Newsgroups: sci.military Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military From: baldwin@usna.NAVY.MIL (J.D. Baldwin) Subject: Re: Side arms for Fly boys. Organization: Canoe U. Date: Thu, 18 Oct 90 02:12:55 GMT Approved: military@att.att.com Message-ID: <1990Oct18.021255.6938@cbnews.att.com> References: <1990Oct15.033827.12908@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military-request@att.att.com Lines: 33 From: baldwin@usna.NAVY.MIL (J.D. Baldwin) In the referenced article, cbl@uihepa.hep.uiuc.edu (Chris Luchini) writes: >I was watching the ABC news last night and noticed that of of the >crew members climbing into a f111 (?) had a revolver in a shoulder >holster. Are side arms standard issue for Jet-jockies? The U.S. Navy standard flying sidearm is the execrable .38 revolver. (Ugh. Spit. Ptui!) The little pouch in the LPA/survival vest is designed for it, though it can hold a larger weapon if desired. Naval missions over the Persian Gulf have not, in recent years, been flown with sidearms. That, however, was before hostilities were imminent. I would be *very* very surprised if overland flights from SA (and even the naval missions, these days) did not require the crew to carry sidearms. I am intrigued, however, that the weapon was being carried in a shoulder holster and not a pouch built into the survival vest. I wouldn't put it past the USAF to stage a "cowboy" shot for the press (pilot straps on sidearm and flies off to face down the Iraqi hordes), with a prominently placed pistol in a non-regulation shoulder holster. It seems to me that actually to do this would be a safety-of-flight hazard of some sort. Does anyone know about *this*? -- From the catapult of: |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I _, J. D. Baldwin, Comp Sci Dept |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to __||____:::)=}- U.S. Naval Academy|+| retract it, but also to deny under \ / baldwin@cad.usna.navy.mil |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~