Plastic encased rank insignias

[piperl4]

There needs to be a change to the regs on using the plastic encased ranks. There are no suppliers producing anything close to a quality product. Here is an example of cheap plastic 1st Lt. bars put together to make a Captains bar. On one set one of the bars is almost 1/4 shorter, 2nd set the bars are crooked, third set is spaced completely differant than the rest. No two pairs are the same. If anyone knows of a decent supplier of the correct Captains bars please post a reply. Not going to wear these toy items.

[mikeylikey]

Ahh.....thats terrible!  What kind of CRAP Product is Vanguard producing.  We need to get rid of them for embroidered anyway!

[Eclipse]

That's pretty much all I've ever seen, whatever service you're talking about.

For CAP, all but the green flightsuit have gone to cloth, and its expected the green flightsuit will soon as well.

[PHall]

We're "supposedly" waiting for the Air Force to approve the wearing of cloth grade insignia on the green flight suit.

Your guess is as good as mine on when we will receive that approval.

[Slim]

What's the problem?  If both of the insignia in the package are the same, why worry about what a different set look like?

They may look like two 1st Lt bars put together to form one captain insignia, but that's how they make them.  Every pair, from any manufacturer that I own/owned were made the exact same way.  Those aren't just the metal insignia sealed in plastic, I do believe that the actual insignia itself is also plastic (though I admit that I've never been so interested that I actually cut one apart just to see).

I do agree though, that ditching the antiquated insignia for embroidered is the better (and cheaper/more readily available) way to go.

[RiverAux]

SAFETY ALERT    SAFETY ALERT   SAFETY ALERT

Isn't attaching plastic items to your NOMEX uniform sort of a safety issue in regards to fires?  Isn't that stuff going to melt right onto us?  Wouldn't cloth be better? 

I say the above for the benefit of those who are afraid to fly in anything but NOMEX. 

[SJFedor]

SAFETY ALERT    SAFETY ALERT   SAFETY ALERT

Isn't attaching plastic items to your NOMEX uniform sort of a safety issue in regards to fires?  Isn't that stuff going to melt right onto us?  Wouldn't cloth be better? 

I say the above for the benefit of those who are afraid to fly in anything but NOMEX. 

I sense some sarcasm there.... 

The plastic cased insigna hasn't changed since the USAF used it back in the not-so-long ago. The Capt's bars didn't look like the normal ones you pin on your uniform, never have.

Solution? Promote to Major.

[Eclipse]

Isn't attaching plastic items to your NOMEX uniform sort of a safety issue in regards to fires?  Isn't that stuff going to melt right onto us? 

SWEET! Then my grade would be branded on my shoulder for all to see! 

Actually, the two biggest risks are:

1) Sewing what is basically a stiff piece of plastic onto cheese cloth without ruining either or breaking the sewing needle.

2) Getting some bizarre disease from the fungus growing in those little greenhouses you guys are sporting up there.   

Because of my height I've had the royal blue since I joined, and was so happy when they went to the matching cloth insignia, it looks so much better and doesn't snag on the seatbelt.

In 2009 I'm going with a dark blue Nomex because I think they look sharper than the green and will be happy with my color-matched insignia.  Ditto on the utilities.

[Slim]

I always used Velcro on mine.

No greenhouses, no seatbelt snags (if they do, they just come off, and I get them later), etc. 

Sewing the velcro to them was a bit of a pain, spinning the machine by hand to keep from breaking the needle, but it was worth it to me in the end.  I've got the new navy blue embroidered ones, just haven't taken the time to sew them yet.

[PHall]

Actually, the two biggest risks are:

1) Sewing what is basically a stiff piece of plastic onto cheese cloth without ruining either or breaking the sewing needle.

And now you know why I have my grade insignia mounted with velcro.
I sew the loop part to the suit and glue the insignia to the velcro with contact cement.

(The rest of my flight suit insignia is mounted with velcro too. The patches last longer if they don't have to go through the washing machine.)

[♠SARKID♠]

I do believe that the actual insignia itself is also plastic (though I admit that I've never been so interested that I actually cut one apart just to see).

They are, give 'em a bend.

[JCJ]

Yep... although the historic origin of this particular type of flight suit rank insignia was from the early Viet Nam era when clear plastic was sewn on locally over metal insignia to keep the pin-on metal insignia from catching on harness straps,etc.  Eventually it morphed into our current plastic insignia, which was AF issue for years (although some commands, I believe AETC -- then ATC -- used full color on ultramarine blue same as our current BDU insignia sewn onto the flight suits.

This all went away for USAF when they went to sewn-on USAF subdued on OG service wide.

I do believe that the actual insignia itself is also plastic (though I admit that I've never been so interested that I actually cut one apart just to see).

They are, give 'em a bend.

[RiverAux]

I sense some sarcasm there.... 

Only "some"?? 

Seriously though I think it is a safety issue,  though a very, very, very minor one. 

[Eclipse]

I saw people with the "greenhouse effect" this weekend using velcro.

To each his own, but when you go with velcro you wind up with a 3/8" merlon on each shoulder.   

[Hawk200]

Those aren't just the metal insignia sealed in plastic, I do believe that the actual insignia itself is also plastic (though I admit that I've never been so interested that I actually cut one apart just to see).

I have (I was really bored!). The only metal to them is an extremely thin foil in the silver or gold of the rank. Not a whole lot of plastic either really.

Sew-on would be nice, we'll just have to wait and see what the Air Force allows.

[♠SARKID♠]

What's the greenhouse effect?

[MIKE]

The plastic gets cloudy from moisture underneath.

[piperl4]

Slim, you mentioned the blue. That is the second time I have come across that and was just issued a green flight suit with the navy blue capt bars on it. I was getting ready to yank them off and replace them with the stupid plastic but you got me thinking is the blue something new that I missed reading about. It sure would be nice to be able to use them. They look really nice and not like you are doing a gig for Star Trek. If you saw it somewhere can you point me in that direction

  I've got the new navy blue embroidered ones, just haven't taken the time to sew them yet.

Removed tag - MIKE

[MIKE]

White on blue cloth insignia is still awaiting USAF approval for the AF-style green bag.

[Slim]

White on blue cloth insignia is still awaiting USAF approval for the AF-style green bag.

But is approved (in navy blue background) on the blue flight suit and utility uniform  .  I'll be switching mine over shortly.

What piper may have gotten is a surplus CG bag, and those are LT insignia (which isn't the same as an AF/CAP capt insignia).  Although I don't know if blue background is CG authorized, I've only seen it in color with a sage background on CG flightsuits.