mtnman Posted June 25, 2015 #52 Posted June 25, 2015 next...the darkness in the lower portion is a reflection of the black pad ....
pfrost Posted June 25, 2015 #54 Posted June 25, 2015 As a general rule of thumb, stars on WWII/post-WWII wings tend to be slightly smaller than the KW and later vintage wings. There are exceptions, to this rule of course. P
mtnman Posted June 25, 2015 #55 Posted June 25, 2015 Good Idea Patrick! Here is the ORBER SR PILOT STAR in front of a Luxenberg Senior Pilot Star. MUCH SMALLER. That is the point, the Orber Star is VERY substantively smaller than other WWII wing Stars, either Senior Pilot or Command Pilot. If anyone needs to see a few more examples of WWII stars that are larger compared to the Orber Senior Pilot Star, let me know, I will keep them coming, a very unique wing indeed. Thanks for the excellent perspective idea Patrick!
mghcal Posted June 25, 2015 #56 Posted June 25, 2015 Interesting stuff and a really nice looking wing!
B-17Guy Posted June 26, 2015 #57 Posted June 26, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to add another informative thread to the forum Mel. Orber Senior Pilot wings are few and far between for sure! You have provided some great information for us all. Best, John
mtnman Posted June 26, 2015 #58 Posted June 26, 2015 Thanks MGH and John! There have been posts I have read in the past, not even concerned with the wing because I don't want to collect that wing...YET... The "yet" part was the part I didn't know would end in me purchasing that wing. The details in those posts have been helpful to me later on and so I want to pass that on with this beautiful wing that it took me a while to understand the special nature of and the unique exclusivity of its design. By the way guys, one more pic for you. This is a picture to give a visualization of what I meant by the ID variable regarding how flush the star is to the rear of the wing.
tomcatter Posted June 28, 2015 #59 Posted June 28, 2015 Very interesting Wings and infos as always! Thank you mtnman!
mtnman Posted October 30, 2015 #60 Posted October 30, 2015 In my first couple of years collecting, there was a particular design that really waxed salient every time I saw it. The wings of this design specifically, returned again and again in my considerations of the artistry and deliberate desire in the artisans who created the more creative and thoughtful wing designs of World War II, to Mark our Aerial Knights in combat, with wings which set them apart as men appreciated and valued by a grateful nation. Orber's design from the beginning touched me deeply aesthetically with its unique and standalone design which set it apart from any other wing that I had seen in pouring over the forum and as many books on wing collecting as I could get my hands on. The only other wing I encountered which matched the deliberate and thoughtful creative energy put into the Orber wings, was Jacqueline Cochran's design of the two and three-quarter inch WASP wing. Cochrane was Brilliant in her design; I have never held something so deliberately representative of femininity, of the power in beauty, willingness to serve and selfless devotion; the finest attributes of womanhood in service to her fellow mankind. Orber has a similar impact of meaning in its design I will explain. The moment which really drove home my appreciation for these Orber wings and their exemplary ability to set a subdued, yet beautifully unique, Mark on the Majesty of duty personified in a pilot and aircrew, occurred a little over a year into collecting. I didn't really understand the idea well enough at the time, of purchasing the different lots of a single pilot that a seller had broken up on eBay, so as to maintain a grouping of an individual WWI or WWII pilot, or I would have inquired further regarding the rest of this seller's material he had up, but I was focused only on wings at that time so I missed that opportunity. Anyway, the wing was a Liaison Pilot Wing from Orber and I knew of only one place I had seen this beautiful wing, McGuire's book, Silver Wings. But seeing the whole wing from different perspectives transformed a respect for design, to awe at the dimensions and the artistic tools of perspective used by the Orber artisan who created the dies. The wing was hidden under layers of filth and tarnish from use in the field and the years, but I could still make out all aspects of what I was looking at and it was simply amazing. That was my first Orber wing and I did not know until years later just how rare an Orber liaison pilot wing is. One of my mentors who possesses this wing confirmed that it was a limited production run in World War II which accounts for the relative few of these out there. From there I started to research into what other wings by Orber were most rarely encountered. The senior pilot wing is quite scarce and rarely surfaces. The command pilot wing? I have only seen three examples, the one I am about to show you, one I saw sold before I could get it and the the one from Cliff Presley's pioneering collection, noted on one of the finest and most selfless contributions ongoing, to us who pursue this splendid avocation, Bob Schwartz' incomparable site "Aviation Wings and Badges of World War II". These were the three wings that I decided would be my choices, if I be blessed with stewardship over them, to reveal the excellence of the Orber style and artistry... The Orber Liaison Wing, The Orber Senior Pilot Wing and finally, The Orber Command Pilot Wing. One aspect of the Orber Command Pilot Wing that drew me to it just as much as the Senior Pilot Wing, was the subdued aspect of the star and wreath atop the escutcheon. I have seen many wings utilize medium and even large stars which punctuate and sometimes even overwhelm the design of the wing with a loud and garish display as if the wing is needed to uphold the Authority granted the man instead of the man upholding the Authority granted him and the wing simply giving notice of that Authority set in the man by achievement, rating and rank. Orber specifically has one of the smallest stars, yet also one of the most elegantly designed stars. Orber has by far, the smallest wreath and goes even further in superimposing the star upon the wreath instead of designing the wreath to circumnavigate the star at its apex points. This design aspect is one of the most appealing and thoughtful characteristics of wing design I have ever seen. The wing is absolutely beautiful as each element flows with the next and no element of the wing overwhelms any other aspect, but all are there set to function as a mark of merit and rating which the man had achieved, and leaves the establishing of the character and nature of the Authority granted him, to the man himself. I finally completed this trifecta last week, after years of looking, with the purchase of the Orber Command Pilot Wing. I hope you will indulge me in showing all three in addition to the Orber command pilot wing. Please enjoy viewing these wings which have been a Great Blessing to me and I am truly thankful to have stewardship over them for a time. As always Gentlemen and Lady Collectors, Blessings in your Collecting and may you have opportunity aplenty to share these tiny monuments to history's decreed passing with those who appreciate it and grow from its memory and preservation.
tomcatter Posted October 30, 2015 #69 Posted October 30, 2015 Wow! Very nice wings! I like very much the wreath of the Command Pilot wing.
JDK Posted October 31, 2015 #71 Posted October 31, 2015 Very nice! Excellent photography of them as well!
mghcal Posted October 31, 2015 #72 Posted October 31, 2015 Fantastic job in collecting an extremely hard to find set! I can't recall ever seeing a senior pilot let alone a command pilot and the liason I didn't even know existed. Congrats Mel glad you accomplished your goal with that one.
Nack Posted November 2, 2015 #73 Posted November 2, 2015 Wow. Excellent observations and damn fine wings!
Sabrejet Posted November 2, 2015 #74 Posted November 2, 2015 As sgtdorango ( Mike) would say..."Bazinga!"
Gary B Posted November 3, 2015 #75 Posted November 3, 2015 Very beautiful trifecta of wings. All, as you have stated, are quite rare. Is the star on the command pilot wing separately applied? Gary B
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