Just for laughs- what your badges really say

[UH60guy]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

I have three badges- army aviator, basic parachutist, and ground team member. Here's some thoughts of what the combos you wear really say. Anyone else have funny combos to their badges?

Army aviator + parachutist: don't fly with me, I forgot how to autorotate.

Aviator + ground team member: I can find my own way home for the crash site thankyouverymuch.

Parachutist + ground team member: I heard a rumor on CAP Talk that we were starting a pararescue track and I wanted to get to work on my Technician rating.

[NC Hokie]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

You can't wear both of these on BDUs, but a ground team badge and a cadet programs badge: for when the cadets get lost in the woods. Again.

[AngelWings]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

[PHall]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly food plane/helicopter!?! 

What's a "food plane"?  Is it like a food truck?  Do you know any that serve a good Philly Cheese Steak?

[NorCal21]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

You can't wear both of these on BDUs, but a ground team badge and a cadet programs badge: for when the cadets get lost in the woods. Again.

Why?

[UH60guy]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. At the time EVERYBODY jumped. Never mind it made no sense, but I took their jump pay check to the bank nevertheless!

[unmlobo]

AF Weather Tech+Senior Ground Team= I can forecast weather for the rescue missions OR trying to become the first CAP SOWT.  Just need to go to Airborne or Air Assault, maybe if I get an Army Support assignment.

[PHall]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. At the time EVERYBODY jumped. Never mind it made no sense, but I took their jump pay check to the bank nevertheless!

Or an Army or Air Force pilot who is a graduate of West Point/Air Force Academy. Many academy students earn their jump wings while at the academy.

Oh, and everybody assigned to the 82d is still required to be jump qualified.

[NIN]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. At the time EVERYBODY jumped. Never mind it made no sense, but I took their jump pay check to the bank nevertheless!

See, I wanted to go to Airborne School and they told me "We don't need airborne-qualified mechanics. You all fly to the field in other helicopters."

But then, I was in Chinooks.  I can see why they would train & equip you guys in UH-60s to jump.

[NIN]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. At the time EVERYBODY jumped. Never mind it made no sense, but I took their jump pay check to the bank nevertheless!

Or an Army or Air Force pilot who is a graduate of West Point/Air Force Academy. Many academy students earn their jump wings while at the academy.

Oh, and everybody assigned to the 82d is still required to be jump qualified.

You're 100% sure about that Phil?

I saw some folks wearing patches for 82nd Abn Div who didn't have lead sleds when I was at Bragg.  Not a lot, but enough that I noticed them.

My buddy took a job with the Flippers for 2 years when they decided he'd spent enough time in the 160th (9 years at Campbell, if you can believe that one!), and he's not airborne qualified.

[UH60guy]

They took the aviation brigade off jump status while I was there in 2006. Some more of the support units don't jump anymore either now that they realized how much it was costing them in jump pay and medical treatment just for maintaining the tradition of an entirely airborne division. Granted, most of those in the brigade combat teams still jump though.

[UH60guy]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

You can't wear both of these on BDUs, but a ground team badge and a cadet programs badge: for when the cadets get lost in the woods. Again.

"Again"- ha! Nice one.

[NorCal21]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

I have three badges- army aviator, basic parachutist, and ground team member. Here's some thoughts of what the combos you wear really say. Anyone else have funny combos to their badges?

Army aviator + parachutist: don't fly with me, I forgot how to autorotate.

Aviator + ground team member: I can find my own way home for the crash site thankyouverymuch.

Parachutist + ground team member: I heard a rumor on CAP Talk that we were starting a pararescue track and I wanted to get to work on my Technician rating.

Haha, this message board really could use a like button!

[NorCal21]

This came about when someone asked me about having both pilot and parachutist wings on my BDUs, and it got me thinking... I wonder what messages could be conferred by your chosen badge combinations?

You can't wear both of these on BDUs, but a ground team badge and a cadet programs badge: for when the cadets get lost in the woods. Again.

I'm still confused as to why you can't wear jump wings and pilot wings together on the BDU. According to the AF you can. Is there a CAP regulation saying no?

[UH60guy]

I think he's referring to the cadet programs badge there.

[NorCal21]

I think he's referring to the cadet programs badge there.

OK. I spent about 20 minutes looking it up last night. I couldn't find anything other the AFI to support wearing the two.

From what the AF says you can wear three total sew-ons on the BDU with a maximum of two being occupational badges.

[PHall]

May I ask how a pilot ends up with parachutist wings? Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. At the time EVERYBODY jumped. Never mind it made no sense, but I took their jump pay check to the bank nevertheless!

Or an Army or Air Force pilot who is a graduate of West Point/Air Force Academy. Many academy students earn their jump wings while at the academy.

Oh, and everybody assigned to the 82d is still required to be jump qualified.

You're 100% sure about that Phil?

I saw some folks wearing patches for 82nd Abn Div who didn't have lead sleds when I was at Bragg.  Not a lot, but enough that I noticed them.

My buddy took a job with the Flippers for 2 years when they decided he'd spent enough time in the 160th (9 years at Campbell, if you can believe that one!), and he's not airborne qualified.

All I know is what I dumped out the back of the jet over (maybe!) the DZ. 
150 bodies, all jumping "Hollywood", so they could keep getting that "I'm too stupid to stay in the plane" pay!

[PHall]

I think he's referring to the cadet programs badge there.

OK. I spent about 20 minutes looking it up last night. I couldn't find anything other the AFI to support wearing the two.

From what the AF says you can wear three total sew-ons on the BDU with a maximum of two being occupational badges.

There is no cloth Cadet Programs badge...

[caphornbuckle]

Why would a pilot jump out of a perfectly good plane/helicopter!?! 

Being a military aircraft, it's hard to say "perfectly good"!  Eliminate the "perfectly" or as I would say, "jump out of a somewhat capable aircraft".

No offense to the wrench turners, it was rarely their fault...at least that's the excuse they gave me! 

[NIN]

People say that to me all the time "Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"

My reply is "You haven't seen the airplane."

[NorCal21]

I'm a skydiver. I do it all the time! FOR FUN! Nothing beats the exhilaration you get when you first step out, or the beauty of what you can see once the chute opens. Some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with in my life have been fellow skydivers as well!

[NIN]

I'm a skydiver. I do it all the time! FOR FUN! Nothing beats the exhilaration you get when you first step out, or the beauty of what you can see once the chute opens. Some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with in my life have been fellow skydivers as well!

What's it like?

[Luis R. Ramos]

Pilots do not wear wings and parachute badges to give reassurance to their passengers...

Think about it.

Someone sees a pilot with Wings and Parachute badges, they think "My God! Is he gonna jump? I'd better be ready for when he/she gets up!"



Flyer

[NorCal21]

I'm a skydiver. I do it all the time! FOR FUN! Nothing beats the exhilaration you get when you first step out, or the beauty of what you can see once the chute opens. Some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with in my life have been fellow skydivers as well!

What's it like?

Sort of hard to explain. When you first step out you're scared and excited at the same time. Your adrenaline is flowing like a river during a flood. You start falling and its the most unnatural feeling in the world. Your body has never fallen far enough to get this feeling. Once your brain adjusts to the falling you can right yourself and fall parallel. At that point its just a rush feeling the wind! Pull the chute and you're yanked back because of the sudden deceleration. From that point? You're just floating down to earth. You can do things while the chute is open such as corkscrew, turns, etc, but when I used to jump over the North Shore... I generally wanted to look at the beauty of it all.

[NIN]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

[lordmonar]

People say that to me all the time "Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"

My reply is "You haven't seen the airplane."

First Jumps were from a tail dragging C170 with all the paint scraped off (no sandblasted....scraped!) and various parts duct tapped down.

I Once jumped a C172 that had the Carb Heat knob replaced with a throttle cable from Lawn Mower and actuated by pulling on a pair of vice grips....piloted by a Peruvian who had to leave the country every 90 days so he was on a tourist visa.   (not a U.S. Operation) 

[NorCal21]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

Yep that's the North Shore. I've got 14 jumps. I'm working on getting my B license so I can jump on my own regularly and work as a photographer. We need a skydiver badge!

[NIN]

CAP already had one.

[Private Investigator]

Maj Stephen Pless, USMC had both wings of gold, aviator and parachutist along with the Medal of Honor he earned. A legend in the Marines when I was in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Pless

[Private Investigator]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

Yep that's the North Shore. I've got 14 jumps. I'm working on getting my B license so I can jump on my own regularly and work as a photographer. We need a skydiver badge!

Wow that is much better than NAS Lakehurst, NJ in March   

[NIN]

Wow that is much better than NAS Lakehurst, NJ in March   

Having spent a number of months, including a March, at Fort Dix, NJ right next to Lakehurst, I can fully concur.

[Flying Pig]

When I was in the Marines, our Forward Air Controller had pilot wings (Cobra Pilot) gold jump wings and a scuba badge.  In the Marines you can only wear two badges, so he always wore his SCUBA and his pilot wings.  He had been in Reconassaince as enlisted prior to becoming a pilot.

As for myself, Command Pilot with an EMT badge didnt really raise to many eyebrows. 

[UH60guy]

Pilots do not wear wings and parachute badges to give reassurance to their passengers...

Think about it.

Someone sees a pilot with Wings and Parachute badges, they think "My God! Is he gonna jump? I'd better be ready for when he/she gets up!"



Flyer

Or maybe they start wondering if that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the pilots abandon Indy in the plane is about to be reenacted...

Or they will really freak out when the pilot says idly "here, you have the controls..."

[ol'fido]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

Yep that's the North Shore. I've got 14 jumps. I'm working on getting my B license so I can jump on my own regularly and work as a photographer. We need a skydiver badge!

Apparently, the skydiving school at Dillingham is still in operation.

[NorCal21]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

Yep that's the North Shore. I've got 14 jumps. I'm working on getting my B license so I can jump on my own regularly and work as a photographer. We need a skydiver badge!

Apparently, the skydiving school at Dillingham is still in operation.

You mean Skydive Hawaii? I'm friends with the owner and most of the skydivers there. Yeah, its still in operation!

http://www.skydivehawaii.com/

[dwb]

NorCal21 - NIN's an avid skydiver, don't let him fool you.

[lordmonar]

Pilots do not wear wings and parachute badges to give reassurance to their passengers...

Think about it.

Someone sees a pilot with Wings and Parachute badges, they think "My God! Is he gonna jump? I'd better be ready for when he/she gets up!"



Flyer

Or maybe they start wondering if that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the pilots abandon Indy in the plane is about to be reenacted...

Or they will really freak out when the pilot says idly "here, you have the controls..."

My father was a B-47 Nav way back in the day.  He told me he had AC who would brief......."On the first bell, the BN ejects, on the second bell the pilot ejects, on the third bell.........anyone still on the air plane is Aircraft Commander".

[ol'fido]

North Shore? Hawaii? Thats cool.

How many jumps?

Yep that's the North Shore. I've got 14 jumps. I'm working on getting my B license so I can jump on my own regularly and work as a photographer. We need a skydiver badge!

Apparently, the skydiving school at Dillingham is still in operation.

You mean Skydive Hawaii? I'm friends with the owner and most of the skydivers there. Yeah, its still in operation!

http://www.skydivehawaii.com/

We used to run field ops out at the NIKE site at Dillingham when I was stationed at Schofield.

[NIN]

NorCal21 - NIN's an avid skydiver, don't let him fool you.

Its all fun till someone gets a pie in the face..

[AngelWings]

I wish I could learn how to skydive! I'm jealous of y'all!

[Luis R. Ramos]

"On the first bell, the BN ejects, on the second bell the pilot ejects, on the third bell.........anyone still on the air plane is Aircraft Commander".

:clap:

Flyer

[SarDragon]

Wow that is much better than NAS Lakehurst, NJ in March   

Lakehurst sucks all year 'round, not just in March.

[Spaceman3750]

I'd like to skydive once or twice, but I have a gravitational attraction higher than most (hey instructor, wanna see how quickly we can hit terminal velocity?).

Maybe someday.

[NorCal21]

I'd like to skydive once or twice, but I have a gravitational attraction higher than most (hey instructor, wanna see how quickly we can hit terminal velocity?).

Maybe someday.

Well I get your humor here, but in reality all objects fall at the same rate. The air resistance is the only mitigating factor, and unless your talking about extremes from one end to the other on human weights it wouldn't make a difference for you.

My only suggestion is don't lie about your weight when you fill out the forms. The equipment is rigged for weight combos between you and the tandem diver.

[MSG Mac]

This topic has drifted well past it's subject

[Critical AOA]

I wish I could learn how to skydive! I'm jealous of y'all!

What is stopping you?

[NIN]

This topic has drifted well past it's subject

My apologies to the Sikorsky Crowd Killer driver for derailing his topic.

[Luis R. Ramos]

So NIN, Sir...

...what are your badges saying about you?

Flyer

[NIN]

So NIN, Sir...

...what are your badges saying about you?

Lets see:

Army Aviation Badge + Senior Ground Team: "I'd rather fly to work than walk"

Army Aviation Badge + CAP Observer: "Whoa! I bet it sucks down there on the ground!"

I don't have any lead-sleds, so my uniform doesn't reflect the ability to exit in flight, but if CAP reinstated jumpwings:

Army Aviation Badge + CAP Jumpwings: "I'll just see my way to the door, thanks."

CAP Observer + CAP Jumpwings: "Oh, look, the door on the GA-8 is opeeeeennnnnnnnnn....."

[Luis R. Ramos]

Thank you sir, those were great!

:clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Flyer

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

CAP Observer + Incident Commander = You'll fly where I tell you.
GBD + Incident Commander = Once upon a time, a really long time,  I walked in the woods too.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Do not have the Communicators Badge yet but I am working for it...

GTM3/GTL badges + Communicators Badge:

For when I get lost in the woods...

Flyer

[UH60guy]

GTM3/GTL badges + Communicators Badge:

Flyer

Maybe that's the "Human ELT Simulator" competency?

[Eclipse]

GBD + Incident Commander

"Who has time to read regs?  People are dying in the streets!"

[wuzafuzz]

Master Communicator + Emergency Services Technician + Mission Observer + GTM3 = I learned ground pounder and aviator lingo so I can plan to tell people where to go.   

[Spaceman3750]

GTL (and that's it) = mission base and Cessna 172 cabins suck.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Communicators Badge and ES Patch:

Better be safe and secure here at the base!

Flyer

[Devil Doc]

Ranger Third Class+ GTM3+Observer= Pick Me Pick Me, ILL go Anywhere!!

[Critical AOA]

What is a Ranger Third Class?  All I recall from the Army when I was in was that you were either Ranger qualified and wore the tab or you weren't a Ranger.  I never realized there were different classes.

[SJFedor]

What is a Ranger Third Class?  All I recall from the Army when I was in was that you were either Ranger qualified and wore the tab or you weren't a Ranger.  I never realized there were different classes.

Hawk Mountain nonsense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol_Ranger#Ranger_advancement

[Brad]

What is a Ranger Third Class?  All I recall from the Army when I was in was that you were either Ranger qualified and wore the tab or you weren't a Ranger.  I never realized there were different classes.

Hawk Mountain nonsense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol_Ranger#Ranger_advancement

Just read that article. Utterly flabbergasted.

More recently, CAP Rangers have been involved in recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. 31 CAP Rangers from Pennsylvania Wing alone traveled 28 hours to Pascagoula, Mississippi to aid in relief efforts. Rangers from numerous other wings assisted as well. CAP Rangers went door-to-door ensuring that local residents had the food, water, and medical care they needed.

Their involvement, however, was controversial at best, as they were repeatedly chastised for not following command directions, and were ultimately sent home because of their inability to follow simple and basic CAP procedures and directions from the incident commanders. This was noted specifically in the official After Action Report.

How about CAP members not just rangers went?! There's other problems as well and that whole article smells of elitism. They don't even address the fact that the pistol belts aren't even authorized for wear on the BDUs per CAPM 39-1, for example.

Back on-topic though...

Mission Observer and Communications: I'll spot your crash site and ask you for a signal report when calling you on the radio.

[Devil Doc]

Well considering our wing only has a handful of Rangers, we are trying to get more qualified Rangers. I personally think it is a good idea, it is a better way to use my skill I learned in the Military. I am also involved with Red Cross Disaster Services and CERT and taking classes from the State Emergency Management program.

[Private Investigator]

Wow that is much better than NAS Lakehurst, NJ in March   

Lakehurst sucks all year 'round, not just in March.

So that is what keeps Toms River from falling into the ocean?   

[Luis R. Ramos]

Safety Technician Badge plus Master Admin Badge=Pay attention to your Safety requirements or there will be plenty of paperwork and red tape.

Flyer

[SarDragon]

Wow that is much better than NAS Lakehurst, NJ in March   

Lakehurst sucks all year 'round, not just in March.

So that is what keeps Toms River from falling into the ocean?   

That's hilarious, and likely to be 100% true.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Seen in another thread, belonging to another person.

Pilot Badge and Munitions Maintainer Badge: "I am too busy to wait for you guys, I will load it myself."

Flyer