CAA/WTS/CPT/Flight Schools - Reference Thread

[COOKIEMAN]

Two Inch Wing

[COOKIEMAN]

Employee Uniform Insignia

[John Cooper]

Thanks John - you already know how I feel on this BEAUTY!

 

Cheers!

[rustywings]

REFERENCE POSTING #241:

 

16th AAF FLYING TRAINING DETACHMENT (CONTRACT FLYING SCHOOL, PRIMARY)

ECHEVERRIA FIELD, WICKENBURG, ARIZONA

 

Some time ago, a series of photos were posted to this thread depicting an interesting "Instructor" wing and associated insignia. This same set of insignia was recently offred for sale on eBay, and I was lucky enough to obtain the lot. I had not seen the previous postings on the folrum, so only had the fuzzy pictures on ebay to go by. I made a leap of faith and went for it. The package arrived Monday morning, and I was more than pleased when I opened it.

 

I an even more inpressed, now that I have it in hand. The Pictures on eBay were not the best. I thought it would be a standard Juarez pilot wing, with a design applied over the shield, Upon close examination this turned out not to be the case. If you will look close at the enlargement of the central shield, you can see where the letter “G” has been unsoldered and replace with an “I”. Under a 20 power glass you can see the modification was very professionally done. The collar insignia are also nice. The "C.F.A." is maker marked "ENTENMANN" one of the premier badge and insignia makers of the time.

 

 

Terrific additions to an already incredible collection! Thanks for sharing with us John.

[LuftStalg1]

1920's Civilian Instructors wing?

 

My first new wing in years! Just picked this one up as it was to cheep to pass on and I have not bought a wing in years. That and I have been out bid on all my big stuff lately I needed a pick me up! :w00t:

 

I found it listed as #48 on page 22 of J. Duncan Campbell’s book identifying it being from the 20’s. It is gold plated and marked sterling so I would guess it is again one of the civilian instructor wings? At first glance the workmanship concerned me a little but it is die struck and a few quirks I spotted were identical to the black and white photo in Campbell’s book so I guess it is ok. And I figured with the cheep price it is not anything rare?

:think:

[LuftStalg1]

1920's Civilian Instructors wing REV.

[LuftStalg1]

Going over some old stuff and found a copy of this photo of three CPT in front of one of there planes with the insignia visible on the side. An old friend of the family brought me some stuff that belonged to his father and his wife’s father to put a couple of displays together for them back in 1998. His father had tired to join up but was turned down for some reason so he and his brother opened a flight school and started training pilots to do there part for the war effort. I can not find a copy of the write up I did and the photo is too small to read but with a little luck I will come across the hard copy I saved. Anyway, he had the original photo of his dad, center, and two other trainers as well as four collar pins and the one pilot wing. They all framed up rather nicely with the write up I did for him.

 

Oddly enough the hat badges the two have on is the other design not like the insignia on the side of the plane or for that matter the wing and collar insignia he had me frame up.

[LuftStalg1]

The framed set.

[John Cooper]

Thats a cool display did you put it together?

 

John

 

BTW the gold wing you posted earlier has been discussed and some think it a sweetheart wing but I am just not sold on that. There seems to be a few variations and then the gold version as you posted. I think Patrick as a photo of a women wearing one in a photo with a AAF guy.

[LuftStalg1]

Thats a cool display did you put it together?

 

John

 

BTW the gold wing you posted earlier has been discussed and some think it a sweetheart wing but I am just not sold on that. There seems to be a few variations and then the gold version as you posted. I think Patrick as a photo of a women wearing one in a photo with a AAF guy.

 

 

Thanks John!

 

Yes sir, this was one I did in my hay day when I was running a website and wheeling and dealing back in the 90's.

 

A married couple my parents were friends with brought me items belonging to each of there fathers that had served in WW2 and asked me to put something together for them to hang on the wall in there home. Mr. Botsford’s father and uncle ran a pilot training school and he provided me with the photo, wing, 4 collar pins and some information and that is what I put together. Mrs. Botsford provided me with a photo of her father in the Army hospital holding his newly award open cased PH medal along with some foreign money, German trinkets, GI can opener and I framed all that up in a sort of 3D collage with a write up for him.

 

I saved a digital copy of the CAA photo and I think I have a hard copy of the write up I did. I need to find it so I can make another frame for ME using some of my extra stuff! One of many on my long list of to-do projects!

 

I love putting displays like this together even for other people. Small, portable, and educational for the average Joe/Jane Public!

 

P.S. Thanks for the comment on the Gold wing. It was cheep enough anyway.

 

Mark

[John Cooper]

Well here is one from my recent group shot - a small but nice addition to this fantastic thread.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[B-17Guy]

Here is an interesting War Training Service wing I picked up last spring from Ron.

 

Best, John

[B-17Guy]

Back

[rustywings]

Here is an interesting War Training Service wing I picked up last spring from Ron.

 

Best, John

 

 

Nice WTS wing my friend!

[B-17Guy]

Kelly Field wings,

KF applied to Amico 1 3/8" size wing

Best, John

[B-17Guy]

Back showing early hallmark

[vietvet7071]

Picked this group up Friday afternoon.

[rustywings]

Picked this group up Friday afternoon.

 

 

That's a really nice grouping of Flight Instructor patch! Thank you for posting.

[Bob Denny]

I know he will be humble and deny it, but Russ is like a super-rock star of wing collectors.

 

Here is another wing in the vein of gilt-colored instructor wings from Cal Aero. The center rondel is the same as what is found on the cap badges, just added to a gilt observer wing.

 

Please see my post in the engraved wings thread (<- this is a link). I am the grandson of C.C. Moseley, the founder of Cal Aero and the other CPT schools.

[rustywings]

Please see my post in the engraved wings thread (

 

 

Hello Bob and welcome to the Forum. Please feel free to post the photograph of your grandfather on this thread instead of the "Engraved Wings" thread. Since C.C. Moseley played such a significant role in the early developement of the Contract Flight School system in WWII, any images or information you'd like to share about the man would fit nicely within this thread.

 

Russ

[COOKIEMAN]

PILOT INSTRUCTOR WING - GREENVILLE AVIATION SCHOOL

 

Attended a small military show in the Kansas City area last Sunday, and came home with a nice wing for my AAF Contract Flying School collection. The wing is from the Greenville Aviation School, Taylor Field, Ocala, Florida (57th AAF Flying Training Detachment).

 

It is a 3 inch sterling instructors wing with an applied disc. The wing is marked BB&BCo / STERLING. As you can imagine, a most welcome addition to my collection.

[COOKIEMAN]

PILOT INSTRUCTOR WING - CAA WAR TRAINING SERVICE

 

Been meaning to post this one for some time. At the SOS in February, obtained a nice variety of the CAA War Training Service Pilot Instructor Wing. Wing is of two-piece construction, with an applied custom die struck disc applied to a standard AAF Observer's wing.

[manayunkman]

Incredible amount of information on very little known wings.

 

Thank you all for posting.

[rustywings]

In early 1944, Class 44-C at Cal Aero Flight Academy was one of the first groups to conduct "Primary" training using BT-13's instead of PT-Stearmans. (Note their Civilian Flight Instructors in the front row.)

[rustywings]

Here's a photograph copied from a Cal Aero Flight Academy classbook depicting Squadron Four - Class 44C with Contract Flight Instructor C. L. Milhiser and his five assigned Flying Cadets standing in front of a BT-13.