A Brief History of AAS-SW

The Early History of Arnold Air Society

A dramatic growth characterized the Arnold Air Society from its obscure beginning in the spring and summer of 1947. It tended to prove the ideals on which this organization was founded–namely, high moral, physical, and mental attitudes. These aims were molded in the formation of the society to help train future Air Force leaders.

At summer camp in 1947, a group of AFROTC cadets from Cincinnati, Ohio discussed the possibility of an honorary society and presented their idea to Captain Nolkamper. A committee of cadets was formed to write a constitution and to find a name. The name chosen in an unanimous decision was made to honor General H. H. Arnold, one of the greatest leaders in aviation history. The permission to use his name was granted in December of 1947, with the provision that the society begin on a local basis at the University of Cincinnati, with expansion of a spontaneous nature.

In April of 1948, the United States Air Force officially recognized the society. Shortly thereafter, the society became a project of the Air Defense Command, whose duty it was to see that the local group became nationalized. In September of 1948, the Air Defense Command sent copies of the society’s constitution to all universities and colleges throughout the nation, with the hope of forming similar organizations. Within the next year, twenty new squadrons were formed.

Many new ideas came about in the early 1950s, one of these being the National Conclave. The conclave is used as a central means of determining the policies of the society. At the first National Conclave, at the University of Cincinnati, Mrs. H. H. Arnold was named Honorary Sponsor. That same year, the society officially became the “Arnold Air Society.”

The Second National Conclave resulted in the society’s affiliation with the Air Force Association. The Second National Conclave also initiated the establishment of the National Publications Headquarters and the Arnold Memorial Scholarship.

At the Fourth and Fifth National Conclaves, a reconstruction of the organizational structure of the society was proposed. This resulted in the formation of the Board of Directors, consisting of the National Commander and all the Area Commanders. At succeeding conclaves, more awards and policies were initiated, such as the formation of Angel Flight, and the Arnold Air Society-Link Foundation Awards for graduate work.

The Founding of Silver Wings

The first chapter of Angel Flight (AnF) was founded at the University of Omaha in 1952. Until 1957, Angel Flight was primarily a national idea with many names, uniforms, and activities. However, in April of that year, an important step toward unification was realized at the Eighth Annual Conclave of the Arnold Air Society. At that time, representatives from sixteen groups met in New York City to join their purposes under a National Coordination Headquarters.

In the years that followed, Angel Flight members worked to give the organization a professional, service-oriented image, as well as to support the AFROTC units on each campus. During the 1980’s, the Executive Board of Directors approved a petition to allow the local unit of Angel Flight to use the name “Silver Wings” on the local campus in order to accommodate diversity of membership, changing needs on the local campus, and a difficulty in recruiting members for AnF at some schools. These chapters were chartered by the national Angel Flight as Silver Wings or Silver Wings Society Flights.

At the 1995 National Conclave, the general assembly voted to amend the AnF National Constitution to officially change the name of the national organization to “Angel Flight-Silver Wings (AnF-SW).” This legislation officially changed the organization name on all documents, insignia, and materials published by region and national level headquarters. In order to meet the diverse needs of the local chapters, each chapter was allowed to choose either “Angel Flight-Silver Wings”, “Angel Flight”, or “Silver Wings” for the local chapter name.

The 1996 Executive Board of Directors proposed and the chapters approved a resolution to redefine the mission and objectives of the national organization and further diversify its membership. This legislation moved the organization out of its military support role into that of a collegiate advocacy group. These changes were met with enthusiasm by AAS and on the local campuses, and in 1998, the NATCON Assembly voted to officially change the name of the organization to “Silver Wings.” All chapters chartered following this legislation will be known as Silver Wings and will function as a civilian organization that emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and development of professional skills. To provide continuity of identity on the local campus, existing chapters chartered under the name Angel Flight or Silver Wings may continue to operate under these names (at the discretion of the local unit).