7/24/08
Dave!
Thank you for fulfilling a dream. I have been waiting 25 years
for
an honest, exacting recreation of a Bancroft "Flighter" and
your work
is top-flight. I now know what a young AAF pilot felt
when he opened a package
containing his new "crusher." Your
meticulous, hand-made work has
the look, fit and feel of the real
deal and no longer will I have to take an
original piece and expose
it to the elements or wear and tear at an airshow
or historical display.
Like a true "Flighter,"
this is built for a lifetime and is the epitome of
esprit de corps and the 50-mission
look. Like any true "Flighter," it
takes on a personality of its own:
the classic cap that, in the words of
novelist Leo Rosten, embodies that "dashing
pancake style, with the
grommet removed, which distinguished us from the plebeian
Army
of which we were a rebellious and clearly superior province."
Your work, Dave, embraces a passion for the times and what a
"crusher" meant for fliers of old: It was part functional, a jaunty
fashion statement and most of all, a good-luck talisman that saw you
safely from one dangerous and daunting mission to the next.
For me, my new "Flighter" is a fine investment
and will always be
cherished, just as originals are by those AAF vets who flew
and fought
so many years ago.
Thanks for making it happen.
Al Parisi
Aviation writer, author of "On a Wing and a Prayer"
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7/17/08
David,
Received my cap this morning
and to say the least I am very
pleasantly surprised. It is EVERYTHING you said it would be. In short
it is the
closest reproduction I have ever seen to the real Flighter
cap. I own several original crushers and two of them are
original
Bancroft crushers. Naturally, the first thing I did was put the repro
up against the original. Your attention
to detail is terrific! The
colors, the workmanship, the shape, the feel.....I could go on and
on. Needless to
say I am very satisfied. Thank you for doing such a
great job putting these together.
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6/17/08
Dave,
Received that hat, and it is absolutely,
absolutely, AMAZING! It looks better than any "reproduction" Air Corp hat I have ever seen. In fact it defies the
term "reproduction." This cap just magically "assumes the position," with that amazing rumpled look built
right in. I'll never forget when I lifted it out of the box, the softness of the brim took my breath away.
My father was ground crew at Duxford, England, just on the outskirts of Cambridge, home of the 78th Fighter Group.
The 8th Air Force is something I've always felt connected to, and that every man who served in it was an uncle. I've
always been especially fascinated with the heavy bombers over Europe, and the remarkable men who faced impossible odds in
the thin frigid air above Germany.
I've just formed a partnership with Sam Halpert. Sam is
a B-17 Navigator with 35 missions to his credit. He also wrote the novel "A Real Good War" (which does not
mean what you might think). http://www.b17sam.com/samplepage.html Our plan is to bring his novel to the Internet
as a web series. So for the last twelve months I have been obsessed with collecting as much in the way of authentic set pieces
and props as I could.
I currently count nine authentic original Air Corp visor caps in the shows collection.
The range is varied... Luxenberg, Crofut & Knapp, Dobbs, Bancroft... The most notorious cap I own is an original vintage
cap which was worn by Bob Crane on Hogan's Heroes (no kidding). But the one cap which had continued to evade me was that
singularly distinctive "roll it up and put it in your pocket" cap. That rumpled pushed back beauty you could fold
like butter on a hot day.
Remember Twelve O'Clock High, the TV series with Robert Lansing? It was worth
watching just for the authentic vintage jackets and caps. But alas, long gone are the days when Hollywood just bought up surplus
and was good to go.
In addition, individual bomber crews ate, slept, trained, and graduated together. Nine
times out of ten, they usually wore the same cap. Sure, I was able to locate a number of authentic caps for the production,
but they were all different. Great for peripheral characters, but not quite right for our featured bomber crew. I needed a
number of authentic crushers of the same bloodline, and there was no way my guys were going to wear those horrible contemporary
Lancasters... and why on Earth should they? Thanks Dave, you are an artist.
I think I will wear mine to bed
tonight.
Doug Drexler
Oscar and Emmy winner
Senior Illustrator - Star Trek
Visual Effects
CG Supervisor - Battlestar Galactica
Executive Producer - A Real Good War
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David,
As you know, I requested both a Green cap with lighter-green
braid,
and a "Pink" cap with contrasting light green braid. The caps are simply
magnificent. I have a 17year old Lanc*%#er brand cap and the differences
are many.
This cap is made just like a real Bancroft, with 'buckram' as the core of the body,
just like originals, not the poly frame of a Lanc*%#er cap. The other
materials
are top notch. My cap is 100% wool, cotton, leather, satin (don't think it's
silk)
and look every bit like I took them back in a time travel vehicle from 1943.
In addition, thanks for the great with communication and top-notch
customer service.
Can't rave enough about 'em
Dan
