Newsgroups: sci.military
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!cbnews!military
From: rja@Eng.Sun.COM (Robert Allen)
Subject: Re: Side arms for Fly boys.
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 90 03:29:23 GMT
Approved: military@att.att.com
Message-ID: <1990Oct19.032923.13501@cbnews.att.com>
References: <1990Oct15.033827.12908@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct18.021255.6938@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military-request@att.att.com
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From: rja@Eng.Sun.COM (Robert Allen)

In article <1990Oct18.021255.6938@cbnews.att.com> baldwin@usna.NAVY.MIL (J.D. Baldwin) writes:
+
+
+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 recall a scene from the yet to be released film, "Flight of
	the Intruder", in which a new co-pilot points to the large bowie
	knife on the pilots gear and says "Do you know something I don't?"
+
+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*?

	All I know is that when surplus USAF survival vests are sold, the
	holster comes seperate, and you sew it on if you want it and where
	you want it.  It may be because many pilots in the past have chosen
	to carry different things.  I've seen photos of them carrying every-
	thing from WW II german sub-machineguns, to M-16s, to revolvers.
--
    Robert Allen					rja@sun.com
    DoD member #0204

    Disclaimer: This is my opinion, not my company's.  Your mileage may vary.