Here is my rendition of the Flight Leaders Plane from VMS-14, that’s partially obscured by the Number 2 aircraft in the vintage photo…something about that red fuselage band that makes a color scheme pop, so here it is….

In 1920’s – 1930’s the Navy and Marine Aircraft Identification worked like this:
The Squadron Number is first, the Squadron Letter Type is second (F= Fighter, S= Scouting, B=Bombing, O=Observation, T=Torpedo) and the Individual Aircraft Number is Last.

The Tail Color and Stripes (Wing Chevron and Fuse Band) would be Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Black and White, depending on which Carrier they were from.

Each 3-plane group leader had a Colored Fuselage Band with the Letter Type in a strongly contrasting color (Red stripes had White letters, yellow and white stripes had Black) but again, it’s the Red and Blue stripes that are most “popular” with artists and modelers…looking at model box-tops, you’d think every plane in the Navy had either a red or blue “accent” stripe, and I’m just as guilty of perpetuating it!!

So here we have the First Flight Leader of VMS-14…….14-S-1, WITH the red fuselage band….Companion planes are numbered 14-S-2, and 14-S-3 with NO fuselage bands….the Second Flight Leader would be 14-S-4 WITH Red Fuse Band, his wingmen would be 14-S-5 and 14-S-6 without them.

“V” stands for Fixed Wing Aircraft as opposed to Dirigibles (there were no helicopter squadrons yet)……”M” is Marine….”S” is for Scouting

So VMS-14 = Fixed Wing, Marine Corps, Scouting, Fourteen…

Thanks again to BrentG for his splendid Bristol Bulldog that serves as the foundation for these wanna-be Vought O2U Corsairs

Enjoy