Silver wings of gold?

[stalk]

Awhile back, enlisted personnel used to be able to become aviators. They would receive silver wings instead of gold. This was a long time ago though...

I'm not sure where you got your information. The last Navy enlisted pilot was ACCM Robert "NAP" Jones. His son was in my company at boat school. He visited several times prior to his retirement in 1981 and was a well respected pilot. He wore Naval Aviator gold wings, no different.

As for the controversy over this picture, the wings are gold and between wear and camera lighting they just appear silver.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I'm not sure where you got your information. The last Navy enlisted pilot was ACCM Robert "NAP" Jones. His son was in my company at boat school. He visited several times prior to his retirement in 1981 and was a well respected pilot. He wore Naval Aviator gold wings, no different.

What he said. They were Naval Aviators, and therefore wore Naval Aviators wings. For history on enlisted Naval Aviators, check this website. Funniest snippet on the site:

One of the amusing stories from the recruit to pilot program involves George W. Webber Seaman 2c (NAP). In the first class of recruits to graduate from the program, Webber is ordered to VS-3 aboard the USS Lexington for duty involving flying. Berthing space is scarce and Webber is assigned a cot on deck. Each squadron is required to supply messcooks to assist the ship's cooks in the galley. VS-3 being short of non-rated men sends their newest Seaman 2c to messcooking duty. Webber does his galley duty, flies with his squadron off the carrier, and spends nights on his cot on deck. Webber's messdeck shipmates are concerned that he is impersonating a pilot and advise him he will be in big trouble if caught wearing aviator wings. Webber invites his fellow messcooks topside to observe one of his flights and put their concerns to rest. When the Lexington's Commanding Officer, Capt E. J. King, (later Admiral), learns that one of his carrier pilots is messcooking, Webber's mess duties quickly end. Commander Webber retires in 1959.

 

[exo]

I'm not sure where you got your information. The last Navy enlisted pilot was ACCM Robert "NAP" Jones. His son was in my company at boat school. He visited several times prior to his retirement in 1981 and was a well respected pilot. He wore Naval Aviator gold wings, no different.

As for the controversy over this picture, the wings are gold and between wear and camera lighting they just appear silver.

This is where I'm getting my information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviator_insignia

 

[stalk]

This is where I'm getting my information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviator_insignia

Interesting. I only saw a couple of enlisted pilots during my time but he was the only one I can remember in a uniform.

 

[phrogpilot73]

This is where I'm getting my information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aviator_insignia

The problem with wikipedia is that anyone can write it. If you actually read the reference that they cite when they say that enlisted pilots wore silver wings, you'll see that there is no mention of silver wings at all. In fact, the only thing they mention with regard to what they wore is this:

Upon successfully completing the course, they will be issued certificates of qualification as ‘Naval Aviation Pilots’ by the Navy Department. Such certificates will entitle the pilots to wear the aviation insignia authorized for Naval Aviators.

 

[scoolbubba]

wikiality is a great thing.

 

[Bevo16]

The Chief's club in P-Cola used to have a huge museum style display that talked about enlisted naval aviators and details how they had silver wings, but the exact same style as officer's wings. They had several of them on display and a history of some of the enlisted pilots exploits.

This was prior to hurricane Ike, so that display may well have ended up in Alabama or Pensacola Bay if it was not welded down.

 

[Uncle Fester]

NAPs wore Wings of Gold. See the big display on NAPs at the Museum in P'cola.

I ran across a Marine NCO wearing NFO wings once. The story was that he'd been enlisted, comissioned, earned his FO wings, flew as an A-6 beenie. With the big Peace Dividend RIFs of the mid-90's, prior-enlisted officers who were getting RIF'ed were given the option of reverting to their enlisted rank. An option almost no one took except this guy, who was close to his 20 anyway. He continued to wear his two anchors - you have to be formally stripped of your wings by board action, rank doesn't matter.

That's "what I heard" anyway. Anyone else heard of him?

 

[BACONATOR]

NAPs wore Wings of Gold. See the big display on NAPs at the Museum in P'cola.

I ran across a Marine NCO wearing NFO wings once. The story was that he'd been enlisted, comissioned, earned his FO wings, flew as an A-6 beenie. With the big Peace Dividend RIFs of the mid-90's, prior-enlisted officers who were getting RIF'ed were given the option of reverting to their enlisted rank. An option almost no one took except this guy, who was close to his 20 anyway. He continued to wear his two anchors - you have to be formally stripped of your wings by board action, rank doesn't matter.

That's "what I heard" anyway. Anyone else heard of him?

This probably belongs in the stupid questions thread, but what is "RIF" (reduction in force?) and how does one "lose a commission"? I though, punitive actions notwithstanding, that once an officer, always an officer? Didn't realize you could "un-do" a presidential commission.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Sort of an early buy-out of your contract, if you want to think of it that way. Anyway, we serve at the pleasure of the President. So he can say "thanks for playing, we've got some lovely parting gifts for you" if he chooses (that is, DoN/DoD says it should be so).

 

[Flash]

Ages ago I used to intern at the Navy Museum in DC and they had a big display case that was filled with scores of Navy badges of all kinds, current and obselete. One of the historians there knew all of the badges and had a few favorites, including the dirigible pilot wings and the silver ones. I remember distinctly that he would ask people what they thought the silver wings were for and most people guessed for enlisted pilots, but it was a trick question. Nope, he would say, they were for early NAO's and not for Naval Aviation Pilots (NAP's). Yes, he was a bit of a geek. But that is how I remembered the story behind the silver wings.

Here is some more info on NAP's, everything I have found says they wore the same wings as Naval Aviators and nothing about silver wings.

http://www.bluejacket.com/sea-service_nap_index.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAX/is_1_86/ai_111694955

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en...QQ1pHU&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result

 

[SkywardET]

My XO had a SWO pin that looked silver over half the time, and gold the rest of the time, depending on the angle you were viewing them from. I'm guessing it's just the lighting and angle.

 

[A4sForever]

Awhile back, enlisted personnel used to be able to become aviators. They would receive silver wings instead of gold. This was a long time ago though...

Slight course correction: enlisted personnel were never able to become "Aviators" ... the term for the E-Men was "pilot" ... as in Naval Aviation Pilot = NAP

Good guys, brothers-in-arms ... but pilots, not "Aviators" ... the tower Chief in Meridian when I went through was a NAP. He wore gold Wings, but in any case, he could wear whatever he wanted to wear. Nobody said anything about it ...

Naval Aviation Pilots: a history

/course correction.

*edit* I guess this link (above) has already been put up here -- that's what I get for not reading ALL the posts.

Anyway, some fellows -- myself included -- would Brasso/sand/rub our Wings down to a point wherein almost all the "detail" on the shield and much of the Wings was rubbed off or at least made relatively "smooth", at least up to a point. They looked great -- and salty, too or so we thought -- and they were worn for "everyday" and replaced w/ a set of more "regulation" Wings of Gold for inspections and whatnot ...

 

[Schnugg]

I suspect they are cheaper anodized wings that he has polished through the anodizing plating.