America's Comic Ace Gone West

[stephen]

Personally, I say if we're gonna commit such an atrocity, that it should rightfully fall under the auspices of the Great War Aviation Memorial Committee. After all, isn't this a memorial to a great WWI Camel ace? Last time we came up with over 300 signatures from GWAMC members. Surely we could do a couple hundred for good 'ol Snoopy, and that would garner more attention than a mass signature of the Forumites, which I'm not sure I have the authority to do anyway.

So here's my ideer... we'll run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. I'll write up the official proclamation as a proposition of the GWAMC and see what support we get from Forumites around the world. If support is sufficient, we'll ask Scott to move it to its own page button and start contacting Snoopy/Peanuts web sites for additional support signatures. When we get a bucketful of 'em, we email it to the right people and see what gives.

Anybody interested in memorializing our favorite Camel ace on the side of an F-14? Speak up now or forever hold your piece.

[stephen]

You know, there's a practical aspect to this as well. What would it take to get a Naval unit to adopt Snoopy as their mascot? An act of Congress? Do these decisions take place at the political level? I mean, after all, this is government we're talking about. If they were smart, active movers and shakers they'd have honest jobs, now wouldn't they? Also, what about copyright protection from Charles Schultz? Some things to think about before we get knee-deep into this.

Stephen: They did it with Felix, and the cartoonist still has his own web site. Surely some of the lawyers on this Forum can answer the technical questions.
Thank you for taking the lead in this crusade.

[Barrett]

Whoa! Wait a minute! Before we embark upon a venture to memorialize this questionable "ace" let's indulge in some scholarship. My impeccable sources (Olynyk & Grub Street) fail to produce one single claim for this alleged Snoopy pilot, not even a miserable DD or FTL. Zero, zip, nada.
Methinks he's a world-class phony.
However, assuming that suitable criteria can be met, there is precedent beyond Felix the Cat, etc., as aviation icons. The World Famous Fighting Aardvarks of VF-114, resplendent in their patented orange flight suits, carried Johnny Hart's critter on Phantoms and Tomcats for many years. In fact, I think they're the guys who hosted Joe DiMaggio at Miramar and let him look in one of their F-14s, where a Mr. Coffee had been installed.
But I digress.
In these PC days, comicstrip images may not be permitted on military aircraft so there'd have to be some preliminary work. (The navy specifically bans history & tradition from its so-called "core values" and I suspect the air force star wearers are no better.) But assuming that Shultz agrees, we could start casting about for a likely venue.
Probably the Royal Air Force is the place to start. If we don't have any luck there, well, I'd suggest the Luftwaffe.

I suspect that your last suggestion would be the best bet, since Snoopy never put in a claim of any kind. Actually, like E. W. Springs, he was made an honorary German Ace for completely destroying five ALLIED aircraft.
If all else fails, we could go to a decal maker. The fraternity of RC model aircrafters would surely welcome our hero's countenance on one of their scale creations. It would be neat to have Snoopy on a Sopwith Pup airframe.
Or, how about a Forum baseball cap with our hero promiinently displayed?

Barrett et al,
Correct me if I am wrong (which I KNOW you will), but I believe either the Navy or the USAF had a squadron patch with Snoopy on it years ago during the Vietnam War. Anyone know which outfit it was?
VBR,
Jim

[stephen]

THAT'S IT! A Snoopy Forumite T-Shirt!!!

[Barrett]

Jim: I've seen 2 or 3 photos of Snoopy on army Hueys during The Vietnam Thing; don't recall any such emblems on pointy-nosed flying machines.
Prediction: a Snoopy Aerodrome t-shirt would outsell most REAL aces except MvR and Luke.

Jim
I dug out my copy of "Official and Unofficial US Navy Air Patches, 1920s to Today " by Derek Nelson and Dave Parsons, Motorbooks International, 1990. I found the following cartoon characters used in unit patches.

Felix the Cat (originally VF 6 now VF31)
Alley Oop (VPB 129 Decommissioned)
Oswald the Rabbit (An early Walt Disney character, VO 3)
Black Pete (Walt Disney,VBF 81 WWII, and VF 132 Postwar)
The Aardvark (from B.C. VF 114)
The Roadrunner (Warner Brothers, VA 36)
Wiley Coyote (VT 2)
Woody Woodpecker (VP 49)
The Saint (VC 27, WWII)
The Everyready Cat (HS 9)
Gonzo the Great (The Muppets, Several Unoffical patches from Gonzo Station)
Donald Duck (USS Bunker Hill CV 17)

No doubt there are many more. If anybody has a similar book on USAF patches I'd be interested in what they have to offer. But there is a precedence toward using cartoon characters for unit identification, and I personally would like to see Snoopy as a set of Tailfeathers. Perhaps in a USAAS F-15/16.

Barrett and DRC,
Thanks much for the help. Cead mille Failte!
VBR,
Jim