USAF FLIGHT SUIT NAME PATCHES

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

howdy, everyone, hope this election day eve finds one and all good, anyway,, recently i picked up a few usaf patches from a Lt.Col. among the items were a standard Air Mobility Command patch as well as one with a 3,500 tab bar at the top, plus two C-5 sqdrn patches, and three of her name patches one is a normal brown flight jacket name patch, but there are two others, one is a grey back, with a red border,and name, and white wings, they other is a blue background,with the wings, name and USAF all in grey, i am clueless why.thanks in advance, -john.

[Wharfmaster]

The Air Force had a grey flight suit during the Cold War - Vietnam. Perhaps that's the reason.

 

 

 

 

 

Wharf

[northcoastaero]

Sounds like the other two patches are custom embroidered name tags for the flight

suit or flight jacket. Can also be used on flight helmet bags, etc. The following

is a source:

 

https://www.nametags4u.com/taginfo/

 

The different colors could be related to the squadron colors. Are the edges of the

name tags pointed or rounded?

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

i hadn't noticed it but you could be right, northcoast,thanks, the edges are merrowed just like army patches. but the colors do seem to match up, the two sqdrn patches are for the 22 airlift SQ, and the other is for the 56th airlft SQ. still trying to figure out what the 3,500 tab could mean though. 'preciate the help.-john.

[decwriter]

It means 3500 flight hours.

Cheers

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

cool, thanks.

[flyboy53]

Air Force aircrew wore cotton flight suits during the Cold War. The colors depended on the mission: sage green was standard, orange for flight test, rescue and fighter interceptor crews and blue for special duty crews.

 

The name tag and rank insignia on these flight suits may vary with the different styles. Depending on the command, some fight suits might have white name tapes with white or gold insignia on sage green cloth. Some would wear the ultramarine name tape with white insignia on blue cloth. Others might wear plastic or black leather rank insignia and leather name tags.

 

Some Vietnam War era flight suits had black subdued insignia on OD Green cloth.

 

As far as the different colored name tags on a contemporary flight suit, that is a morale thing and correlates to the unit patches. Not sure about gray background with white insignia. The C-5A wing I was assigned to wore an aircrew name tag with a royal blue background and gold border.