The biggest baddest Navy wings of all

[Bob Hudson]

I have seen over-sized Navy pilots wings before on plaques: but this takes the cake, weighing in at just over six and a half pounds (three kilos) and 24 inches (61 cm). It seems to be cast brass

 

[37thguy]

Hate to run across the guy that wore those!

[Mr-X]

They are not what you would call small, are they!

[IMPERIAL QUEST]

I wonder if they are clutch or pin pack....or maker marked...

[sgtdorango]

Wow, I didnt know Andre the Giant was a Navy pilot!!!!!.... ......mike

[John Cooper]

Those are cool.... I wonder if they were used in an officers club... maybe on a carrier... Vietnam vintage?

 

John

[Teamski]

IIRC, those are a named pair to Lt (jg) P. Bunyon. He was one of the original test pilots for the Martin Mars program.

 

-Ski

[Bob Hudson]

Those are cool.... I wonder if they were used in an officers club... maybe on a carrier... Vietnam vintage?

 

John

 

I just bought a bunch of stuff from the estate of a Captain who was skipper of the carrier Oriskany in 1965. He was - as all carrier skippers are - a pilot. He retired in 1972, so I assume he got this before then or it may even have been presented to him as a retirement gift, although in Navy tradition, such gifts almost always are mounted on a plaque with some sort of brass plate ID'ing who it came from. This has no signs of ever having been mounted. I've looked around online for another of these but haven't found anything on this scale. The closest was a 9 inch wide on for use on normal size plaques, but as you can see how this big one compares to a dollar bill - which is about six inches long - it would dwarf even a nine-incher.

[John Cooper]

My guess was a good one~! You never know a photo may been in the stuff you bought if you have not looked at everything. Maybe some of the men who served on th Oriskany... Maybe John McCain knows

 

John

[Lee Ragan]

An old collector buddy of mine (a retired Navy Aviation Ordanceman), had a set of these big wings. I don't recall where he got them or whatever happened to them. I've also seen several Navy & Air Force wings made about this size but of wood. Always a great way to dress up a collectors room or office! These you show are a really primo set... I LIKE 'em!

[Bob Hudson]

An old collector buddy of mine (a retired Navy Aviation Ordanceman), had a set of these big wings. I don't recall where he got them or whatever happened to them. I've also seen several Navy & Air Force wings made about this size but of wood. Always a great way to dress up a collectors room or office! These you show are a really primo set... I LIKE 'em!

 

I've seen the wood ones - and plastic too - but I'm not sure they were this large.

 

So does anyone know where I can get a pair of 4-inch wide clutchback fasteners?

[pfrost]

You could buy these type of things at the Navy Exchanges on any of the Navy bases I have ever been to. I recall seeing big old wings like this carved out of wood by local Filipino artisans being sold both in Subic Bay and off basse when we lived in the Philippines. You could get big ones and little ones, and I think you could get them in just about what ever material you wanted I suspect that this is one of those type of things. It is also possible that this was displayed in a ready room or squadron hanger or office. Some thing that was taken with him when he left.

 

One of my buddies dad was a pilot and he had a big set of wings on his bedroom wall. I always wanted one for my bedroom, but my dad said I needed a 3foot long wooden set of USN wings like I needed a whole in my head, so I never got a set. Then, I discovered girls and all my extra income went towards movies and dates.