Friday, June 11, 2010

Look at this Flying Fagot

This is a card from a US Army aircraft identification deck, circa 1977. The "MIG-15 Fagot" is my favorite card of them all, and I thought I should provide some background on the name.
Firstly, it's pronounced exactly the way you're thinking. "Fagot" was the MIG-15's NATO designation. Every Soviet jet was given a name that started with F, and our Fagot friend here was named in 1947 for its resemblance to a cigarette. The next two MIGs were named the Fresno and the Farmer. I am not making this up.
This little Fagot is only one of 54 cards in a flashcard deck, and I'm going to make a series of prints featuring enlarged versions of the most interesting illustrations. But first, some common military phrases involving the MIG-15 Fagot:
"Look at all those flying Fagots!"
"There were so many Fagots they blocked out the sun."
"Head for cover - Soviet Fagots are coming your way."
"That flaming Fagot is going down!"

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