Appropriate Winging Gift

[A4sForever]

I agree with the wooden wings issue. Kinda 70's.......

Huh ??? 70's ??? Did someone call ??? Wooden wings ??? Olongapo ???



Actually ... we got the wooden wings bug in the '60's ... a must-have, very big trophy item coming home in your cruise box from the P.I. back-in-the-day. Looks good hanging on the wall in my library .... someone I knew painted his "antique gold" .... in spite of what you might think --- they looked pretty good.

 

[HeyJoe]

Huh ??? 70's ??? Did someone call ??? Wooden wings ??? Olongapo ???


Actually ... we got the wooden wings bug in the '60's ... a must-have, very big trophy item coming home in your cruise box from the P.I. back-in-the-day. Looks good hanging on the wall in my library .... someone I knew painted his "antique gold" .... in spite of what you might think --- they looked pretty good.

Warning: potential threadjack

So, what's your opinion on flight jacket. Me suspects yours has mouton that has faded to the golden honey brown that means it is true mouton and marks you as an immortal unlike the post 1978 flight jackets that use synthetic collars....

 

[Schnugg]

$200 ...yikes where are you shopping?...You can get them for about $100. And other versions for a lot less than that. They are better than a maglite IMHO for brightness. Still haven't lost mine.

If money is a concrn, they do cost less than gold wings, a camera or a leather jacket.

 

[A4sForever]

Warning: potential threadjack

So, what's your opnion on flight jacket. Me suspects yours has mouton that has faded to the golden honey brown that means it is true mouton and marks you as an immortal unlike the post 1978 flight jackets that use synthetic collars....

Yeah, I have 2 pre-70's G-1's .... one the proverbial "old friend" ... gently worn and aged to the honey brown you describe --- nice and soft today and the mouton collar is still in great shape -- just faded. The other one is NIB-pristine. It was originally acquired for barter or for that "rainy day" that never came .....


This ain't it (above) ... but were I to buy a G-1 look-alike today .... I would spend the extra bucks and get the best quality, most authentic item I could find. Saving money is fine ... but on a Navy flight jacket (??) --- cheap looks cheap, fake looks fake .... and so does the wearer --- you don't want to go there.

My favorite flight jacket --- great for the "real" world and kind of hard to find today --- was not really a "jacket" per se .... but rather a liner for an intermediate winter flying suit. I got two of those, also --- kind of the same game plan. It was the old green nylon with horizontal pocket flaps in front and it was NOT orange on the inside --- that was the Air Force MA-1. It had knit banded cuffs, collar, and bottom --- which could be replaced when they wore out. And they did. It looks kind of like this ... but this isn't it:

 

[HeyJoe]

Yeah, I have 2 pre-70's G-1's .... one the proverbial "old friend" ... gently worn and aged to the honey brown you describe --- nice and soft today and the mouton collar is still in great shape -- just faded. The other one is NIB-pristine. It was originally acquired for barter or for that "rainy day" that never came .....


This ain't it (above) ... but were I to buy a G-1 look-alike today .... I would spend the extra bucks and get the best quality, most authentic item I could find. Saving money is fine ... but on a Navy flight jacket (??) --- cheap looks cheap, fake looks fake .... and so does the wearer --- you don't want to go there.

My favorite flight jacket --- great for the "real" world and kind of hard to find today --- was not really a "jacket" per se .... but rather a liner for an intermediate winter flying suit. It was the old green nylon with horizontal pocket flaps in front and it was NOT orange on the inside --- that was the AF. It had knit banded cuffs, collar, and bottom --- which could be replaced when they wore out. And they did. It looks kind of like this ... but this isn't it:

[URL="http://imageshack.us/?x=my6&myref=http://imageshack.us/index.php"]

I think you mean this one that really is a "liner" as you indicate (and not a "WEP" or G-8 design as it is commonly marketed). When it was issued, it also had pants that sould be attached with buttons. It is immensely popular still (long a favorite with USMC). I was at a meeting just today and former CAG-1 (and LSO Filthy Grandfield showed up in one). They have been out of the Navy supply system for years but plenty of companies offer them as the G-8 or WEP design. When Snort Snodgrass was CO of VF-33, every aircrew mimicked him and wore it with their aviation greens. I had one and really liked it for its light weight and warmth. If you want one: http://www.flightsuits.com/jackets_g8wep.html

 

[A4sForever]

I think you mean this one that really is a "liner" as you indicate (and not a "WEP" or G-8 design as it is commonly marketed). When it was issued, it also had pants that sould be attached with buttons. .....CO of VF-33, every aircrew ......wore it with their aviation greens. I had one and really liked it for its light weight and warmth. If you want one: http://www.flightsuits.com/jackets_g8wep.html

Yeah, that's it. Great jacket. The button tabs are on the inside. We ALL wore them and usually parked the leather jackets. They were also the best/easiest to load up with patches. In fact ... believe it or not ... the leather jacket guys were considered kind of "square" and TRACOM in the '60's-early 80's and the guys with the green nylon were "Fleet" and/or "salty".

No uniform was immune from having the green flight jacket as a topside accessory --- khakis, blues, aviation greens --- no whites, of course --- and all the aforementioned uniforms were sans blouses (for the uninitiated and innocent reading this ).

 

[HeyJoe]

Yeah, that's it. Great jacket. The button tabs are on the inside. We ALL wore them and usually parked the leather jackets. They were also the best/easiest to load up with patches. In fact ... believe it or not ... the leather jacket guys were considered kind of "square" and TRACOM in the '60's-early 80's and the guys with the green nylon were "Fleet" and/or "salty".

No uniform was immune from having the green flight jacket as a topside accessory --- khakis, blues, aviation greens --- no whites, of course --- and all the aforementioned uniforms were sans blouses (for the uninitiated and innocent reading this ).

I saw the same thing. In fact I have looked at labels at two different commands and haven't come across any original jackets...everyone was buying them on the open market because of the popularity. That's what's special about Naval Aviation...can you imagine Air Force allowing so many variations of jackets and patch "protocols"? Individuality at its finest! Every frigging Air Force jacket is the same and they were ones to make them so bad-a--- in WWII!!!!!

 

[A4sForever]

I saw the same thing. In fact I have looked at labels at two different commands and haven't come across any original jackets...everyone was buying them on the open market because of the popularity. That's what's special about Naval Aviation...can you imagine Air Force allowing so many variations of jackets and patch "protocols"? Individuality at its finest! Every frigging Air Force jacket is the same and they were ones to make them so bad-a--- in WWII!!!!!

Yeah, the Air Force has an attitude problem re: individuality. I think Hap Arnold shit-canned the Army/Air Force A-2 because the leather was too "stiff" to suit him at altitude (in the cold). On the other hand, the Navy wore their G-1's at Midway --- almost the tropics --- in the open cockpit Dauntlesses because it was COLD even at mid-altitudes.

Our green nylon jackets were all issue --- Uncle bought our flight jackets and we saved our money for wine, women, and song. I will check (maybe) the label on one --- I think it's still there --- I remember it said something about being "intermediate, flying, liner" .... that's not it, but it's close. It also had a federal stock # --- both of mine came from the paraloft, new in the wrap. As long as the squadron had them --- you could get them almost at will --- just do something "nice" for the rigger on occasion.

I love the way the system used to "work" ....

 

[HeyJoe]

Yeah, the Air Force has an attitude problem re: individuality. I think Curtis Lemay shit-canned the Army/Air Force A-1 because it was too "stiff" at altitude in the cold.

Our green nylons jackets were all issue --- Uncle bought our flight jackets and we saved our money for wine, women, and song. I will check (maybe) the label on one --- I think it's still there --- I remember it said something about being "intermediate, flying, liner" .... that's not it, but it's close. It also had a federal stock # --- both of mine came from the paraloft, new in the wrap. As long as the squadron had them --- you could get them almost at will --- just do something "nice" for the rigger on occasion.

I love the way the system used to "work" ....

In 1942, the Army Air Corps convened a meeting to look at flight clothing. "Hap" Arnold was shown a long table of all the leather flight gear. At the time, the techo types said multi-pile fabrics were the way to go. The Air Force A-2 was horsehide leather that got really stiff in the cold and arnold had enough open and unpressurized cockpit time to know that from experience. He picked up the A-2 and threw it on the floor saying "get something better" (meaning multi-pile). Within a year, USAAF pilots had the B-10 (turned into the B-15, then MA-1 then the Nomex CWU-35/45 we have today). It was warmer. Navy stuck with G-1 until DLA audit in late 70s showed it was being used for bartering and 10x as many were being requisitioned than were aviators rating them. So it got cancelled until ...drum roll... Lehman brought it back in early 80s. USAF A-2 was cancelled from 1942 until 1987 when it was brought back as a rentention tool (and not a piece of flgiht gear either).

 

[A4sForever]

.........Navy stuck with G-1 until DLA audit in late 70s showed it was being used for bartering and 10x as many were being requisitioned than were aviators rating them. So it got cancelled.....

...Yeah, I have 2 pre-70's G-1's ..........The other one is NIB-pristine. It was originally acquired for barter or for that "rainy day" that never came .....

God ... I knew it .... it was my fault. I went through 4 leathers and 3 green nylon jackets before I went to rehab and got straight. I am so sorry, boys.

 

[Brooklyn]

I've got one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0883631024/103-9194326-3546252?v=glance&n=283155

Awesome, BIG coffee table book that chronicles NAVAIR history. I saw it at a local book store recently for as little as 10 bucks. They were going for $50 when we got ours.

 

[RockyMtnNFO]

I'm gonna have to disagree with the wooden wings, they are cool in wardrooms and O'clubs but that is about it.
The gold wings are always a hit, I also really liked a framed picture of my fleet a/c with 2 smaller pics of the training aircraft flanking a set of wings. These can be found from Wings in Pensacola on Barrancas. or at www.flywings.com

That is exactly what my wife got me for my winging at is one thing that would come to mind to grab out of a burning building, assuming all the kids and puppies are safe. It hangs on my wall and reminds me of better days when flying a desk gets me down. My mother got me the wooden model as well and they will be family heirlooms.

Gotta respect a nice bottle of Scotch, no Clan McGregor.

 

[ChuckMK23]

Here is a fine example of A4s' WEP Jacket:

 

[A4sForever]

Chuckster ... I can even smell the JP and sweat off of your pictures.

Tonkin Gulf ... ??? BZ, Brother .....

 

[NavyWife2001]

My hubby said to get him a Breitling. Every Aviator "needs" one! (or so HE says!!!!)