJ.


I'm going to have to see if I can dig up a picture of the nose art on my Grandfather's B-17, "Gus' Pup".

This is a B-24 named "The Dragon and his tail" with some very cool art on it. It goes beyond just nose art, and is probably going to qualify as R rated.
http://www.mucheswarbirds.com/CFB24.html

Far too small scale of photography to see any of the good stuff.   

Here's some...














-T.

If there's anything more beautiful than a DC-3 with nose art that still flies (D-Day Doll above) I don't know what it is.

I wish we still did some of this. The only thing that could beat the DC-3 with nose art would be a C-130 with a pretty girl right behind the radome.

I think that's the DC-8, actually. 

Sorry 

I'll get over to the CAF Hanger at Falcon Field.  See if I can get some photos of the nose art on some of the planes other than SJ.  Course I'll have to climb through SJ again!

How come they do not do that with modern airplanes?
Is it politically incorrect.

Here's an interesting article from the other side of the pond:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-460054/PC-brigade-ban-pin-ups-RAF-jets--case-offend-women-Muslims.html

In killer heels and little else, they have a definite deadly charm.

But the risque images of women that have decorated warplanes since the First World War have been scrubbed out.

The Ministry of Defence has decreed they could offend the RAF's female personnel.

Officials admitted they had no record of any complaints from the 5,400 women in the RAF.

Hello Sailor: But these pilots can appreciate Caroline's charms too

But commanders are erring firmly on the side of caution and "nose art", as it is known, has been consigned to the history books.

Harrier jump jet bombers currently launching daily airstrikes against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan have been scrubbed clean to comply with the orders.

Critics said the MoD should be focusing on more important issues - such as the quality and quantity of equipment available to British forces sent off to war.

Nose art first appeared on warplanes during the First World War and enjoyed a golden age during the Second World War when thousands of American fighters and bombers were decorated with pictures of glamorous women.

  article continues, see link.

One of our resident fliers will have to answer the question from the US perspective.

Jan

I don't know when it stopped, but we don't have any art on the outside of the airplanes anymore. Some units, like an MC-130 I've seen have some art inside. But nowadays its more menacing than sexual. But the crews more than make up for the missing obscenity

If you read the British article, the fail moment is the thing about offending the Muslims.  You are dropping bombs on their country, but worry about offending them.  Like the above quote.


EDIT: changed to Muslims.