Developed in the 1950s, the Colt Aircrewman was conceived as a personal defense weapon for America's aviators and flight crews, which would be light and compact so as not to be a burden along with all their other survival/mission gear but still be powerful enough to fend off an enemy. To this end, much of the revolver is constructed from aluminum alloy, including the six-shot cylinder, with the barrel and some small components constructed from steel. While successful in bringing the weight down, there were concerns that the resulting weapon couldn't handle the stress of firing the 38 Special cartridge, with reports of cracked cylinders. This variation of the Colt revolver was retired, with the overwhelming majority being destroyed by the Air Force; typically, when one can find a Colt Aircrewman, it had been hacked at with a blowtorch or squashed nearly flat by an industrial press. Examples in any sort of working order and with their alloy cylinder are about as hard to find as an honest politician and grossly outnumbered by non-U.S.A.F. revolvers doctored to look the part, either as a honest "placeholder" for a collector or in an attempt to perpetrate a fraud; only around 50 legitimate Aircrewman Revolvers are believed to have slipped through the Air Force's fingers in good order. This particular Aircrewman is the real deal and backed by a factory letter, which verifies it as part of Order Number 7291, in a 3 gun shipment to the Transportation Officer at Springfield Armory of Springfield, Mass. "For: Commanding Officer" on November 29, 1951. Per factory tradition, the grips are "Not Listed", with the other major features verified. Fixed sights, with the "AIRCREWMAN" and caliber markings on the left side of the barrel, 2-line address on the right, "VP" and "V" on the trigger guard, and the serial number on the frame and crane. The back strap is deeply engraved "PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE" along the back and "A.F. No. 1189" on the butt (writer believes that to be one of the highest, if not the highest Air Force number!), and it has a set of checkered grips with the signature U.S. Air Force medallions. Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection