Tomcat Crewmen

[VMF115]

Didn't they also wear boot laces that correspond with their squadron colors?

All I ever saw were black laces. The thing is that you can wear your flightboots as part of your working uniform (dungarees, working khaki, BDUs, etc.) so unless you want to be changing between black laces and coloreed laces day to day...

One other bit of trivia about boots is we were never required to shine them. Since shoe polish is flammable, some wonderful guy at some point in history, made the case that putting shoe polish on flight boots was a safety hazard as the boots could start burning in event of a fire. I doubt that could really happen, but it saved millions of fliers from ever having to worry about shining their boots.

Check out his boots




http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/lof ... 8-100.html

Actually, many squadrons used shoe laces in squadron colors. By invitation, I used Blue when working with VFA-137 and VFA-34 at Cecil on a regular basis and Red with VF-45 for their adversary mission. Blue again was used with VF-32. Not sure why, but around the mid 90s they were declared verboten. I actually held out until a few years ago on my black flight boots and always got compliments. Many people saying they wish they were allowed to do it. I've discontinued the practice since switching to my "Brown Shoes" I always thought it was a nice touch for esprit de corps.
Brian P: Fightertown Decals
May 9 2008, 10:38 PM
I always liked the shoe lace colors! They were a cool squadron thing before going away - another lost morale tradition.... I remember a friend getting chewed out by the CO when he was still wearing his old squadron colors a month after joining the new squadron.

and btw, that's most definitely not me in the picture. But I still have a pair of old red laces in a box somewhere!

-brian

[YT]

One other bit of trivia about boots is we were never required to shine them.

I always thought this was because pilots were ate up, like doctors. You learn something every day.

[VMF115]

Didn't they also wear boot laces that correspond with their squadron colors?

All I ever saw were black laces. The thing is that you can wear your flightboots as part of your working uniform (dungarees, working khaki, BDUs, etc.) so unless you want to be changing between black laces and coloreed laces day to day...

One other bit of trivia about boots is we were never required to shine them. Since shoe polish is flammable, some wonderful guy at some point in history, made the case that putting shoe polish on flight boots was a safety hazard as the boots could start burning in event of a fire. I doubt that could really happen, but it saved millions of fliers from ever having to worry about shining their boots.

I was surprised to read that too!


Check out what the Navy pilots say about it here.

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showth ... viewfull=1

[Bruzilla]

All I ever saw were black laces. The thing is that you can wear your flightboots as part of your working uniform (dungarees, working khaki, BDUs, etc.) so unless you want to be changing between black laces and coloreed laces day to day...

One other bit of trivia about boots is we were never required to shine them. Since shoe polish is flammable, some wonderful guy at some point in history, made the case that putting shoe polish on flight boots was a safety hazard as the boots could start burning in event of a fire. I doubt that could really happen, but it saved millions of fliers from ever having to worry about shining their boots.

I was surprised to read that too!


Check out what the Navy pilots say about it here.

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showth ... viewfull=1

I guess I must have confused you. I said that we were never required to polish our flight boots, not that we couldn't polish our boots. Anyone could buff, shine, or spit shine their boots to their heart's content, but this was not required.

BTW, I agree with the assessment that your boots catching on fire is likely BS, but that's the reason that worked for getting us out of doing it.

[Bruzilla]

Actually, many squadrons used shoe laces in squadron colors. By invitation, I used Blue when working with VFA-137 and VFA-34 at Cecil on a regular basis and Red with VF-45 for their adversary mission. Blue again was used with VF-32. Not sure why, but around the mid 90s they were declared verboten. I actually held out until a few years ago on my black flight boots and always got compliments. Many people saying they wish they were allowed to do it. I've discontinued the practice since switching to my "Brown Shoes" I always thought it was a nice touch for esprit de corps.
Brian P: Fightertown Decals
May 9 2008, 10:38 PM
I always liked the shoe lace colors! They were a cool squadron thing before going away - another lost morale tradition.... I remember a friend getting chewed out by the CO when he was still wearing his old squadron colors a month after joining the new squadron.

and btw, that's most definitely not me in the picture. But I still have a pair of old red laces in a box somewhere!

-brian

[/quote]

I just checked with everyone in our office who used to fly (29 people) and none of them had ever seen anyone wearing squadron colored laces either. We're mostly all former P-3 and helo guys, but the guys who were aboard the carriers in the 70s-80s didn't see them. And I spent the better part of a year working out of the TSC at Cecil Field in the late 90s, and didn't see any there, but they might have been outlawed by then.

I guess this must have been a carrier-level thing. I wouldn't say they couldn't have done it as if you asked them if any of them ever wore Greek komboloi worry beads behind their nametags, they would look at you like you were nuts, but just about everyone who flew in P-3s over the Med during the 1980s had them.

[VMF115]

Actually, many squadrons used shoe laces in squadron colors. By invitation, I used Blue when working with VFA-137 and VFA-34 at Cecil on a regular basis and Red with VF-45 for their adversary mission. Blue again was used with VF-32. Not sure why, but around the mid 90s they were declared verboten. I actually held out until a few years ago on my black flight boots and always got compliments. Many people saying they wish they were allowed to do it. I've discontinued the practice since switching to my "Brown Shoes" I always thought it was a nice touch for esprit de corps.
Brian P: Fightertown Decals
May 9 2008, 10:38 PM
I always liked the shoe lace colors! They were a cool squadron thing before going away - another lost morale tradition.... I remember a friend getting chewed out by the CO when he was still wearing his old squadron colors a month after joining the new squadron.

and btw, that's most definitely not me in the picture. But I still have a pair of old red laces in a box somewhere!

-brian

I just checked with everyone in our office who used to fly (29 people) and none of them had ever seen anyone wearing squadron colored laces either. We're mostly all former P-3 and helo guys, but the guys who were aboard the carriers in the 70s-80s didn't see them. And I spent the better part of a year working out of the TSC at Cecil Field in the late 90s, and didn't see any there, but they might have been outlawed by then.

I guess this must have been a carrier-level thing. I wouldn't say they couldn't have done it as if you asked them if any of them ever wore Greek komboloi worry beads behind their nametags, they would look at you like you were nuts, but just about everyone who flew in P-3s over the Med during the 1980s had them.[/quote]

When ever the brown boots where authorized is when the practice of colored boot laces disappeared, From what I read into the ARC forums.

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/lof ... 8-100.html

[supersonicfifi]

you can count me in for 2 pilots - great idea

[Bruzilla]

[When ever the brown boots where authorized is when the practice of colored boot laces disappeared, From what I read into the ARC forums.

That's the timeframe when I did my flying. I guess it was something some of the the VF/VFA guys used to do. I have a picture of my crew around somewhere where we all have "Russia Sucks" badges on our LPAs. All that was back in the days when flying was fun.

[Bruzilla]

All I ever saw were black laces. The thing is that you can wear your flightboots as part of your working uniform (dungarees, working khaki, BDUs, etc.) so unless you want to be changing between black laces and coloreed laces day to day...

One other bit of trivia about boots is we were never required to shine them. Since shoe polish is flammable, some wonderful guy at some point in history, made the case that putting shoe polish on flight boots was a safety hazard as the boots could start burning in event of a fire. I doubt that could really happen, but it saved millions of fliers from ever having to worry about shining their boots.

Check out his boots




http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/lof ... 8-100.html

Actually, many squadrons used shoe laces in squadron colors. By invitation, I used Blue when working with VFA-137 and VFA-34 at Cecil on a regular basis and Red with VF-45 for their adversary mission. Blue again was used with VF-32. Not sure why, but around the mid 90s they were declared verboten. I actually held out until a few years ago on my black flight boots and always got compliments. Many people saying they wish they were allowed to do it. I've discontinued the practice since switching to my "Brown Shoes" I always thought it was a nice touch for esprit de corps.
Brian P: Fightertown Decals
May 9 2008, 10:38 PM
I always liked the shoe lace colors! They were a cool squadron thing before going away - another lost morale tradition.... I remember a friend getting chewed out by the CO when he was still wearing his old squadron colors a month after joining the new squadron.

and btw, that's most definitely not me in the picture. But I still have a pair of old red laces in a box somewhere!

-brian

I wonder where that picture was taken. Wearing any kind of cover on the ramp or deck was a big no-no as they can blow off and FOD out an engine. You could wear your helmet, cranial, or nothing on your head, but never a pisscutter. Also, he has no hearing protection on, which we also had to wear anytime we were on the ramp or anywhere near the aircraft even when no engines or APUs were running.

[toyktdlgh]

It looks like it's in a parking lot. Probably an air show.

[Bruzilla]

It looks like it's in a parking lot. Probably an air show.

That... or he's wearing a Halloween costume to the local aviation museum.

I wish I could find my favorite picture of a Tomcat pilot. I was walking out to preflight an aircraft at NAS Sigonella, Italy, and I hear this roar over my head. It was an A-7 from VA-whatever dogfighting (or trying to) with a VF-32 F-14. They went at it for about 10 minutes, then came in for a landing.

I walked out to the taxiway, and pulled out my trusty Kodak 110 that I kept in my zoombag for just such occasions, and when the Tomcat taxied by, I gave them a thumbs-up. The pilot and RIO had their O2 masks off, were both looking at me with big smiles and giving me a thumbs-up back when I snapped the picture. It was a great shot! I did the same thing for the A-7 pilot, but he flipped me off (I'm assuming he lost). I was laughing so hard, I shook the camera and the pic was crap, but the VF-32 shot was great. I'll have to dedicate some time to finding that pic one of these days.