US Navy Aircraft Identification Colors Before World War II, USS Yorktown CV-5.

[Lucky13]

So, have I understood this right, with their Insignia Red tails, USS Yorktown CV-5 aircraft 5-F-13, 5-S-13, 5-B-13 and 5-T-13, would have all had complete engine cowling painted Insignia Red, True Blue, Willow Green, Lemon Yellow, White or Black and the fuselage band?

US Navy Aircraft Identification Colors Before World War II

 

[SaparotRob]

Love the pre-war paint jobs.

 

[cvairwerks]

Looking at that website, it appears that only the section leads had the fuselage band. Everyone had the wing chevron color, and the #2 in the section got the top half of the cowling in the section color and #3 got the bottom half only..... So you had blue tails and some other color on the cowl, chevron and band.

 

[Wurger]

In 30' and from July 1937 officially ... colour on the tail:

CV-2 USS Lexington – Lemon Yellow

CV-3 USS Saratoga – White

CV-4 USS Ranger – Willow Green

CV-5 USS Yorktown – Insignia Red

CV-6 USS Enterprise – True Blue

CV-7 USS Wasp – Black

The squadron and aircraft markings ...

squadron number - squadron type - aircraft number in squadron and the squadron emblem

the squadron type ...

F – Fighting Squadron

B – Bombing Squadron

S – Scouting Squadron

T – Torpedo Squadron

MF – Marine Fighting Squadron (from 1937)

MB – Marine Bombing Squadron (from 1937)

MS – Marine Scouting Squadron (from 1937)


the flight/section markings from June 1931 ...

the schewron on the wing tops of the flight/section colour with a number of an plane in the section.

the flight/section colours:

1 section – Insignia Red – aircraft 1, 2, 3

2 section – White – aircraft 4, 5, 6

3 section – True Blue – aircraft 7, 8, 9

4 section – Black – aircraft 10, 11, 12

5 section – Willow Green – aircraft 13, 14, 15

6 section – Lemon Yellow – aircraft 16, 17, 18

additional markings:

the leading plane - the front of the engine cowling and the fusealage band behing the cockpit of the section colour
the 1st wingman's plane - no the fuselage band and the front of the cowling painted in a half from its top.
the 2nd wingman's plane - no the fuselage band and the front of the cowling painted in a half from its bottom.

The planes of numbers 19 and more , no section markings but the squadron emblems and colours and the aircraft carrier markings

The info source: my notes.

 

[SaparotRob]

Thanks for posting that, Wurger. That got me wondering about painting aircraft today with national markings. There are privately owned aircraft, warbird or not, in Air Force markings of various nations. I've wondered about any legal issues with that. It doesn't seem to be much of an issue but if I painted my restored 727-200 in Pan Am markings (after hitting the Mega-Millions lottery) there would be trademark issues.
Don't care what anyone thinks about the 727. It's "smoking" hot.

 

[Wurger]

A quite interesting issue. IMHO the painting of national markings isn't any violation of the trade rules because it is not the matter of the businnes. These markings aren't any trademark infringement because these were introduced neither for making deals nor advertisement. Contrary to that the Pan Am ones are not only the logos for advertisemnt but also for the commercial profitable incom. Let's don't get fooled.

 

[Wurger]

So, have I understood this right, with their Insignia Red tails, USS Yorktown CV-5 aircraft 5-F-13, 5-S-13, 5-B-13 and 5-T-13, would have all had complete engine cowling painted Insignia Red, True Blue, Willow Green, Lemon Yellow, White or Black and the fuselage band?

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US Navy Aircraft Identification Colors Before World War II

Let's get back to Jan's question ... for example the 5-F-13

The VF-5 fighter squadron, the fighter plane of the number 13. Unless the "F" would be in a ring ( before the 1937 ). Then it would be the Marine fighter squadron VF-5. Beginning the July 1937 it would be MF-5. Additionally the rudder would have three, Blue, White and Red vertical strips applied and no the ID colour for the aircraft carrier.
The red overal tail would indicate the CV-5 USS Yorktown.
Because it is the plane number 13 the schewron on the wing should be green, the colour of the 5nd section. The aircraft was the leading one for the section . So, the green engine cowling and band behind the cockpit.
The number 14 ( 5-F-14 ) for the the 1st wingman . No the green band and the engine cowl painted green in a half from the top.
The number 15 ( 5-F-15 ) for the the 2nd wingman . No the green band and the engine cowl painted green in a half from the bottom.
Unless I'm wrong.