A Cloned Wing

[Guest Rick Research]

Identical in design to the M1966 Soviet pilot's wing second class EXCEPT

1) dark blue rather than light blue enamel and

2) wreath is gilt not silver.

The screw-nut is the truncated star Victory mark.

So if not Soviet... which Fraternal Comrades wore this?

[Paul R]

Nice one Rick

I like that colbalt blue!

[Guest Rick Research]

But it is not the traditional SKY blue of Soviet aviation.

Here is a regulation Soviet M1966 1st Class pilots' wing, also made by the Victory Factory, and pinback, compared to the Unknown Screwback Clone:

[Gerd Becker]

Isn?t it likely that this is just a variation? The darker blue to distinguish it from the other grades?

However, nice one and quite unusual

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope. The biggest difference may well be not the "wrong" colored shield and wreath, but the screwback.

Soviet wings had gone to the pinback system with this model.

Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia are out-- from the 1980s information I have from Don Chalif's book. Not DDR either.

[Kev in Deva]

Nope. The biggest difference may well be not the "wrong" colored shield and wreath, but the screwback.

Soviet wings had gone to the pinback system with this model.

Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia are out-- from the 1980s information I have from Don Chalif's book. Not DDR either.

Hallo Rick,

Romanian ?? : I came across the folowing ". . . . After 1952, Romanian Military Aviation brought many Russian airplanes and it also "borrowed" their symbols.

The badge for military pilots between 1952-1965 was an almost identical one with that of the Russians, but with some differences in the process of fabrication due to the fact it was produced in Romania.

The averse is hard to differentiate, but the reverse is flat and not caved (curved?) and pressed as (the) soviet model.

The attachment was done with a screw and on the screw nut one can read "IPMS ARAD"; sometimes nothing was written on (it).

The Russian badges have "POBEDA MOSCOVA" on their screw nut,

see picture:

The badge was ment to represent a shield with a five corner star on it. with red enamel and two swords crossed, under it.

The shield is between two stylised wings having the aspect of three knitted cords of different lengths.

There are also badges of this model whose shield is blue enameled.

They also appeared on the same type of stencil but in a small number.

Since then on, all the badges for the military pilots have shown a "class specialist" and that of classification.

We have not found any badge without a "class" criterion yet, and that makes us think there probably were only three models of classification: the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd.

Information from:

"INSIGNELE Aviatiei Militare Romane / ROMANIAN AIRFORCE BADGE by Lt-Cdor ? Iliese Marcel.

91 pages of Romanian Airforce insignia, circa 1910 - Present Day.

Limited Private Publication of 300 and released at a book launch in Timisoara, 19th April 2007.

Kevin in Deva.

Edited May 16, 2007 by Kev in Deva

[Guest Rick Research]

Nooooooooooooo, though this is information I did not have and much obliged for it!

The back is "mirror" stamped just like Soviet badges.

I've come across a funny little silver wings with the Rumanian tricolor cockade though... no clue what that is either. Didn't buy it in case it was a "you've been a good kiddie" on Rumanian National Airlines.

[Kev in Deva]

I've come across a funny little silver wings with the Rumanian tricolor cockade though... no clue what that is either. Didn't buy it in case it was a "you've been a good kiddie" on Rumanian National Airlines.

Anything like any of these??

Kevin in Deva

[Guest Rick Research]

I think it was silver with crossed spanners like an aircrew engineer, with wings most like parachutist #1. Smooth backed. Smaller than Soviet military wings.