Civilian pilot instructor wings

[pfrost]

The use of civilian flight instructors to train USAAF and USN aviation cadets in primary flight schools is an interesting story. As part of the New Deal, the FDR administration set up the civilian aeronautical association (CAA) to try to spur the American civilian aviation industry. The idea was that pilot training programs would increase the number of civilian pilots, civilian aviation companies, and the building of airports. Privately run flight schools and University and collage-run fligh and aeronautical programs began to crop up all over the country.

 

As it became apparent that the US was likely to become involved in hostilities in Europe or the Pacific, the military became acutly aware of the totally inadequate military pilot training (they were training about 500 pilots a year) that was available. The solution was to utilize these civilian flight schools to train aviation cadets in the basics of flight. Initially, about 25 schools were contracted out to train pilots in primary flight schools for the military. Since the instructors were civilians, they didnt have any specific uniforms or insignia that they wore. However, many of the schools adopted wings, patches, and cap badges that their instructors could wear.

 

Here are some examples from my collection of these wings and badges from my collection.

 

First, are a couple of the more standardized and perhaps more familiar civilian flight instructor insignia.

 

The eagle headed wings and cap badge was adopted by many of the contract flight schools for wear by their instructors.

 

Also is a photo of an instructor wearing these badges.

[pfrost]

People are also likely familiar with the CAA-WTS (civilian aeronautical administration war training service) indian head insignia. There is also a very rare wing with the Wright flyer in the center.

[pfrost]

One of the larger contract fligh schools were the Cal Aero group of schools in California. There were 3 schools, Cal Aero, Polaris, and Mira Loma.

 

First are series of Cal Aero insignia. A Cal Aero patch for a ground instructor.

[pfrost]

This is a very rare Cal Aero instructor wing. It came with the patch. A friend of mine is a local expert of Cal Aero and he has never seen one. It is a gold plated observer wing with the Cal Aero rondel in the center.

 

Also here is the Cal Aero cap badge.

[pfrost]

This is a snap shot of Bob Cummings who was an instructor at Cal Aero. You can see the capbadge clearly.

[pfrost]

I also have the Polaris flight school cap badge. You can see the similarity with the general Cal Aero designs. The Mira Loma badge is similar as well, but with a two bladed propeller in the center and the name "Mira Loma" in the arc below. A fourth cap badge also exists that has no school name or arc.

[pfrost]

Here are a couple of instructor wings. The top is for Helena Aero Tech and the bottom is a variation of the Hanger VI flight school. Both of these came off of ebay for very little money...back when you could sometimes find sleepers on ebay. Not any more!

[pfrost]

This is a wing for Robins Field. I guess it could be a souvineer or sweetheart wing, but my gut feeling is that it isnt. It (like the Helena aerotech from above) are based on a modified cadet cap badge (the center prop has been removed and the flight school device added).

[John Cooper]

Patrick,

 

The photos in #2 are SUPER!!! and the Cal Aero wing has a familar pattern how is it marked?

 

John

[pfrost]

Here are a couple of flight school wings built on the same base. The top wing is for Hunter Field. I have this wing as both a pin and a tie clasp set up. The bottom one is a tie clasp. It is for an unknown flight school. OR perhaps it is simply a souvineer for Philidelphia, with the Liberty Bell in the center. Again, my gut says a flight school.

[pfrost]

This top wing is a generic gold colored flight instructor wing. Since these were civilian pilots, they were not allowed to wear military insignia. One way around this was to wear GOLD USAAF style wings (rather than silver wings). This one is very similar to the Blackinton pattern wings, but doesnt have a hallmark. The bottom is a cadet wing for the CPT.

 

John, wait for the LGB stuff....it is coming.

 

The Cal Aero wing isnt hallmarked.

[pfrost]

This is a family of similar instructor wings.

 

The top is a wing for Darr Aero Tech. I have seen wings with and without the top part.

 

The other two wings are likely generic flight instructor wings. All three are obviously from similar dies. I have seen at least one other wing in this seriers that says USN. My friend has a cap badge in this pattern with the wings set at a 45 degree angle rather than straight out.

[pfrost]

Last one for tonight. This is the scan of the back of the previous wings. You can see that the bottom two are marked LGB.

 

I will post some more stuff I have accumulated later. I have some neat photos of cadets and instructors from a variety of schools, as well as some patches.

 

Feel free to post other instructor stuff.

[pfrost]

A few more cap badges.

 

This is for Georgia Air Service. Later, this company became Southern Air Ways.

[pfrost]

This was actually one of the first things I ever bought off of ebay.

 

A Stamford Flight School cap badge. A similar badge for Coleman Flight school is shown in one of the Pinks and Greens books. I have a couple of year books from this school.

[John Cooper]

John, wait for the LGB stuff....it is coming.

 

THANKS Paul!!!

 

Did I tell you that I ran across the exact same patttern wing but for a small airline? It appears Balfour just applied the correct device for this standard wing pattern.

 

Thanks for posting all the goodies!

 

John

[BEAST]

This top wing is a generic gold colored flight instructor wing. Since these were civilian pilots, they were not allowed to wear military insignia. One way around this was to wear GOLD USAAF style wings (rather than silver wings). This one is very similar to the Blackinton pattern wings, but doesnt have a hallmark. The bottom is a cadet wing for the CPT.

 

John, wait for the LGB stuff....it is coming.

 

The Cal Aero wing isnt hallmarked.

 

Paul,

What a great thread! This is a set of wings that I was trying to find more info on. Possibly they are instructor wings and not sweetheart?

 

 

The thread is at:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...ic=1299&hl=

[DMD]

Here are some photos of trainees wearing the CPT wings.

 

These photos are from The Putt-Putt Air Force: The Story of the Civilian Pilot Training Program and the War Training Service (1939-1944), by Patricia Strickland, US Government Printing Office, 1975. The caption for the photo on the left is "Twenty-year old CAA cadet John R. Boyd of Hornick, Iowa was a student at Drake University, Des Moines, when this picture was made on May 3. 1943. Cadet Boyd was assigned to the group taking Air Force preliminary flight training." The caption for the other photo is "CAA cadet Wayne Ralph Ayers of Pender, Nebraska. Ayers, 32 at the time of this photograph (May 14, 1943) was enrolled at the Colorado Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado, for training as a service pilot."

 

Note the wings, the CAA collar insignia, and the CPT patch on Ayers' left shoulder. The book says, "Trainees wore forest green uniforms and CAA insignia. They were housed in dormitories and took their flying lessons, as always, at a nearby field. When they soloed they were given silver wings."

[pfrost]

Here are a couple more photos of civilian instructors and cadets. I believe this guy is an instructor. Notice the non-military belt!

 

The second photo is of a cadet and his instructor on the flight line. Notice that the instructor is wearing glasses, something that wouldnt allow him to fly in the military.

[pconrad02]

Great thread Patrick !

Here is my own meager contribution:

 

 

These are custom pieces (obviously) and belonged to a Pilot who went on to become a Service pilot in both the ETO and CBI theaters;

 

This also came with the group:

 

 

Along with the Cap badge and (1) lapel insignia

[pconrad02]

Also this one:

 

 

I have been told that the removal of the "CPT" (unofficially) signified that they had graduated the program

[pconrad02]

And now for the Navy:

 

 

[pfrost]

Love that WTS stuff, but you got ahead of me with the Navy V5 stuff. Tonight I will post some of the V5 stuff I have found.

 

Here is a photo of an intructor for what I believe to be the Baltimore Aeronautical Institute.

[pfrost]

This is a handful of little instructor-related insignia and lapel pins. I usually pick these up for a couple of bucks here and there.

[pconrad02]

Love that WTS stuff, but you got ahead of me with the Navy V5 stuff. Tonight I will post some of the V5 stuff I have found.

 

Here is a photo of an intructor for what I believe to be the Baltimore Aeronautical Institute.

 

 

OPPS! Sorry !