Aviation History and Photos Blog | PlaneTags™

The Sikorsky H-5 Dragonfly, designated HO3S-1 in U.S. Navy service, was the helicopter that permanently changed naval aviation.

Introduced in the late 1940s, the H-5 became the first Navy helicopter to replace fixed-wing aircraft operating with the fleet. It established practical shipboard helicopter operations and laid the foundation for modern combat search and rescue doctrine.

Helicopters are now indispensable to naval operations worldwide. That integration began with the Dragonfly. 

The Yakovlev Yak-3 is widely regarded as one of the most effective Soviet fighters of World War II. Compact, lightweight, and optimized for low-altitude combat, it earned a strong reputation among pilots on the Eastern Front for its maneuverability and climb performance.

The Yakovlev Yak-3UA known as Full Noise carries that legacy into the modern era. Built in 1993 using original Soviet tooling and engineering drawings, later powered by an American Allison V-1710 engine, and campaigned in the Unlimited class at the Reno Air Races, this aircraft represents a rare intersection of wartime design, post Cold War reconstruction, and modern competition.

Working with a ship as historically significant as USS Midway carries a responsibility that goes beyond creation. Commissioned in 1945 and serving for nearly fifty years, Midway was not only a cornerstone of U.S. naval aviation, but a place shaped by daily work, movement, and life at sea.

This project, developed in partnership with the USS Midway Museum, is rooted in preservation first. The materials being used are not simply artifacts. They are elements that played essential roles in how the ship moved, operated, and sustained the people aboard her. Each piece tells a different part of Midway’s story, and together they offer a fuller picture of service aboard one of the most important aircraft carriers of the 20th century.

When the Airbus A320 entered service, it marked a turning point in commercial aviation. United Airlines’ A320 N404UA spent nearly three decades as part of that legacy, flying thousands of routes before its retirement and preservation through PlaneTags.

Few ships in U.S. naval history have carried the weight, responsibility, and longevity of USS Midway.

More than an aircraft carrier, Midway is a symbol of American innovation, adaptability, and service. For nearly half a century, she sailed through some of the most defining moments of modern history, carrying generations of sailors and aviators who called her home.

At MotoArt, we believe stories like Midway’s deserve to be preserved with care. We are honored to be working on a special preservation project connected to USS Midway, and we look forward to sharing more as this story unfolds.

The F-84 Thunderjet represents a pivotal moment in aviation history, when the lessons of World War II met the realities of jet-powered warfare. Designed in the immediate postwar years, the Thunderjet became one of the first truly successful American jet fighter-bombers and went on to play a defining role during the Korean War. Today, thanks to decades of preservation and stewardship, this historic aircraft continues its story through PlaneTags. 

In the world of aviation, few aircraft have lived a life as large, or as long, as the Hawaii Mars. Towering over most of its contemporaries with a wingspan of 200 feet, this mighty flying boat was born in the final days of World War II, then quietly transformed into one of the most iconic aerial firefighting aircraft the world has ever seen. From military transport to firefighting titan, the Hawaii Mars represents one of aviation’s most extraordinary second acts.

In 2025, MotoArt obtained an original wing of this aircraft and created special PlaneTags, made exclusively for the Martin family members and Mars workers. On December 11, 2025, Hawaii Mars PlaneTags will be available to the general public for the first time.