“The flight jacket is an item of uniquely American clothing ... We’ve been able to figure out that the patch on the jacket is the early version of the 760th Bombardment Squadron, but we ...

Tom Cruise appears to be wearing the same jacket ... Maverick's flight jacket. But the Internet notices everything, and some eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the large square patch on ...

Of course, it would not be a proper NASA jacket without a few patches, so the flight directors (referred to as "FLIGHT" over their comm loops) included a few of those, too. "We have the NASA ...

"The NASA Apollo Jackets commemorate the 12 Apollo Missions, featuring the patch from each flight encircling the Apollo emblem patch on the back of the jacket," the brand's site reads. The ...

and a Vanguard "Task Force" patch on the front chest. This jacket is a slim-fit version of the original B-15 Flight Jacket style, which was the first nylon flight jacket worn by the U.S. Air Force ...

a pair of “co-CEO” Alpha Industries flight jackets complete with Waystar Studios, ATN News, and Brightstar Cruises patches. Picture it: Ken and Rome, suited up like Maverick and Goose ...

There are also little touches on each to make them stand out — quilting on the toe of the flight jacket, patches on the heel of the bomber, and an eyeleted lace on the pulltab of the rain.

There are fewer of them then there are astronauts and no NASA spaceflight would be a success without them at the helm. Yet, if the public knows anything about them it is likely 50-year-old history ...