G-1 Patching help

[Greg Gale]

I just placed the order for an AVI G-1 - well, two of them. A size 40 and a 42. I've seen Brett's thorough and helpful review as well as the measurements. I know that the 22" pit was way too wide for me when I tried the size 42 Star A-2, and I also know that a size 40 ELC G-1 fits me perfectly (tried one in London) - incidentally, it also measures 22" in the chest. I think the 42 will already be on the large side in the torso. We'll see.

I scrubbed the idea of having a 40+ years old original, and I'm not looking at where to find good quality patches. Will keep you updated

 

[Brettafett]

Looking forward to your feedback and pics Greg...

 

[unclegrumpy]

I scrubbed the idea of having a 40+ years old original, and I'm not looking at where to find good quality patches.

Sounds like the best choice for you.

However, I suspect one of two things will happen in relatively short order...either you will be on to the next thing that tickles your fancy or if it continues to be leather jackets, you will become obsessed with finding the ultimate combination of attributes that possibly begins to fulfill it. Then it won't be the 40 year old lightly worn, tough as nails, closet queens on your radar, but the 70 and 80 year old fragile ones....and the bits and pieces...both original and highest quality reproductions that go with...which can become an almost never ending quest.

 

[Greg Gale]

@unclegrumpy I doubt that will happen, because I just don't have the budget Having a top A-2 and a "beater" G-1 has always been my dream, and I'm halfway there

Back to the jacket: I'm about the order the nametag. The character is called Richard Owen in the movie, that's how they call him ,that's what's written on his flight suit. However, on IMDB and everywhere on the web he's mentioned as Owen, without the "s". Weird....

 

[unclegrumpy]

The credits at the end of the movie say the character's name was Owens, but the flight jacket name tag says Owen...so the prop guy screwed up...movies are often full of inconstancies, but it is just a fantasy so WTF.

 

[Greg Gale]

They actually call him Owen, without pronuncing the “s”, so it’s the credits guy who screwed up

 

[Smithy]

Looking forward to seeing your AVI G-1 Greg, how long until you get it?

 

[Greg Gale]

Looking forward to seeing your AVI G-1 Greg, how long until you get it?

I ordered them yesterday so I guess I'll get them sometime next week. I zeroed my budget for this month, so I'll only order the patches in July (just for reference, the price of an AVI compared to my salary is the same % as the price of an ELC compared to a UK salary :/ Baaaad hobby)

 

[Brettafett]

Pulled my AVI G-1 out last night Greg, just to have a 'fit&feel' after following your thread, such a good jacket.

 

[Thomas Koehle]

Making me curious about the AVI G1 ...

Thx Brett for those fitpics - still in discussions with my „ministry of finance“ whether we can squeeze an AVI and a HW into this months budget ...

Looking forward to some fitpics also from you Greg ...

 

[unclegrumpy]

They actually call him Owen, without pronuncing the “s”, so it’s the credits guy who screwed up

If you had all ready decided that, why did you waste our time with your question?

By the way, that is a last name that can be spelled either way, and pronounced either way. One thing with a movie, is if they start out saying it one way they often stick to it, even if it is wrong per the credits or the script....which where the credits originate from. But I suppose you knew all of that too.

 

[Greg Gale]

Please don't be so grumpy, Uncle I asked the question hoping that someone around here might have some insights that are not available on the web. Then, I sat down and watched the movie from the beginning to the end, that's how I learned what the call him. Consistently, I should add.

I appreciate every info given here that helps me put the pieces of the jigsaw together. For everyone's information, I got a very helpful reply from an ex-Navy guy someplace else. Basically he said that nuggets would only have their nametag, and perhaps the squadron patch on the right chest. Then as they would advance, the "Tomcat" patch would be sewn on the right shoulder, and eventually, the wing patch on the left, so No.1 is correct this way. On the other hand, a CAG may have a brand new jacket made for him, in which case he wouldn't favor one squadron over another, but put the CVW patch on the right chest - which makes No.3 correct too. Since Owen is never seen wearing a G-1 in the movie, this leaves me with enough freedom of choice to go for No.1, assuming he kept his old jacket.

 

[unclegrumpy]

Consider yourself lucky I did not become grumpier. Your "got you" style is not appreciated, and becomes tiresome.

That said, leaving your movie aside for a moment, the reason you do not see many photos of patched G-1s from the early 1980's time period, is they were typically not wearing leather jackets. Am not saying nobody had one, but they were not being worn around airplanes, because by the mid 1970's flight gear was required to be fire retardant. Your photo of the original jacket is interesting, because it was made at the very end of the operational use of the G-1, right when the nylon jackets were transitioning to nomex fabrics.

 

[Greg Gale]

Ah, I didn't mean it to sound in a "got you" way, not at all, sorry. Perhaps "got you, credit guy!", but definitely not against you.

Yes, it's interesting: that was the period when G-1s were not issued if I'm not mistaken. The character seems to be a seasoned pilot (CAG), though, so it's possible that he had his first jacket issued to him in the early-mid 70s. Then again, this is just my subjective speculation.

 

[unclegrumpy]

The G-1 never went totally away like the A-2 did for the Air Force. But there was a time when their wear diminished , and in some cases was restricted. A bit depended on where you were, but that would have covered the mid 1970's to 1990's...though can't recall exactly the date they fully brought them back...but it was in the Gulf War to 2000 range.

The movie character having and wearing a G-1 is totally plausible. However, the link is not so much to his first G-1, which likely would be a 1960's one, but more to the fact that he was in the Air Group command structure and not flying. I don't know the movie well enough to know if this guy was flying or not, but in the real Navy when you look at what was going on at this time, you don't see many pictures of people wearing G-1's...some yes, but not in proportion to the number of nomex jackets you do see.

One other reason for that, is the nylon/nomex jackets were often issued patched in mass at the beginning of a deployment so everyone looked "uniform"...which is part of the point of all of this. In most cases, the senior officers got jackets too...appropriately patched for their position in the chain of command. Most guys did not really care about patches or the jacket they wore, and cared more about whatever pathway was easiest. Meaning, if they had a near new jacket that they could hand in and get back with the new patches sewn on it fine, but if the powers that be decided to issue everyone new jackets set up a particular way, then that was fine too.

Lastly, "issued" generally means you don't own the item the Government does. Sometimes you got to keep issued items, sometimes not. With items like flight jackets, officers could purchase them at clothing sales, or if they wanted to keep a cherished jacket, they could be pay for it or find a substitute to turn in. Some guys cared, but most I think just turned what they had in and kept their money. Then there are the guys who thought having something new was better...turning in their old worn jackets with patches on them for brand new ones...

 

[Phrog Driver]

G-1's were very popular throughout my era, 77-99. Not so much for flying (they are not real warm), but for wearing as a uniform item, officers and CPO flight crew with khakis and E6 and below aircrew with dungarees. In fact a very popular and salty peronalized portrait for enlisted aircrew was dungarees, G-1 and a white (sailor) hat. G-1's were often worn in lieu of blouses with dress blues and Aviation Working Greens (a' la LT Brubaker in "Bridges"), but it was not authorized "off base". Most folks used CWU-36s and 45s for actual flying. The older Vietnam vets often wore the "WEP" nylon jacket, pretty much wherever and for whatever, they wanted. Jacket patching guidelines went from locally restrictive to non existent. General consensus was name tag (leather or cloth) on left breast, current squadron (or Wing or Air Station) patch on right breast, flag (American or state) on left shoulder, and right shoulder was optional: past outfit, type aircraft, weapons school, etc. This could also vary by CVW, Air Station, etc. Most guys didn't patch up the back (sometimes referred to as a "Winnebago") until they left the Navy. I do not remember anyone ever having to turn in an issued jacket when they got out, and everybody I know still has theirs, even if it somehow shrunk over the years. Love these things. Thanks for letting me comment on here.

 

[Greg Gale]

@Phrog Driver, thank you so much for the detailed and valuable information. The photo of the original jacket in the 1st post seems to match your description.

Do you think it would be entirely inaccurate to replace the US flag by the CVW patch on the left shoulder? Let's say, a guy has his squadron patch on the right chest, aircraft patch on the right shoulder, then becomes CAG, so he'd sew the CVW patch on the left shoulder. Would that be plausible? As you say, guidelines varied a lot.

 

[Flightengineer]

Maybe it will come in handy to you, this is my L.W.Foster 1956, it belonged to the pilot Jerry Donevant when he was in VR-21.

Look at left shoulder.

 

[Greg Gale]

Great stuff, Dima, thanks for sharing! That's a sharp looking one!

Could you please post a picture of the front, zipped up, in order to see the placement of the nametag?

 

[Flightengineer]

Greg, This pics taken last year, when I just bought it and replaced the "dead" mouton. If I do not find zipped pics, you'll have to wait a little while I take a photo.