Recent content by dilbert

The G-1's could vary in color over time, depending on the manufacturer, much like the WW II A-2's. I was issued a Ralph Edwards G-1 in 1967 in Pensacola. The goatskin color is lighter than G-1's of other manufacturers, more of a milk chocolate color, and the mutton collar is a pronounced russet...

Did a search for this and couldn't find anything direct, so if I have missed something my apologies. I've got an old CWU-36P jacket, the one with the action pleats on the back, and frustratingly just one of the teeth at the very start of the zipper has gone AWOL. It is on the side that you...

I've got both, G-1 (Navy-issued to me in '67, Ralph Edwards, still in great condition) and some repro A-2's. I find the A-2 to be a bit less casual looking, better for business casual dress than the G-1. As far as comfort there is nothing like the older G-1's, I flew, worked and slept in mine at...

Great jacket and from the looks it wasn't worn much. Some guys didn't care much for this jacket and hardly ever wore them. A buddy in an A-3 squadron was issued one and said he never wore it preferring his G-1 instead. Not all squadrons were issued these jackets, either. Another buddy flew S-2's...

Flight Gear Issue, summer of 1967, NAS Pensacola. Was there along with a bunch from my class of newbies, the yeoman behind the counter looked you up and down quickly, turned around and grabbed a pile of equipment and handed/threw them at you. Amazingly, everything fit, flight suit, helmet...

I was a Navy pilot during the '60's and '70's. The name tags we wore then were the same as the WW II name tags and were different from the ones you see made today. They were always gold embossed on leather, I only saw dark brown and not the lighter brown leather popular today, there were no...

I flew in the '60's and '70's and back then there were no rules per se. The tradition was for the name tag to be sewn onto the left breast, but other than that it was up to you. The flight jacket was never a part of the uniform, simply flight gear and, as such, had no regulations. You would see...

I ran across an article concerning this some time ago. Even though the A-2 was officially discontinued mid-WW II, there were a lot of jackets still in the inventory and they continued to be issued to pilots throughout the war. It seems that many of the P-51 pilots flying in Korea were reservists...

I believe the windflap was designed to stop short of the neck so as to not rub the neck with the jacket partly zipped. The flap is there to prevent wind coming through the zipper, hence its name. There was a change to the early Nomex CWU-45's to cut down the collar or "wind shield" for similar...

I'm not familiar with the Alpha, but the U S Wings is okay but the bi-swing back is a dog's dinner. They make an attempt to replicate the back but it is not done properly. I think the back must be the most difficult to do well. I have a Gibson & Barnes that is very well done.

An almost identical cap like the blue one is available through the Navy's aviation museum in Pensacola- you can order on line. It's not wool and there is a plastic snap back, but you can't have everything? There are two versions- one with just the gold wings ($15) and one with wings and...

Check out the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/7thfighter/ ... 0448181842 A very sobering group of photos taken at Iwo of what life was really like at that time. It wasn't only the missions over Japanese territory that were dangerous but the take offs and landings.

I believe the PBY's were used in the Training Command as advanced trainers. I know for sure the old PBM's were used in advanced training in Corpus Christi in the 1950's as I remember watching them doing touch and goes in the bay as a child. The PBM's were, at that time, being phased out and...

Just an opinion, but I have both types of jackets. It seems to me that the A-2 is a bit "dressier", that is it seems a bit more appropriate for casual wear for up to where a tie might be required. The G-1 seems much more casual, mainly because of the collar and the jacket itself is a bit more...

Sorry, forgot about the "cigarette pocket." They do extend bellows-like from the body of the jacket and is the same design that has been used for years on flight suits. It is quite normal to find loose threads (Irish Pennants) on all jackets of all manufacturers and is not a problem. I have a...