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CAA/WTS/CPT/Flight Schools - Reference Thread


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John Cooper said:
So many new items to see :thumbsup: I wanted to say that I really like the custom WTS wings.

 

Sweet!

 

John

 

Here is an unknown wing that came from the grouping of a BFTS training school that instructed British cadets in US flight schools.

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The back.

 

It was made by Russell Uniform Supply company.

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Closeup of the hallmark

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Lee, thank you for the info on the Texas A&M cap piece. The WWII era matching cap piece is one more thing to add to my wish list.

 

Here's a couple of better images of the Texas A&M Flight Instructor's wings. Do you know why the pair of "AMC" collar insignia are curved? Is it to give them more of a 3-D look? The other pairs are flat.

 

Russ

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Closer...

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Russ-Well since you named me earlier I guess I should add some more CPT related patches.

 

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Bob, Those are terrific CAA/WTS patches! Thank you for posting them. I look forward to viewing them up close and personal on May 7th and 8th, 2010, at the "West Coast Historical Militaria Collectors Show" in Pomona, California. (Shameless plug, but so worth your time if you are a fellow collector of this wonder historic stuff!)

 

Russ

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During WWII, both the Boeing Company and United Air Lines offered comprehensive training to many Army Air Corps ground and air crew personnel. These lapel size prop & wing pins were given to those completing the Boeing "ACTS" (Air Corps Technical School)....or the United Air Lines "AAFTD" (Army Air Corps Training Detachment). Note the Boeing pins have the class number and the year inscribed on the front center scroll.

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Close up of a Boeing Company issed pin.

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Close up of a United Air Lines issued pin.

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Here's a modest sampling of Flight Instructor wings which were worn on the lower right sleeve of the uniform jacket. Most are from the WWII era...but there are a few that date back to the 1920's and 30's. Most of these wings were worn by Army Air Corps personnel...but a few have been seen on Contract Flight Instructor uniforms as well. The four inch wide leather patch belonged to a Civilian Contract Flight Instructor.

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Close up view of three WWII era Flight Instructor's sleeve badges. The wing in the upper right is padded and nicely sewn to a piece of leather containing clutch studs. The wing was fastened to the right lower sleeve with three clutches.

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Back of the three wings. Note the one with three clutches.

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I believe these two Flight Instructor sleeve wings are from the 1930's. Your opinions are welcome.

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Back of the two wings. The wing on the bottom has some scrap-book paper remaining.

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This NOS bullion 2 1/4 inch wide Flight Instructor wing is still in the original cellophane wrapper with a $2.95 price tag stapled to the front and a "Gemsco-Gold Bullion" sticker on the back. Rather expensive in terms of WWII era prices!

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Back of the bullion NOS Flight Instructor wing.

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John Cooper

Great set of examples - I love the leather backing material shown in photo #105, talk about attention to detail!

 

Thanks for posting.

John

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John Cooper

Here is my one wing that belongs here. It looks good to me from a construction standpoint but since this is the only one I have I will let the experts decide.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
rustywings
John Cooper said:
Great set of examples - I love the leather backing material shown in photo #105 talk about attention to detail!

 

Thanks for posting.

John

 

Thanks for your comments John. Regarding your CAA/WTS Flight Instructors wings listed above, I'm no expert, but if you want the opinion of a serious novice, it sure looks like a good wing to me! Your wing has received a fair amount of wear...which I think really adds to its authenticity.

 

Russ

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rustywings

Here's a nicely feathered and detailed wing from the Mississippi Institute Of Aeronautics. This WWII U.S. Army Contract Flight School was located near Jackson, Mississippi. I'll include a printed excerpt about the Primary Flight School below.

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Back of the Mississippi Institute Of Aeronautics winged badge. It is hallmarked "Johnson National, N.Y."

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Here's some additional information about the Mississippi Institute Of Aeronautics copied from the book "Two Hundred Thousand Flyers", by Willard Wiener. This U.S. Army Primary Flight School trained both American and Dutch flying cadets.

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rustywings

During WWII, this large silver plated plaque was hung and displayed at some prominent location at the 63rd Flight Training Detachment, in Douglas, Georgia. The 63rd F.T.D. was a Contract Flight School run by the Raymond-Richardson Aviation Company. This plaque lists the top flying cadet from each graduating class during 1943-1944. Notice how the honor cadet's inscribed names get smaller as they progress down the scroll. (The Flight Instructor's shoulder patch for this school is depicted in post #90 of this thread).

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Another view.

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Close-up.

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rustywings

In 1940, Georgia Air Service, Inc. contracted with the US Army Air Corps to teach "Primary" to flying cadets at two academies in Bennettsville, South Carolina and Jackson, Tennessee. Both flight academies were sanctioned by the CAA War Training Service. In 1942, Georgia Air Service changed its name to Southeastern Air Service...most likely because neither school was located in the State of Georgia.

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Here's a black and white photograph of a Georgia Air Service Contract Flight Instructor in his uniform. The photo is dated 1941.

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G.A.S. Flight Instructor wings and cap piece like the ones depicted in the photograph.

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Wings in the photograph.

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Georgia Air Service Flight Instructor wings.

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Back of the wings.

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Cap piece in the photograph.

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Back of the cap badge.

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stunning stunning stunning. :w00t:

 

I hope everyone appreciates just how rare and spectacular a collection Russ has acquired. I hear rumors of other collections, but for my money, we have one of the world class examples of all things "flying instructor" in Russ' contributions to this thread.

 

BTW, that Georgia Air Service badge looks familiar.

 

Patrick

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Was advised to post my recent collection here. Looking for assistance to put a value on these items. Thanks for your help

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And Additional Pictures. Looking for value assistance.

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And 1 More. Value please.

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Finally.

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rustywings
And 1 More. Value please.

 

 

There's some nice WWII era flight school stuff mixed in with your lot. Any chance of getting a couple of close-up images of the front and back of your Instructor's wing? I've seen the initials "FI" for flight instructor and "CFI" for contract flight instructor...but this is the first wing I've seen with just the letter "I".

Russ

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OK here is the back of the Instructor pin. The front is already shown about as close up as I can get. Can you give me an estimate of value? If you have never seen one, I would interprept that to mean it is extremely rare?

 

Thanks, Don

 

 

 

 

There's some nice WWII era flight school stuff mixed in with your lot. Any chance of getting a couple of close-up images of the front and back of your Instructor's wing? I've seen the initials "FI" for flight instructor and "CFI" for contract flight instructor...but this is the first wing I've seen with just the letter "I".

Russ

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John Cooper

The "I" wing is very interesting... I can not say I have ever heard of it before. Anyone else?

 

John

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rustywings
And 1 More. Value please.

 

 

Don, I can't give you a dollar value for your "I" wing. As John stated, your wing is interesting...especially in the presence of the two Claiborne Flight Academy collar pins. I have to assume the wing was intended for wear by an instructor at Claiborne as well. I believe your wing is most likely one-of-a-kind. It appears to have been rather amateurishly made due to the large smear of jewelers solder on the wing to the left of the shield; and the letter "I" appears to have been hastily cut down from a letter "L" (possibly from a Liaison Pilot wing). If you look closely, the "I" is not symmetrical and rather rough...not the type of work you would expect from a professional jeweler or badge manufacturer. Another factor which may influence the value of your wing is the probability the catch on the back has been replaced. These Juarez style wings were originally made with a different catch. Good luck with your venture. Please keep us in tune with what you find out.

 

Russ

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Russ,

 

I don't really see what you mean with the wing and the lack of quality of workmanship. Not that I am an expert but, I think it may rather be the quality of my pictures or some of the residual cleaning attempt by the former owner of the wing. I have wiped it with a cloth to remove some of the silver cleaner residue and taken additional pictures. Look at these and see if you arrive at the same opinion. Are the other FI pins you have this same size? It is probably twice as large as the Aerial Gunner wing, as you can see by the pictures?

 

So if it is a 1 of a kind, it is a WW II era flight wing would I be in a dream world if I were to think it may bring thousand"S" of dollars in the right sales venue??

 

 

Thanks for your expertise.

 

Don

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And the back again.

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rustywings

Wow! What a difference a little cleaning makes! Those first posted images of your "I" wing were deceiving. What I mistook as jeweler's solder and poor craftmanship, was indeed an accumulation of dried silver polish. Generally speaking, most collectors prefer to see the original patina on the wing rather than a shiny, tarnish-free polished look. But getting rid of that old dried polish really enhances the details of your unique wing.

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