USAF Wing

[MikeK]

Hi,

 

The attached wing arrived recently (yes, damaged/defaced and of little value).  It's clearly die-struck/trimmed and, despite being hollow, actually has some weight to it (not lead though!). I've never really spent much time on post-WW2 USAF wings (I only have a couple), so apologies for some basic questions. 

 

I'm guessing it has had a central device removed (?Navigator/Observer/Officer Aircrew/Flight Surgeon/Flight Nurse?) but I did not realise that the USAF wings based on the Pilot wing design had separately applied devices. Is that common or only for certain makers?

 

What I was really surprised about though was the thickness of this badge, especially the thickness of the wings. I've seen some thick shields on some WW2 wings (eg H-H Pelican beak pattern and some early Meyers) but the wing section on those badges are pretty thin.  The obverse left wing section on this badge is the thickest I've seen on ANY wing at just over 4.6mm.  Is this common for USAF wings?

 

Seems like I might be investigating this area a little further in the future!

 

Regards

Mike