Velcro Patches on flight Suits/Jackets date from?

[flytiger]

I don't really see a thread that deals with this so here goes.Does anyone have a date that the USAF started using Velcro to attach name tags and patches to flight jackets and flight suits? Thanks

[Teamski]

It had to be during Vietnam.....

 

-Ski

[gwb123]

I've had Thai made Vietnam era patches with Velcro on the back of them.

[northcoastaero]

I would guess that the USAF CWU-27/P flight suit Velcro patch for the name plate may have been the first standardized use around 1968-69?

[flytiger]

ok thanks guy's. I'll go with 69-70. I have a 35th TFS Velcro backed that was supposed to be Linebacker used ( 72-73). Just was not sure on dating the use of velcro.

[flyboy53]

I don't have any uniform guidance from that era, so I'm going from memory.

I guess it's possible to be Vietnam, but from my experience, Velcro -- if used at all -- was only used then on flight suits as backing for what was then either leather or cloth name tags. The use of Velcro follows Vietnam.

It depended on the command. In ATC during that era, aircrews in training would still wear blue name tapes and wings on ultramarine blue. I've seen SAC and MAC suits where the insignia was sage green.

Most of the flight crew uniforms I remember from Vietnam were sans patches or had name tapes, wings, and patches that were sewn on at the parachute shop. Leather name tags of that era were inserted in plastic sleeves that were sewn on jackets or flight suits. MA-1s and MA-1A flight jackets were still in use and the flight suits were sage green cotton -- some even orange.

 

I unsuccessfully tried to cut and paste a photo of me in a flight suit from 1979 taken at Elemendorf AFB, Alaska. Anyway, the flight suit had Velcro behind the patches and name tag. I remember that the American Flag was odd because it had a white border. We had white helmets with a lot of reflective tape on them.

[Randy]

The first photo evidence I have is 1967. A picture in one of the River Rats books shows an F-105 pilot with it on his sleeve minus the patch. I also have a patch from 1968 from the 357 TFS with Velcro attached. Oddly, they started using the hard hook part on the suit and attached the soft pile part to the patch. Eventually this was reversed.

 

Randy

[ADAM.12TN]

I don't have any uniform guidance from that era, so I'm going from memory.

 

I guess it's possible to be Vietnam, but from my experience, Velcro -- if used at all -- was only used then on flight suits as backing for what was then either leather or cloth name tags. The use of Velcro follows Vietnam.

 

It depended on the command. In ATC during that era, aircrews in training would still wear blue name tapes and wings on ultramarine blue. I've seen SAC and MAC suits where the insignia was sage green.

 

Most of the flight crew uniforms I remember from Vietnam were sans patches or had name tapes, wings, and patches that were sewn on at the parachute shop. Leather name tags of that era were inserted in plastic sleeves that were sewn on jackets or flight suits. MA-1s and MA-1A flight jackets were still in use and the flight suits were sage green cotton -- some even orange.

 

I unsuccessfully tried to cut and paste a photo of me in a flight suit from 1979 taken at Elemendorf AFB, Alaska. Anyway, the flight suit had Velcro behind the patches and name tag. I remember that the American Flag was odd because it had a white border. We had white helmets with a lot of reflective tape on them.

 

Were the leather name tags glued or sewn on to the Velcro backing?

 

[shootar401]

 

Were the leather name tags glued or sewn on to the Velcro backing?

 

All the originals I own have the leather tags sewn to the velcro. That's not saying they did not use adhesive.

[nguoi tien su]

Yes, 1967 sounds a good date.

 

Can we see the name tag ?