June 14, 2007:
When the British Ministry of Defense
found out that Harrier pilots and ground crews in Afghanistan had painted racy
images ("nose art") on their aircraft, they ordered the troops to cease and
desist. In addition to the possibility of women in the Royal Air Force
complaining (none have, so far), there was the risk that some Afghans would be
offended. No Afghans have complained yet, and Afghan men who had seen the nose
art, usually studied it intently.
The concept of nose are was invented by American
pilots and ground crews during World War II, and quickly adopted by their
British counterparts. From World War II, through the 1950s, U.S. combat
aircraft often had customized, and unofficial, cartoons or insignia painted on
the front portion of their aircraft. The illustrations were usually created by
someone on the ground crew, and personalized the aircraft for the crew. It
boosted morale. But in the mid-1950s, air force commanders decreed that the
nose art was "unprofessional," and by the 1970s most of it was gone. It managed
to survive in some reserve units, but was forbidden for active duty aircraft.
The air force says the official reasons for the policy has to do with security
and "sanitation." Basically, it's become part of the air force traditions not
to have nose art.
Last year, two retired air force sergeants, and
some commercial artists, began campaigning to bring back nose art. Some senior
air force commanders are favorably disposed towards nose art, and the air force
is keen to boost morale, now that the air force is going through a period of
personnel retrenchment (cutting 40,000 people) and tight budgets. Allowing nose
art would not cost anything, as it would be voluntary, and up to units to find
artists and materials for creating it. But like bureaucracies everywhere,
changing something like this can be difficult. In fact, it appears to be an
impossible task.