The list includes legendary pilots such as Adolf Galland, Chesley Sullenberger, Glenn Curtiss, René Fonck and…. Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf
Military men have worn mustaches throughout history. The male pilot should have a mustache, a feeling of dash, a disdain for authority, and a dog.
Ai lettori di Hush-Kit è stato chiesto di classificare i 10 migliori baffi da pilota. I risultati del sondaggio sono estremamente intriganti. Piloti leggendari come Adolf Galland, Chesley Sullenberger, Glenn Curtiss, René Fonck e altri fanno parte di questa divertente lista, che è passata da 10 a ben 34 baffi. Il famoso Triple Ace Robin Olds, noto anche come Mike “Viper” Metcalf (sì, l’istruttore di Maverick nel film Top Gun), si trova al secondo posto assoluto su 34 piloti, dietro solo a Orville Wright.
Col. Olds was renowned for his extravagantly waxed handlebar mustache that he wore while serving in Vietnam. Because it was believed that only “real men” would return home alive at the time, and “real men” wore mustaches, many Airmen sported what was known back then as a “bulletproof mustache.” However, mustaches were against military regulations in the 1960s, so many were required to shave them off. As he was stationed far from his home base (Olds assumed command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in the fall of 1966), Col. Olds decided to keep his mustache because he believed it reflected his unique personality.
The base’s kids loved it. Most people started to grow mustaches. Olds began growing the mustache after Operation Bolo’s success and allowed it to get longer than it should have because, as he explained, “It became the middle finger I couldn’t raise in the PR photographs. The mustache became my silent last word in the verbal battles…with higher headquarters on rules, targets, and fighting the war.”
Photo by U.S. Air Force