Balloon Pilots

This is a museum reproduction of a French deigned balloon wing. It appears that an American Hat badge was soldered onto a French wing and then mounted on a brass plate and covered in cloth. This wing is 3 inches wide and has a pin back.

This is a musuem reproduction of a WWI Balloon Pilot in sterling silver mounted on a brass plate and covered in cloth. It appears that an American Ballon hat pin was added to French wings to make this wing. The wings has a screw back. The wing is 2 7/8 inches wide.

During the First World War no real standard wings existed for the US Army Signal Corp Air Service. Many wings were cloth but many jewelers made metal wings during the war at the request of pilots. The real wings were based on Special Regulation #41 issued on 15 August 1917 and were to be made on cloth with embroidery. But right from the beginning Pilots had jewelers make the wings because the embroidered wings did not hold up when washed. The wings that are shown are a museum quality...