GOLD H-H 1.5 inch USAAF Instructor WINGS

[BEAST]

I have posted these on other forums trying to get a definite answer. Are these sweetheart wings, instructor wings or what? I have had them for about 15 years now and I would appreciate any help from this august body of knowledge.

 

 

[bobgee]

I can add that I too owned a pair of Gold USAF pilot wings, mine were 3" pinback. I was told that for a very short time after the establishment of the U.S. Air Force in 1947, all insignia was gilt , buttons, brass, and wings. This was changed back to silver wings with the establishment of the blue uniform. I have nothing in writing to verify this but there it is.......

Regards.......Bobgee

[John Cooper]

Are these 1.5 inch or 2?

 

John

[BEAST]

Are these 1.5 inch or 2?

 

John

 

John,

These are approximately 1.5 inches.

[Lee Ragan]

I can add that I too owned a pair of Gold USAF pilot wings, mine were 3" pinback. I was told that for a very short time after the establishment of the U.S. Air Force in 1947, all insignia was gilt , buttons, brass, and wings. This was changed back to silver wings with the establishment of the blue uniform. I have nothing in writing to verify this but there it is.......

Regards.......Bobgee

I've heard this too, but have never seen anything to verify it. I do know that USAF NEVER tried to go with gold wings. As a matter of fact, the original flight surgeon & flight nurese wings from early WWII were gold, but changed to silver in 1944 so they would look more like what everyone else wore.

You will find gold (or brass), enlisted pierced collar brass from the transtition era and gold uniform buttons (with the Air Force crest - not Army), from the same era that were used on formal dress uniforms. But wings; no they were all silver. I think a more cedible reason for the gold wings was that they were sold to civilian pilots who wanted a pair of wings.