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USAF Pilot Video

robav8r

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
What’s the “breaking your wings in two and giving half to a loved one” all about?
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
Pretty cool production. Never heard of that breaking the wings tradition - that's a neat thing to do.
 

HuggyU2

Well-Known Member
None
Good question.

When I got my wings years ago, I understood the tradition to be that you broke your first pair of wings, and gave one of the two pieces to a close friend or relative. The symbology of the act of "broken wings" having been completed, it was supposed to bring you "good luck", since your "bad luck" of "breaking your wings" had already happened.

Those two pieces were never to come back together until you were dead.

I heard a variance from one of my IP's that one piece was given to a pilot-friend or instructor, and that they would hold that piece, and should you ever find yourself in deep trouble in an aviation-sense, they would be there to bring you back your aviation mojo. That was word of mouth over 30 years ago, and it is not the traditional story.

Being a person that does not believe in luck, I broke mine at graduation. I then had a "UPT aviation-themed" print that I found framed with my class' scarf (i.e. "ascot) and patch in it. At the top, I have the broken wings, with the pieces separated by about 1/4 inch. Makes for a nice conversation piece.
 

Treetop Flyer

Well-Known Member
pilot
Good question.

When I got my wings years ago, I understood the tradition to be that you broke your first pair of wings, and gave one of the two pieces to a close friend or relative. The symbology of the act of "broken wings" having been completed, it was supposed to bring you "good luck", since your "bad luck" of "breaking your wings" had already happened.

Those two pieces were never to come back together until you were dead.

I heard a variance from one of my IP's that one piece was given to a pilot-friend or instructor, and that they would hold that piece, and should you ever find yourself in deep trouble in an aviation-sense, they would be there to bring you back your aviation mojo. That was word of mouth over 30 years ago, and it is not the traditional story.

Being a person that does not believe in luck, I broke mine at graduation. I then had a "UPT aviation-themed" print that I found framed with my class' scarf (i.e. "ascot) and patch in it. At the top, I have the broken wings, with the pieces separated by about 1/4 inch. Makes for a nice conversation piece.
Why did they mention rolling up their sleeves? We all know that weird inside tuck isn’t rolling sleeves.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
The video has an ejection seat with a serial number that starts with "69." Could you please remove your video from the site and Youtube for offensive content? Thanks.
I bet the ejection seat had a headbox, too . . . so to speak. :D
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Good shit. I'm glad the Air Force isn't afraid to say flyers are badass.

However, this is clearly fiction. I saw a sim instructor speaking casually to a student in a conversational tone. ?
 

jollygreen07

Professional (?) Flight Instructor
pilot
Contributor
I bet the ejection seat had a headbox, too . . . so to speak. :D

Funny story about that... According to one of my academic instructors at the AF IP school the guys who wrote the T-6 NATOPS/-1 intentionally named it "head box" to make the fighter guy's heads explode. Also, there's a limit associated with the cabin altitude (I forget which one)... 18,069.
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Navy Air could learn a little from the video - bragging about our heritage, celebrating our own heroes and being bold about our accomplishments.

Nice video @HuggyU2 ! And yes still envious of AF flght gear ⚙️
 

Sky-Pig

Retired Cryptologic Warfare / Naval Flight Officer
None
Funny story about that... According to one of my academic instructors at the AF IP school the guys who wrote the T-6 NATOPS/-1 intentionally named it "head box" to make the fighter guy's heads explode. Also, there's a limit associated with the cabin altitude (I forget which one)... 18,069.
Reminds me of my first mass mission debrief after a Northern Watch sortie. We were the only Navy aircrew at Incirlik...(semi) innocently, I stood up and told everyone: "Just a quick heads-up, our ESM box was bent during flight..." I though the General's head was going to explode. The VMAQ guys were rolling on the floor, IIRC.
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Why? What’s the real reason for that level of reaction being the cultural norm?
 
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