First Officer and Captain Epaulets

Since the 18 th century epaulets have been used to designate rank on people in uniform. Commercial
airlines grew out of the military as planes became accessible to transport the public, so it is no surprise
that the uniform kept their military appearance. Pan Am changed the uniforms to more of a naval look
in the late 30’s as their fleet was primarily seaplanes and the look worked better for flying boats. All
major airlines since have adopted the naval look for their uniform and have kept the epaulets to
designate rank. We proudly offer an epaulet made from high quality materials that is available in a
variety of options.