• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

The Great Flight Jacket Thread (wearing/buying Leather, NOMEX, WEP jackets/patches)

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
.....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. :eek:

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 .... :D
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
what HJ Said

Actually, it was some converstations on AW and with HJ that got me interested in ditching the issued jacket and getting a higher quality and more authentic G-1. Once I finished the RAG I went out and treated myself to one. To complete the look, my squadron just happened to get a buy of leather patches and I'm pretty happy with the combination of the two.
 

Catmando

Keep your knots up.
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
.....hence the "Flight Jacket wars" in the late 70s/early 80s where gate guards would confiscate the jackets and at Miramar, the offending person's CO would have to stand gate guard duty until next person was caught (which wasn't long).
Indeed my old F-14 CO - a colorful, highly respected and much admired, double MiG killer – had to stand gate guard duty for awhile because one of his JO's (fortunately not me) got caught exiting Miramar in a flight suit and/or flight jacket. To say he was livid would be an understatement.

But he kept his composure and stood his gate guard "duty" stoically and admirably…. until the next squadron CO relieved him shortly thereafter when his JO got caught. We JO's then became extra careful, not because we feared getting caught, but rather,we did not want to see our (or any squadron CO) so humiliated.

Today, I occasionally attend a breakfast with 30 – 40 of the old NAS Miramar guys. The long-ago "Flight Jacket" and "Flight Suit Wars" are an occasional topic of conversation there, as are some "Field-Day Fellows" stories – the moniker given to the Wing Commander of that period who instituted this and many other "caustic" policies.

We all laugh about it now, but it was certainly no laughing matter back then. And not surprisingly, some bitterness still rightly lingers, by alcon.
 

Catmando

Keep your knots up.
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
....
The gate sentries must have thought it strange that most Naval Aviators passed through the NAS gate in white T-shirts .... :D
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. :D

And as always, check 6 :D
 

Single Seat

Average member
pilot
None
3710 mentions nothing about flight jackets, Nomex/Aramid or otherwise...

Actually it does. Wearing the green jacket is forbidden with any service uniform. i.e. service khakis, or anything with ribbons. Try telling that to just about every chief I've ever seen in a squadon though.
 

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
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*

camel1ol0.jpg
camelub1.jpg


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) .... :eek::)
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Actually it does. Wearing the green jacket is forbidden with any service uniform. i.e. service khakis, or anything with ribbons. Try telling that to just about every chief I've ever seen in a squadon though.

I think the confusion factor here is over 3710 vs Uniform regs. 3710 addresses aviation protective clothing and equipment and indeed does not mention flight jackets in any form, but the uniform regs refers to "green" and "brown leather" jackets in several places as to where they can or cannot be worn such as:

d. Organizational Clothing. Wear of organizational clothing, except flight suits, brown leather flight jackets, and camouflage uniforms, is not authorized while commuting.

(6) Organizational clothing, i.e., foul weather jackets, green flight jackets, coveralls, etc., is authorized for wear with working uniforms only during actual performance of special work or duties for which organizational clothing is designed.
 

Catmando

Keep your knots up.
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
...
camel1ol0.jpg
camelub1.jpg


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) .... :eek::)
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. :D

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! :eek::eek:

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

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
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. :D

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! :eek::eek:

(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 !!?? :eek:) His only problem was carrying his lunch in his green bag pockets (pictured) ... as a result, sometimes he smelled like corned beef. :D

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 ...:eek:

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 !!! :D
 

Catmando

Keep your knots up.
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
[...]
6. 'Cause there is NO SLACK in light (A-4), medium (A-6), OR heavy (B747) Attack !!! :D
Wow, after that barrage of incoming, I guess not! :eek: 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…… :eek:

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…… :D
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
That was the single most enjoyable threadjack I have ever read.

Oh, and in the USMC - you can wear both green and leather flight jackets with service uniforms (except Alphas). I showed up in the battalion in my leather jacket and Charlies, and I thought some of them were going to have a heart attack!
 
Top