plastic encased insignia on flightsuit

[Smoothice]

Hello...
Is it possible/do-able to "glue" the clear plastic encased rank on my flightsuit, or does it have to be sewn??

Also, if this flightsuit that I baught used already has velcro sewn on it, does the Command Patch have to match the velro perfectly, or can there be velcro showing around it???
thanks!

[Strick]

Dont glue anything to your flight suit....................

[Short Field]

Having Velcro showing is a standard practice as people tend to swap out patches.   You see a lot of attached Velcro that is a square instead of a specific patch outline. 

[Eclipse]

...looks terrible, standard or no...

[vento]

I wouldn't recommend gluing the insignia on the flightsuit, they look bad. Any alteration store can help you with the sewing. I did it myself manually by punching the holes with a push pin before I started the sewing. It helps to get a nice finishing with the alignment.

[lordmonar]

...looks terrible, standard or no...

Looks fine.

[Hoorah]

Hello...
Is it possible/do-able to "glue" the clear plastic encased rank on my flightsuit, or does it have to be sewn??

Also, if this flightsuit that I baught used already has velcro sewn on it, does the Command Patch have to match the velro perfectly, or can there be velcro showing around it???
thanks!

The glue is a no no velcro fine.

[flyboy53]

Don't glue....big mistake. You'll never get the glue off and it looks horrible under clear plastic.

Instead, take your flight suit to a tailor or seamstress. The plastic rank insignia can be sewn directly to the flight suit and it should dry clean fairly well. Otherwise, mine is velcroed. Use velcro without adhesive. It sews the best and a seamstress/tailor can do that as well.

[JC004]

Complete the following steps:

1.  Have plastic encased insignia sewn onto flight suit
2.  Write to your friendly National Board member to have him/her propose the plastic encased insignia be done away with in the new uniform manual

[Slim]

Complete the following steps:

1.  Have plastic encased insignia sewn onto flight suit
2.  Write to your friendly National Board member to have him/her propose the plastic encased insignia be done away with in the new uniform manual

Or,

3.  Buy the navy blue version where embroidered insignia is already authorized.

But, since you probably got it issued...

Don't use glue, it'll look awful under the insignia, and you'll never get it off-either the insignia or the glue.  I used to velcro my grade on, and always used a machine to sew the hook side to the insignia.  What I always did was set the machine up, but I cranked the wheel by hand (rather than use the foot pedal/motor).  Doing it that way allowed the needle to punch through the thick plastic slowly, without being under any high pressure and breaking.  Took a little more time, but it looked good when done.  Just don't trim down the velcro until after you sew it in case it slides around while you're doing it.

[flyboy53]

Complete the following steps:

2.  Write to your friendly National Board member to have him/her propose the plastic encased insignia be done away with in the new uniform manual

+1

[blackrain]

Isn't there a squadron in Nevada that is testing the concept of sew-on rank on the sage green flightsuit on CAP Missions? I don't think any aircraft have crashed as a result.

Maybe they'll expand it to other squadrons nation wide.

Oh wait.......nevermind

[Short Field]

Some members there have been testing that concept for several years and would get really upset when their test periods would get closed...  I guess being able to display your fighter weapons school patch while flying a C182 really improves your piloting skills.

[heliodoc]

How many years does it take CAP to "test" sew on rank?

Its been in the RM for at least 20 yrs now....NO 'testing" needed

The only test is......can 39-1 get re done by 31 Dec 2010?

[Smokey]

Aw c'mon guys, plastic rank insignia is COOL

I mean where else can you look like your back in the 1960's, have insignia that gets fogged up in the wash (or disinegrates) and have AF folks tell you "that went out with McPeak"??

[Short Field]

The only test is......can 39-1 get re done by 31 Dec 2010?

No, the only test is getting the USAF to approve the change.

[heliodoc]

^^^^

Pardon my ignorance for the USAF to approve it.....

CAP has had a looooooooong time to work with the USAF.  So I  personally will not blame PAPA 1AF

CAP had plenty-o-time to work with the USAF on this, in the past and plenty-o-time to get it DONE in the PAST when we were in better favor with the USAF....but CAP being the way it has been........well, maybe the USAF has its reasons

USAF approving maybe....but it may be those 'fraidy cats at NHQ who claim they got the AF in their pockets and STILL can not come up with coherent and CURRENT uniform info......some of this isn't all Pineda's fault......there is a looooong lineage of folks in CAP who have ticked the AF off in more ways than uniforms, that is why we are probably in the hurt we are

[Smoothice]

great! Thanks for the feedback. I ended up taking it to a clearners to sew them all on anyway...Is the velcro "required"?? I have seen some pilots have the velcro, others don't. Frankly, I don't like the velcro patches. I think it looks cleaner sewn directly.

[SarDragon]

Velcro is not required, but most folks use it to preserve the patches, which do not do well with repeated laundering.

[Smoothice]

Aha...that makes good sense....

What was the original reason for the velcro? I was told it was for pilots who do not want to be ID'd if they bail out over enemy lines. Is it true they rip them off before takeoff??