Prop and Wings

The Prop and Wings (propeller and wings) is a military insignia used to identify various aviation-related units in the United States military. The Prop and Wings originated as an insignia of the United States Army Air Corps, and one version of the insignia is still used by the United States Army Aviation Branch.

The original Prop and Wings insignia (with more rounded wingtips) is currently most closely associated with the United States Air Force Academy. The Prop and Wings appears on many of the Academy's [http://www.usafa.edu/cadetFocus/cadetPhotos/shields/index.cfm class crests] and is part of the of the logo of the Academy's [http://www.usafa.org/ Association of Graduates] . The Prop and Wings insignia is traditionally awarded to Academy cadets at the end of their grueling fourth-class (freshman) year, signifying that they have been "recognized" as upper class cadets. The standard insignia is chrome. However, if the cadet is a direct descendant of a member of the Army Air Corps or Women Air Force Service Pilots, has a parent with at least 20 years of military service, if either parent participated in combat as a member of any U.S. military service, or if a parent died in the line of duty, the cadet is authorized to wear a gold Prop and Wings device. Cadets wear the insignia on their flight caps.

More recently, the wear of the Prop and Wings has been extended to cadets in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC). These cadets are awarded their Prop and Wings insignia after they have completed Field Training, typically after their sophomore (AS200) year.