U.S. NAVY WINGS OF GOLD is a Naval Aviation training and recruitment film from the 1940’s. It features the base at Pensacola, then the primary training base for naval aviators and the place where aviation cadets could receive their “wings of gold”. Some of the planes shown include the N3N-3 Yellow Peril (6:00), the N2S-1 Stearman PT-17 / A75N1 at 11:00, and the Consolidated P2Y amphibian at 15:30. Navy biplane torpedo bombers and carrier based dive bombers are also shown.
The Aviation Arm of the Navy was to be the most efficient in the world (:12), and out of desire to keep it that way The Navy Department appointed Aviation Cadets to ‘personify the highest type of American manhood’. The men’s pay would begin at $105 a month, increase to $155 and then they would receive $1,500 at the end of a three year tour of duty (:51). The wings of gold symbolized a gateway to future careers in commercial aviation (1:09). An aerial view of the Naval Air Station at Pennsicola training school is shown; (1:25) and this is the training base for all Navy personel (1:25). Those appointed to cadet would require at least half the college credits needed for a degree and would also have to pass one of the most difficult exams (2:01). Once in the program, students would receive uniforms and working clothes (2:09). The cadets must learn to drill before they learn to fly (2:54). Afterwards, he will go to sea and board the Destroyer for practical instruction (3:14). He will study navigation, piloting, signaling and gunnery (3:21). Cadets will learn to fly for the first time with an instructor (3:47), utilizing hand signals to understand one another (4:20). Landing will be the most vital peice of the training preliminary (5:34). It requires at least ten hours of practice before the cadet will be allowed to fly on his own (6:02). Before the first solo flight, the instructor will be passenger to student (6:36). While half of the students learn to fly the others remain in the classrooms to study motors, how to become qualified radio operators and practical navigators (9:46). All cadets will be taught to shoot efficiently (10:17) and use machine guns (10:34). After their course in sea planes, students move to familiarize with ‘wheels’ and learn aerial acrobatics (11:01). One of these such maneuvers, is dropping speed and falling into a spiral (12:18). There is ample time for activities such as fishing, polo, sailing and football games (12:30).
Cadets must learn how to fly in formation (13:54). For gunnery training, pilots and gunners will fly and hit aerial targets (14:33). Aboard Naval bombers and long distance patrol boats, more training hours are conducted (15:17). Crews of five students man torpedo planes (16:28). As all major ships were launching planes through catapults, students learned to do this as well as land on carriers (16:52). Due to fighting planes having fixed guns, the plane must face it’s target (17:40) and this is the same for dive bombers (17:59). Finally cadets make it to Graduation Day (18:21) and the wings of gold will be awarded (18:36). The film comes to a close and the next step for cadets will be the US Fleet (19:06).
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
