To start with, flight suits and flight jackets. But then there is the no defect culture, nanny leadership, flight training grading, unit level operational risk crap on liberty, and erosion of the naval service tradition of command by negation. That is just off the top of my head. I can guarantee you, that anyone around in my day finds the Navy more like the USAF today than in our day, and the USAF not much different than it was 30-40 years ago.
I have gotten a little tired of all the doom and gloom crap about Naval Aviation going down the tubes, I heard when I came in almost 20 years ago and it hasn't stopped since...
Having come after Tailhook '91 and the backlash from that I haven't seen Naval Aviation change that much during my time in the service. Flight suits and jackets? The rules and regs make a little more sense even since I came in and frankly aren't that big a deal. Rank on our shoulders and no patches on leather jackets? *
Shrug*. Big friggin deal. Other than that.....? Better than the stupid reindeer games folks used to play with it being a working uniform you couldn't even wear for a gas stop.
I actually worked with the USAF my whole career and can say with certainty that we aren't anywhere close to their level of 'fun'.
And not to point out the obvious but the good 'ol days weren't always so good. I have heard plenty of stories and know enough history, along with living a little bit of that history myself, to know that Naval Aviation hasn't always been sunshine, rainbows and picking up the hottest girl in the bar, in Singapore. Keep going back and you will find Tonkin Gulf Yatch Club members who thought you '80's guys were lightweights, WWII guys who still probably think those Vietnam guys were a bunch of stiffs, and so on.
Naval Aviation is still getting a tough job done every day and will continue to do so long after everyone on this website are retired and long gone.