OLD GUYS' WHITE (sic) T-Shirt FIGHT -- it just doesn't get any better than this ...

[A4sForever]

.....Things came to a head in late 70s when regional commanders (typically blackshoes) decided to clamp down on aviators wearing flight jackets ...... Hence the "Flight Jacket wars" in the late 70s/early 80s .......

It actually started at least 10 years earlier ... and woe to the Naval Aviator who was "caught" in a flight jacket or flight suit "in town" -- for any reason.

I would always chuckle while watching the vehicles ahead of me swerve slightly when approaching the gate --- as the occupant/driver furiously pulled his flight jacket off or pushed the flight suit down around his waist ....

The gate sentries must have thought it strange that most Naval Aviators passed through the NAS gate in white T-shirts ....

 

[Catmando]

....
The gate sentries must have thought it strange that most Naval Aviators passed through the NAS gate in white T-shirts ....

White T-shirts?……White T-shirts? Say it isn't so, A4s. Please!?!!?

I may have been a "frequent swerver" approaching the Miramar gate as I un-zipped and dropped my flight suit to the waist so the gate guards couldn't see my flight suit ........ but never, ever did I expose just a wimpy white T-shirt!

I exposed my squadron colors!

Our supply pork chop gave us all multiple (especially "multiple" for us bachelors who didn't do laundry a lot) flight deck jerseys in our squadron colors – yellow. Scissors the sleeves off and we had a nice yellow-neck-matching-nomex-green 'ensemble'.

Of course, some of our RIO's (thinking they were more intelligent and more suave than pilots - as is often the case) disdained the flight deck jerseys and purchased their own yellow Izod polo shirts to wear under their green flight suits…. but alas, the pilots in their yellow flight deck jerseys underneath always attracted more women.

A4s, white may have worked in Whidbey (but I doubt it); but in SoCal, if you can't be good, at least be "colorful"…..and we were.

And as always, check 6

 

[A4sForever]

White T-shirts?……White T-shirts? Say it isn't so, A4s. Please!?!!? .....never, ever did I expose just a wimpy white T-shirt!.....if you can't be good, at least be "colorful"....

*sniff* .... *sniff* ... you didn't have to yell, you know ... the white T-shirts didn't chafe my nipples ... that's all .... you bully. *sniff*

Sample Pilot and sample B/N ... CUBI Point, P.I. .... please note: no nipples chafing. Sample B/N is deathly afraid of exposing bare skin in picture .... sample pilot wishes he could fly in shorts and white T-shirt (and did once, supposedly) ....

 

[Catmando]

...

Sample Pilot and sample B/N ... CUBI Point, P.I. .... please note: no nipples chafing. Sample B/N is deathly afraid of exposing bare skin in picture .... sample pilot wishes he could fly in shorts and white T-shirt (and did once, supposedly) ....

No offense, but did sample B/N wear his LPA underneath his flight suit? (Just wondering.)

And in my squadron, said "sample pilot" with the unfortunate white V-neck T-shirt would have been held down at the next wetting-down, while his "observable" neck/chest hair would have been rapidly oxidized by Zippo incendiaries, rapidly followed by a funeral pyre for his regrettable "wimpy-white" T-shirt.

And I never did fly in shorts, flip-flops, or a white T-shirt. (Only you %#@%$ LSO's got away with that unauthorized stuff. I couldn't. sniff, sniff.)

Finally, gotta admit, sample pilot looks pretty lean, mean and menacing…except and until you spot that white finger nail polish on those hands-on-hips digits! Yikes!

(As they say, no slack in light or heavy or whatever, attack! )

 

[A4sForever]

No offense, but did sample B/N wear his LPA underneath his flight suit? (Just wondering.)

And in my squadron, said "sample pilot" with the unfortunate white V-neck T-shirt would have been held down at the next wetting-down, while his "observable" neck/chest hair would have been rapidly oxidized by Zippo incendiaries, rapidly followed by a funeral pyre for his regrettable "wimpy-white" T-shirt.

Finally, gotta admit, sample pilot looks pretty lean, mean and menacing…except and until you spot that white finger nail polish on those hands-on-hips digits! Yikes!

(As they say, no slack in light or heavy or whatever, attack! )

*sigh* .... and once again, children and youngsters ... we have yet another example of the depravity and degeneration of age on the mind; brought on by the ravages of time when subject mind spends too many hours at altitude with little/no oxygen .... more's the pity.

Let me take it by the numbers:

1. Sample B/N (shoulda/coulda made Flag -- he represented that kind of 100% quality both in the air and on the deck -- but not a company man ... some thought him maybe a little "odd" --but just incredibly competent -- hey!!! Who needs THAT, RIGHT !!?? ) His only problem was carrying his lunch in his green bag pockets (pictured) ... as a result, sometimes he smelled like corned beef.

2. Promiscuously displayed chest hair on sample Pilot while viewed through Van Gogh-esque frame of "unfortunate" white T-shirt ??? (V-neck was then the obligatory standard .. remember ... so that we COULD show off chest hair when wearing tropical khaki or white shirts ... (???) ... guess that's what the higher-ups desired -- or their wives???). But if you're gonna burn me @ the East Inn Club wetting down -- don't singe my 'Stache, please !!!

3. "White finger nail polish"??? Oh, children and youngsters ... see what I mean ??? A mind is a terrible thing to lose (who said that, anyway??). Perhaps just a predictable misogynistic reaction against all things female??? Or just typical fighter pilot inanities?? What is wrong with Attack Pilots wearing fingernail polish, should they so choose .... ??? Heck, even Pirates wore earrings. In reality, it's just a by-product of my Aborigine-Australian blood roots, you know -- super dark tan when God's sunshine touches me with contrasting Yankee white-man's fingernails and aircraft grease.

4. The horror that is inherent in your racist, anti-Aborigine-Australian comment is truly stunning and amazing ...

5. I am contacting the Australian Consulate and filing a complaint. When time permits ... :sleep_125

6. 'Cause there is NO SLACK in light (A-4), medium (A-6), OR heavy (B747) Attack !!!

 

[Catmando]

[...]
6. 'Cause there is NO SLACK in light (A-4), medium (A-6), OR heavy (B747) Attack !!!

Wow, after that barrage of incoming, I guess not! What was I thinking?

Ya know, sometimes when you are just tooling around and feel'n good about yourself, looking for an easy target of opportunity to take a few pot shots at, you sometimes accidentally and unfortunately jump on one who really knows how to maneuver, pivot and counter attack, and has an extensive and deadly arsenal of weapons to fire back at you.... and does……

So ah, for now ah, I just think that I will wisely unload, tap burner, and fly through this pesky little engagement, and go work on the teak on my boat for the rest of the day. There's a lot more "slack" (and "scenery") down at the marina.

'Til next time……

 

[A4sForever]

^ Beware the Wily Bogey .... I love it.

 

[Catmando]

^ Beware the Wily Bogey .... I love it.

Oh don't be goin' and rest'n on your laurels there, ole' semi-wily Bogey, cuz I'm back on CAP with a full load out. irate_12

Meanwhile, behold the brilliance of the smart shipshape appearance of a properly attired fighter pilot of yesteryear, sporting a clean yellow flight deck jersey underneath his green zoom bag (and not some wretched light (featherweight) attack, stretched and smelly, wimpy whitey V-neck). Read it and weep, bogey…. :icon_smil

Tanker ropeller posit???

 

[A4sForever]

Tanker ropeller posit???

Tanker posit ??? Behind the # 2 JBD .... Mr. Nervous.

Please note ... all you present-day usurpers and wannabe younger Brethren ... the upper lip hair present on both examples of WestPac deployments of yesteryear ... please strive for the same if you want to carry YOUR water and OUR laurels.

To do less is simply unthinkable....

And fly safe ...

 

[Catmando]

... Please note ... all you present-day usurpers and wannabe younger Brethren ... the upper lip hair present on both examples of WestPac deployments of yesteryear ... please strive for the same if you want to carry YOUR water and OUR laurels.

To do less is simply unthinkable....

And fly safe ...

Here, here! Very well said.

And one small benefit of flying safe - beyond the very obvious ones - is to live long enough to laugh and reflect upon a wealth of unique and most challenging experiences; and to even be able to quibble about T-shirts, so many years later.

(BTW A4s, FYI, I had a much better 'stache on my next cruise, as it had time to grow some more. )

 

[A4sForever]

....BTW A4s, FYI, I had a much better 'stache on my next cruise, as it had time to grow some more.

Ahhhhhhhhh .... yes.

Please note the more "mature" (later in cruise) upper lip hair-sample presented herein ... positively Bandito .... also, flying this launch with another B/N who prefers to be fully clothed, head to toe, compared to his prefers-to-fly-in-the-nude (?) left seat Brother ... both, however, unified and nattily attired and sporting just a "hint" of pure-as-the-driven-snow white T-shirt, to protect the innocent and save the Nation.

 

[Catmando]

Speaking of facial hair...

A4s remembers, but for those that don't....

The youngest CNO ever, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. shook up the Navy with many very controvesial changes during his tenure.

"These were disseminated in Navy-wide communications to the Navy known as "Z-grams." These included orders authorizing beards (sideburns, mustaches, and longer groomed hair were also acceptable) and introducing beer dispensing machines to barracks."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmo_R._Zumwalt,_Jr.​

The direct result can be seen in the squadron photos below. (Our full beards didn't last very long though. Some heavy decided full beards and O2 masks didn't get along, so they were later shaved; but mustaches remained.)


[Oh yea, I'm the only intelligent and good looking one in the photo. Easy to spot. ) ]

 

[A4sForever]

A4s remembers, but for those that don't....

The youngest CNO ever, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. shook up the Navy with many very controvesial changes during his tenure......

Got sideburns ????

 

[skidz]

The one without a cover in Cat's first pic looks so, down and disappointed.
Story to go with that?

 

[A4sForever]

The one without a cover in Cat's first pic looks so, down and disappointed.
Story to go with that?

Probable shame ... i.e., "I have no ball cap ... everyone else does .... ergo, I am a loser. And now everyone knows ... why can't I ever have anything nice ... "

Something along that line .... :icon_wink