Aero, Flightsuits or Flightjacket; A-2 Advice for new guy.

[dojrt71]

Hi Everyone,

New here. Great forum.

I'm in the market for a horsehide A-2 and I would like to hear your thoughts.

First, I want to get the highest quality jacket that looks right on me. Reproduction accuracy is not as important to me as is the quality of leather, construction, stitching and overall finish of the jacket. Plus I will be adding inside pockets and I don't want to show a cell phone through the leather when it's zipped.

I'm 47 years old, 5'9" 200lb, 46R suit, 17 1/2 x 33-34 shirt, 36 pants.

It's been quite a long time since I've had the type of build that would look right in a traditionally fitted A-2. I think that a fuller fit looks better on me and I want to be able to wear a sweater under it.

After some research I'm thinking that a FS Historical 44R would fit best but would an Aero (or even US Authentic) in an oversize show higher quality in the areas I'm concerned about?

Thanks for your advice
Chuck

 

[kojax]

a2 horsehide

hello i have a A2 horsehide seal brown from u.s.mfg. real nice jacket i am 36r the jacket fits well.....i had it for 3 months breaking in very well..price was not bad either good lucky buddy..........

 

[greyhound68]

Both FS and Aero can do custom work. You can work with Aero's USA rep Mark Moye (on ebay to see his shop). Either choice is great. As mentioned by the post above USAuth. can and has done custom work as well. I have seen some examples of it and it is good quality work.

 

[ldmax]

Flightsuits makes an excellent jacket, but they don't do any custom work on their historical models anymore. If you need custom work, US Authentic is an excellent choice. Almost any customization imaginable, reasonable price, and quick turnaround time.

 

[dojrt71]

Thanks for the advice, guys,

I e-mailed Mark at Aero. He doesn't think that they would be able to make what I'm after. He wrote that the armholes are cut high and can't be modified.

Even though I think the Aero Real Deal has the type of leather and workmanship I'm after, my shape won't do it justice. I'm going to go with the Flightsuits Historical Russet Horsehide.

Chuck

 

[kojax]

a2 horsehide

hello i have leather samples of flight suties. that is a nice color.if you call them they will send you leather samples.....i see you are from boston i am not to far away...........GO PATS

 

[garzo]

I just receieved a Historical A2 Mark 43 from Gibson & Barnes/Flight Suits and it fits great. I'm a regular 44 and ordered a regular 44 and it's perfect and actually not as big as I had expected. I heard that the FS jackets are cut more modern and I suppose they are but not much. I imagine my jacket fits like an Aero 46. I would recommend you order a size 46R from Gibson & Barnes as they are cut to measure and if you are sized 46, a 44 might be too tight on you.

I also have a Gibson & Barnes ANJ-3 sized 44 and it fits a little bigger than the A2.

Hi Everyone,

New here. Great forum.

I'm in the market for a horsehide A-2 and I would like to hear your thoughts.

First, I want to get the highest quality jacket that looks right on me. Reproduction accuracy is not as important to me as is the quality of leather, construction, stitching and overall finish of the jacket. Plus I will be adding inside pockets and I don't want to show a cell phone through the leather when it's zipped.

I'm 47 years old, 5'9" 200lb, 46R suit, 17 1/2 x 33-34 shirt, 36 pants.

It's been quite a long time since I've had the type of build that would look right in a traditionally fitted A-2. I think that a fuller fit looks better on me and I want to be able to wear a sweater under it.

After some research I'm thinking that a FS Historical 44R would fit best but would an Aero (or even US Authentic) in an oversize show higher quality in the areas I'm concerned about?

Thanks for your advice
Chuck

 

[kojax]

hello GARZO i was wondering i have a A2 goatskin size 38 the fit is right on. i want to get a g-i leather jacket from flight suite...i know it has the back swing back what size should i get 38 or smaller thank you.....

 

[NextStepGuy]

Jacket size

Hi garzo,

Nice to hear your experience with the A2. Can you tell me what you call a perfect 44R, particularly the arm length (from shoulder seam to bottom knitted wool cuff) and the back length (from collar seam to bottom of jacket). I consider myself a 44L and would be curious what you got from this manufacturer for that sizing. Thanks!

 

[dojrt71]

Thanks Garzo,

Would you mind doing me a favor?

Could you measure the back of your 44R FS HH A-2 just under the armpits?
This would help me a great deal.

I think that about 26.5 -27'' would be my fit.

Does anyone know the back-width if the FS HH A-2 in a 46R?

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[greyhound68]

http://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/measure.shtml

This page will give you all the measurements for a 44 FS. Check it out.

 

[garzo]

Thanks Garzo,

Would you mind doing me a favor?

Could you measure the back of your 44R FS HH A-2 just under the armpits?
This would help me a great deal.

I think that about 26.5 -27'' would be my fit.

Does anyone know the back-width if the FS HH A-2 in a 46R?

Thanks,
Chuck

I'll try to post measurements of my jacket as soon as I can but in the meantime Greyhound68's link looks very reliable.

 

[SamReu]

Spokes Man

Consider the Flight Suits jacket, primarily because they tend to be full-cut. I ordered one from Flight Suits and discovered that it was just too roomy for my skinny self. I ordered an A-2 from U.S. Authentic, which bills itself as having a closer cut, and it fit much better. Of course, the Flight Suits jacket costs more, but...

 

[kojax]

i think u.s. mfg jackets fit preety good.....my horsehide from flight suites size 38 was baggy and big......my horsehide from u.s. size 36r fits me very nice......i tryed every company out there us wings to big. ll bean made in turkey now.............i do have a a2 goatskin from flight suite size 38r fits me well........

 

[Swoosed]

I have had both the FS and The US authentic and the US authentis is a better fit for me. I am 5-11 and about 190# with a small beer belly. the FS was a good fit but loose,they do run big. The Aero is twice the price of either the FS or the USA and the details show it. It realy depends on how much you want to spend. The Aeros are basicaly custom made to your dimensions and have all the details squared away. The hides are tanned differently Etc. The Aero and FS/ USA are not in the same league. As far as I am concerned between F/S and USA I would go with USA. I got my A-2 Russet HH in three days. F/S took three weeks and I had to retun it due to a hide issue. good luck finding the "right one"

 

[regius]

try ORCHARD, or Branded leather, in Queens, NYC. the guy there named Peter (the owner) is a great guy, he would do all kinds of modifications for you, and if you bring your own materials, like sime scrap leather or linings or cuffs from old jackets, he will put them on your custom order. and what a price!

 

[Seb Lucas]

This thread is 5 years old - is there any point responding to it, Regius?

 

[Cedric Satterfield]

I came across it in a search of the site. Why populate the forum with more redundancy when there is a perfectly good 'search' function?

 

[Seb Lucas]

I came across it in a search of the site. Why populate the forum with more redundancy when there is a perfectly good 'search' function?

My point was about the merit of advising someone on what to buy when the post is 5 year's old and they have probably bought several jackets since. Nothing wrong with opening old posts to contribute to new information.

 

[regius]