Skip to content
  • Shop
    • Commercial Aircraft
    • Vintage Aircraft
    • Helicopter
    • General Aviation
    • Shop All
      • PlaneTags Coasters

        Enjoy Your Favorite Libation In Style

      • Digital Gift Cards:

        $30, $50, $100

  • PlaneTags Coasters
  • Archived PlaneTags
  • Misc & Apparel
  • Blog
  • Gift Cards
  • Albania (USD $)
  • Algeria (USD $)
  • Andorra (USD $)
  • Angola (USD $)
  • Anguilla (USD $)
  • Antigua & Barbuda (USD $)
  • Argentina (USD $)
  • Armenia (USD $)
  • Aruba (USD $)
  • Australia (USD $)
  • Austria (USD $)
  • Azerbaijan (USD $)
  • Bahamas (USD $)
  • Bahrain (USD $)
  • Bangladesh (USD $)
  • Barbados (USD $)
  • Belgium (USD $)
  • Belize (USD $)
  • Benin (USD $)
  • Bermuda (USD $)
  • Bhutan (USD $)
  • Bolivia (USD $)
  • Bosnia & Herzegovina (USD $)
  • Botswana (USD $)
  • Brazil (USD $)
  • British Virgin Islands (USD $)
  • Brunei (USD $)
  • Bulgaria (USD $)
  • Burkina Faso (USD $)
  • Burundi (USD $)
  • Cambodia (USD $)
  • Cameroon (USD $)
  • Canada (USD $)
  • Cape Verde (USD $)
  • Caribbean Netherlands (USD $)
  • Cayman Islands (USD $)
  • Chad (USD $)
  • Chile (USD $)
  • China (USD $)
  • Colombia (USD $)
  • Comoros (USD $)
  • Cook Islands (USD $)
  • Costa Rica (USD $)
  • Croatia (USD $)
  • Curaçao (USD $)
  • Cyprus (USD $)
  • Czechia (USD $)
  • Denmark (USD $)
  • Djibouti (USD $)
  • Dominica (USD $)
  • Dominican Republic (USD $)
  • Ecuador (USD $)
  • Egypt (USD $)
  • El Salvador (USD $)
  • Equatorial Guinea (USD $)
  • Estonia (USD $)
  • Eswatini (USD $)
  • Ethiopia (USD $)
  • Falkland Islands (USD $)
  • Faroe Islands (USD $)
  • Fiji (USD $)
  • Finland (USD $)
  • France (USD $)
  • French Guiana (USD $)
  • French Polynesia (USD $)
  • Gabon (USD $)
  • Gambia (USD $)
  • Georgia (USD $)
  • Germany (USD $)
  • Ghana (USD $)
  • Gibraltar (USD $)
  • Greece (USD $)
  • Greenland (USD $)
  • Grenada (USD $)
  • Guadeloupe (USD $)
  • Guatemala (USD $)
  • Guernsey (USD $)
  • Guinea (USD $)
  • Guinea-Bissau (USD $)
  • Guyana (USD $)
  • Haiti (USD $)
  • Honduras (USD $)
  • Hong Kong SAR (USD $)
  • Hungary (USD $)
  • Iceland (USD $)
  • India (USD $)
  • Indonesia (USD $)
  • Ireland (USD $)
  • Israel (USD $)
  • Italy (USD $)
  • Jamaica (USD $)
  • Japan (USD $)
  • Jersey (USD $)
  • Jordan (USD $)
  • Kazakhstan (USD $)
  • Kenya (USD $)
  • Kiribati (USD $)
  • Kuwait (USD $)
  • Kyrgyzstan (USD $)
  • Laos (USD $)
  • Latvia (USD $)
  • Lesotho (USD $)
  • Liechtenstein (USD $)
  • Lithuania (USD $)
  • Luxembourg (USD $)
  • Macao SAR (USD $)
  • Madagascar (USD $)
  • Malawi (USD $)
  • Malaysia (USD $)
  • Maldives (USD $)
  • Malta (USD $)
  • Martinique (USD $)
  • Mauritania (USD $)
  • Mauritius (USD $)
  • Mayotte (USD $)
  • Mexico (USD $)
  • Moldova (USD $)
  • Monaco (USD $)
  • Mongolia (USD $)
  • Montenegro (USD $)
  • Montserrat (USD $)
  • Morocco (USD $)
  • Mozambique (USD $)
  • Namibia (USD $)
  • Nauru (USD $)
  • Nepal (USD $)
  • Netherlands (USD $)
  • New Caledonia (USD $)
  • New Zealand (USD $)
  • Nicaragua (USD $)
  • Nigeria (USD $)
  • Niue (USD $)
  • North Macedonia (USD $)
  • Norway (USD $)
  • Oman (USD $)
  • Pakistan (USD $)
  • Panama (USD $)
  • Papua New Guinea (USD $)
  • Paraguay (USD $)
  • Peru (USD $)
  • Philippines (USD $)
  • Poland (USD $)
  • Portugal (USD $)
  • Qatar (USD $)
  • Réunion (USD $)
  • Romania (USD $)
  • Rwanda (USD $)
  • Samoa (USD $)
  • San Marino (USD $)
  • São Tomé & Príncipe (USD $)
  • Saudi Arabia (USD $)
  • Senegal (USD $)
  • Serbia (USD $)
  • Seychelles (USD $)
  • Sierra Leone (USD $)
  • Singapore (USD $)
  • Slovakia (USD $)
  • Slovenia (USD $)
  • Solomon Islands (USD $)
  • South Africa (USD $)
  • South Korea (USD $)
  • Spain (USD $)
  • Sri Lanka (USD $)
  • St. Barthélemy (USD $)
  • St. Helena (USD $)
  • St. Kitts & Nevis (USD $)
  • St. Lucia (USD $)
  • St. Martin (USD $)
  • St. Vincent & Grenadines (USD $)
  • Suriname (USD $)
  • Sweden (USD $)
  • Switzerland (USD $)
  • Taiwan (USD $)
  • Tanzania (USD $)
  • Thailand (USD $)
  • Timor-Leste (USD $)
  • Togo (USD $)
  • Tonga (USD $)
  • Trinidad & Tobago (USD $)
  • Tunisia (USD $)
  • Türkiye (USD $)
  • Turks & Caicos Islands (USD $)
  • Tuvalu (USD $)
  • Uganda (USD $)
  • United Arab Emirates (USD $)
  • United Kingdom (USD $)
  • United States (USD $)
  • Uruguay (USD $)
  • Uzbekistan (USD $)
  • Vanuatu (USD $)
  • Vietnam (USD $)
  • Zambia (USD $)
Login
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Email
Search
MotoArt PlaneTags
  • ShopShop
      • Commercial Aircraft
      • Vintage Aircraft
      • Helicopter
      • General Aviation
      • Shop All
      View All PlaneTags
    • PlaneTags Coasters

      Enjoy Your Favorite Libation In Style

    • Digital Gift Cards:

      $30, $50, $100

  • PlaneTags CoastersPlaneTags Coasters
  • Archived PlaneTagsArchived PlaneTags
  • Misc & ApparelMisc & Apparel
  • BlogBlog
  • Gift CardsGift Cards
Search Login Cart 0
Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

Not sure where to start?
Try these collections:

  • Shop PlaneTags
Spend $124.95 more to qualify for free domestic shipping!
    Order special instructions
    Estimate shipping rates
    Taxes included and shipping calculated at checkout.
    Subtotal
    $0.00 USD
    View cart
    Recently viewed
    Search

    We use cookies

    This site uses cookies for better user experience and analytics.

    Access Denied
    IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
    • May 03, 2019
    • by Dave Hall

    Howard Hughes’ A20G Havoc: A Tough And Dependable Airplane

    • May 03, 2019
    • by Dave Hall

    The Douglas A20 Havoc, also known as DB-7 (Douglas Bomber) among other names, was a light bomber/attack aircraft used in every theater by nearly every Allied nation during WW2. Because of its superior handling during take off and landing, its ease of use with minimal instruction, and its reputation for being tough and dependable it was referred to as a “pilot’s airplane”. It’s no wonder then why SN  43-22197 was a personal plane of famed pilot and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. And why MotoArt owner Dave Hall was so excited when he came across this plane. Own a A-20G Havoc WW2 aviation collectible.

     Howard Hughes personal plane A-20G Havoc

     

    A Havoc History

    The A-20 Havoc was initially designed in 1936 as Model 7A, a two-crew attack-bomber, which the United States Army Air Corps hoped to replace its Curtiss A-12s and Northrop A-17s with.

    Although the United States was still officially neutral when the plane was being designed and tested, wars were being fought in major nations across the globe. The IV Winter Olympic Games had just taken place in Germany but just months later Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops to the Rhineland. The Spanish Civil War and the Japan-China War were in full swing. Developing this plane was crucial to the USACC’s mission, and soon became critical to other nations as well.

     WW2 airplane skin PlaneTag

     

    Model 7B upped its capabilities with two 1,100 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830C Twin Wasp engines and it could be built with two different nose configurations, as either an attack or bomber, with the latter having room in the nose for a bombardier and a bombsight instead of machine guns. It was submitted to a USAAC competition and then built as a prototype in 1939. It was a success from the start. In 1939, the French government ordered 100 DB-7s. After World War 2 began, the French, British (who called them the Boston) and other Allied nations ordered the plane. It was manufactured in several different variants.

     

    “The takeoff run was from southwest to northwest that morning, and I can still clearly remember the pleasure and surprise of the experience. The plane seemed to accelerate down the runway at a must faster clip than the heavier B-25. The nose lifted quickly with just a little back-pressure on the wheel and she flew herself off at about 110 miles per hour just as smooth as could be. I yelled out an exuberant, “Hot dog!” as we climbed away from Morris Field. The controls responded to much lighter pressure than did the B-25. Everything in those first few minutes of flight felt just perfect. My later experiences with the A-20 under a variety of situations did not alter the first impression: it was a pilot’s plane and a joy to fly.”  - Pilot Joseph W. Rutter, on his first A-20 Havoc flight, excerpt from “Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20”

     

    More A-20Gs were built than any of the other versions. It featured a heavier armor, four 20-mm cannons, one 0.50 caliber machine gun, a 0.30 caliber machine gun and held 2,000 lbs of bombs. 2,850 G series were built at the Douglas Santa Monica plant during the war.

     

    A-20G Havoc Specs

    • Crew: 3
    • Length: 47 ft 11​1⁄7/8 in (14.63 m)
    • Wingspan: 61 ft 4 in (18.69 m)
    • Height: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)
    • Wing area: 464 ft² (43.1 m²)
    • Empty weight: 16693 lb (7708 kg)
    • Loaded weight: 24127 lb (10964 kg)
    • Maximum speed: 317 mph (276 kn, 510 km/h) at 10,700 ft (3,260 m)
    • Cruise speed: 256 mph (223 kn, 412 km/h)
    • Range: 945 mi (822 nmi, 1,521 km) (Combat range)
    • Service ceiling: 23,700 ft (7,225 m)
    • Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 8.8 min

     A-20G manufactured in Southern California

    Timeline of SN 43-22197

    • C. 1944 - built at the Douglas Manufacturing Plant in Santa Monica, CA. Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army Air Force with s/n 43-22197. It did not see combat.
    • 1950 - 1972 - owned by the Hughes Aircraft Co. in Culver City, CA, with the civil registration number N34920. It was retired and parked between 1963 and 1972.
    • 1973 - 2018 - stored disassembled at Fox Field in Lancaster, CA and Ocotillo Wells, CA It is currently being restored.

     Retired airplanes are upcycled into art and PlaneTags

    A20 N34920 used by permission of Peter Garwood, taken at Fox Field 9.22.88

    Howard Hughes: The Original AV Geek

    Howard Hughes was known for being a businessman, as well as a film director, ladies man, philanthropist and more. But he is arguably the most well known as a record setting pilot and an influential aviation innovator. He formed the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932 and spent the following two decades as a pioneer: building innovative aircraft and setting many world aviation records. 

    Howard Hughes original avgeek


    This plane was purchased by Hughes Aircraft Co. and was used by Hughes as a personal plane. For a time, it was painted in TWA’s colors, as Hughes controlled TWA from 1939 through the 1960s. Knowing the enthusiasm and innovation Howard Hughes’ personal planes imparted on the man, it can be surmised that the A20’s superior handling and joy to fly, among other aspects, appealed to Hughes as it did to the other Havoc pilots.

     

    MotoArt Offers A Piece of the Pilot’s Airplane

     MotoArt makes PlaneTags from retired planes

     

    MotoArt’s owner Dave Hall found out the Douglas A20 was being restored and there was material available to use from the original A20 airplane skin. “We were stoked to find this awesome plane,” said Hall. “There just aren’t many surviving Havocs around. And to find one that had been owned by Howard Hughes makes it even more exciting.” Hall had the retired airplane skin and parts brought back to the MotoArt Studios in Torrance, CA. Since the beginning in 2015, each PlaneTag has been handmade in the United States. 

     

    Howard Hughes Aviation Collectible

     original oval air plane tags since 2015

    Each Douglas A20 Havoc PlaneTag is hand-crafted right in Torrance, CA. The colors vary but each is hand crafted directly from the airplane skin removed during the restoration of the A20. They come with a tough metal loop and are attached to a collectible card with the plane’s information and silhouette. Like all PlaneTags, the back can be personalized. They make great keychains and custom luggage tags that are sure to draw interest when you travel. They are fun to collect or even give to your favorite avgeek or pilot. Carry a small piece of history and the personal airplane of a true aviation pioneer.

    custom aviation luggage tag or airplane keychain

    Share:

    • Share on Facebook
    • Tweet on Twitter
    • Pin on Pinterest
    • Share by Email
    Share
    Share
    • Facebook Share on Facebook
    • Twitter Tweet on Twitter
    • Pinterest Pin on Pinterest
    • E-mail Share by Email
    0 comments
      • Apr 16, 2019
      • by Dave Hall

      MotoArt's Functional Art: MD-80 Fuselage Bar and DC-8 Cowling Desks

      • May 22, 2019
      • by Dave Hall

      Flying High In A DC-6

    Latest Stories

    View all

    From US Airways to American Airlines: The Widebody Legacy of N275AY
    • Jun 10, 2025
    • 0 comments

    From US Airways to American Airlines: The Widebody Legacy of N275AY

    Before it became N275AY in the American Airlines fleet, this Airbus A330-300 carried passengers across the globe under the US Airways banner. Today, it's remembered not only for the journeys it made, but for the transformation it witnessed in U.S. aviation history. MotoArt is proud to honor this aircraft's legacy with the release of PlaneTags made from its authentic fuselage skin. 

    Read more

    Best Aviation Gifts 2025 | End of Spring Sale Gift Guide by PlaneTags
    • Jun 05, 2025
    • 0 comments

    Best Aviation Gifts 2025 | End of Spring Sale Gift Guide by PlaneTags

    Why PlaneTags Make the Best Gifts (Especially During Our End of Spring Sale) If you’re searching for a one-of-a-kind gift that’s meaningful, memorable, and guaranteed to stand out, look no further than PlaneTags. Made from the skin of real aircraft,...

    Read more

    L-300 to KAO: How Lockheed's Cargo Jet Became a Flying Telescope
    • May 25, 2025
    • 0 comments

    L-300 to KAO: How Lockheed's Cargo Jet Became a Flying Telescope

    Some aircraft are remembered for decades of service or commercial success. Others, like the Lockheed L-300, are remembered because there was only one.

    Originally conceived as a civilian version of the military C-141A Starlifter, the L-300 was Lockheed’s bold attempt to break into the commercial cargo market. But what began as a promising prototype in the late 1960s took an unexpected turn. Instead of hauling freight for airlines, the lone L-300 would be transformed into one of NASA’s most groundbreaking scientific platforms: the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO).

    This is the story of a unique aircraft that defied its original purpose and made history in the skies, not as a freighter, but as a flying observatory that expanded our understanding of the universe.

    On May 27, we’re proud to honor this remarkable journey with the release of Lockheed L-300 PlaneTags, crafted from the very aircraft that carried infrared telescopes through the stratosphere. In the sections ahead, you’ll uncover how this one-of-a-kind plane helped shape aviation and astronomy, and how its legacy lives on today.

    Read more

    Invalid password
    Enter

    MotoArt PlaneTags

    ABOUT US
    • How It's Made
    • Store Locator
    • FAQ
    • Blog
    • MotoArt
    • Affiliate Program
    • Frequent Flyer Program
    • PlaneTags Encyclopedia
    CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Military - First Responder Discount
    • Contact Us
    • Return Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    ACCOUNT
    • Sign Up
    • Login
    • Orders

    Stay in the loop with our weekly newsletter

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Email
    © 2025 MotoArt PlaneTags. Designed and Developed by BreadLoaf
    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Mastercard
    • PayPal
    • Shop Pay
    • Visa
    • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
    • Opens in a new window.