Aero Shearling Barnstormer jacket

[WhiteBeard]

Hello everybody,

I'm new to this forum but have been reading a lot of posts here, mainly regarding experiences of the different types of Aero jackets.

I am about to place an order on a shawl collar Barnstormer.

I was thinking of enquiring on the following alterations:
- line the arms with shearling (or would it be too thick?)
- single breasted
- two panelled arms
- leather strip on inside bottom instead of corderoy
- roll over stitching throughout
- no hand warmer chest pockets
- two piece back instead of a three piece, with a "double v" yoke instead of a straight one, like on the 1930's half belt slim fit jacket

Not sure if all of these alterations are possible, I have sent an e-mail to the Aero customer service but not received an answer as of yet.
I imagine that the single breast and two piece back would present the largest problems with using front quarter horse hide, but will see what they say.

Would be happy to hear what you think of this, I know there is a lot of experience here in this forum.

Also, I would be thrilled if anybody here that owns this jacket would have the opportunity to post a photo of the shearling liner, there is no pictures of the inside of the jacket on the Aero website.
Not sure how it looks with the shearling and the lower corderoy strip.

Happy to hear from you,
Nat

 

[rocketeer]

I have a standard Barnstormer with a two piece back, I did want Front quarter horse but Ken advised me that such a large panel in Front quarter was not possible so I had it made in steer. Fantastic coat.

 

[Peacoat]

Aero may not use shearling in the sleeves because of the bulkiness. Or it could be that heavy insulation isn't needed for the arms, and that corduroy is sufficient.

Don't think Aero will still do the leather strip at the bottom of the jacket. Corduroy currently seems to be the fabric of choice. Don't know that it will hold the lining above the hem as well as leather, but it might. My shearling with the corduroy strip is too new to know for sure. Some others on the forum may know for sure.

Aero now charges extra for modifications. I recently had a simple G-1 pocket added to a new jacket, and it was $40. Not much by itself, but they add up when combined.

Focus on getting a good fit, as that is the most important part of buying a jacket online.

Good luck with your jacket, and welcome to the Lounge.

 

[Dinerman]

The sleeves on sheepskin lined jackets in the 1930s were generally lined with blanket wool.

 

[Otter]

IMO sheepskin lining inside an already heavy leather will make for an unbendable sleeve. My B3 which only had upper sleeve hh was stiff enough when new, I would go with blanket.

 

[Edward]

I'd be more concerned about excessive heat than bendability. A shearling lined leather will be a much heavier and much warmer beast than a regular shearling jacket. I do think the shearling lined sleeves would be overkill.

As to the modifications, since the changes in day to day management at Aero a couple of years ago, they've moved away from the old "anything goes" approach (not least as I imagine it was costing them a fortune). Some mods they will do , some they won't. If you want a single breasted jacket with all those differences, you might be as well to look at some of their other models, and having that shearling lined (which is an option on any jacket, with a £100 upcharge).

 

[Sloan1874]

I think the wearer could end up wandering around with their arms locked straight and sweating profusely, but I doubt they would do it anyway. As Edward says, you might want to look at something closer to what you have in mind in the first place and spec from there, as what you're suggesting sounds more like a modified Hudson.

 

[Edward]

Yes, the Hudson / Northeaster would be the base model I'd be looking at, though might have to live with a zip front if Aero don't want to do buttons on that one. Always worth an ask - Ken does still seem to take on the occasional variation if he feels it's something interesting.

As to the leather strip, somewhere on TFL Holly explained that one. It was at a time offered as a £50 extra, but Ken doesn't feel it necessary and so didn't want to be offering that upcharge for what he felt was an unncessary over-engineering. Aside from that, it makes any future relining of the jacket in twenty years' time much more complicated, as the leather strip has to be removed first. Corduroy was an interim alternative they offered, though I remember Holly saying Ken felt even that unnecessary for most linings. It seems to be something they still do on shorter shearlining-lined jackets. You can but ask. [huh]

 

[Peacoat]

I checked my shearling lining with the corduroy strip this morning. It has already sagged just a bit below the hem of the jacket in one small spot. As long as it doesn't get worse, that doesn't really bother me. I do prefer the leather strip as done by Johnson leathers, however.

 

[WhiteBeard]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, indeed, that's a lot of wishes, but they are nothing major to me, if Aero says no to them I still like the Barnstormer enough to go for it, I think. I would really love the "double v" back yoke though.

Is this jacket based on an existing design? Would it have been made with a two piece front like Aero makes it?

Thanks for the input on the corduroy, Peacoat. You don't happen to have any photos of the interior of your jacket?
I guess the corduroy (which comes standard when you order the shearling Barnstormer) would be fine.
I guess the ease of changing the lining later on overweighs the nice look of having a leather strip. Thanks for that input as well.

The sleeves come with cotton drill and stormcuffs as standard. Is this warm enough, compared to the rest of the jacket?
I'm thinking that the shearling lined part of the jacket will be warm as toast, which means I wouldn't plan to wear a lot of layers underneath.
If not shearling (yes, I can definately see how that would make the jacket uncomfortable to wear), perhaps lining it with an alpacca wool liner would help?
Or am I creating a problem that doesn't exist?

I will ask about the Hudson and Northeaster, but would really like to have the buttoned up front. But I'll definitely look into it, thanks!

Once again, thanks for the help. Want to try to get it right the first time...

 

[Edward]

The Barnstormer is based on designs popular in the early days of flight (10s through early 30s). I don't know whether it replicates any one specific jacket or if it's an amalgam of particular period features - Aero could tell you.

Now I think about it, wasn't there one of the longer Aero models that Ken preferred to keep 'open' between liner bottom and shell, because it was period, and less likely to distort the lining in a way that would lead to sagging when you sat down? I'm sure I read something along these lines a while back, but I may well have confused this with another manufacturer. I know this trick was (and is) common on longer coats, like trenchcoats, but I'm not sure about something shorter like the Barnstormer.

 

[Plumbline]

Re. Open lining .... I thought it was so the buttons could be accessed Edward ?

I've had a few Aero Barnstormers and also a few from another manufacturer ( Sam Walker )

Shearling lining makes for a REALLY bulky jacket .. I'd go for blanket lined with a shawl collar as a maximum.
Shearling sleeves would be unbendable and too bulky IMHO (I have had cord lined sleeves and quilt lined sleeves in my two shearling lined 3/4 jackets - I still have the cord sleeve lined Aero LHB in medium weight Horse and I wore this in Alaska two years ago at -76 ( inc. windchill) and it was plenty sufficient with good baselayer and sweater).
Don't be put off by steer ... it's easilly as good as horse it just doesn't have the rarity factor but it breaks in easier and is slightly more maliable in the cold IMHO
The Barnstormer is a REALLY heavy jacket in any guise ..... mine took 2 years to break in ... enjoy
The Aero pattern was sized up so I went down a size so check with Holly/Ken re. sizing.


Other than that ... enjoy the purchase process .... cheers

 

[Edward]

Re. Open lining .... I thought it was so the buttons could be accessed Edward ?

Could be.... I'm sure there was something about how it sat, too, but it could be a number of reasons. Half-remembered online discussion from somewhere....

 

[Smithy]

Could be.... I'm sure there was something about how it sat, too, but it could be a number of reasons. Half-remembered online discussion from somewhere....

I remember that conversation as well as I bookmarked it out of interest when I was getting my Barnstormer. It was posted by Denny Calder:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?66190-Aero-Barnstormer&

Great looking jacket and I think a Barnstormer big enough to layer under and with a mouton collar would be a far better bet. Although sadly, I don't think this option is offered anymore by Aero.

 

[Edward]

Thanks, Smithy.... yes, that's the one I'd half-remembered. Glad I wasn't going mad!

Since that thread was posted, Aero have stopped doing the removeable mouton collars. As I recall, Ken decided he wasn't quite happy with how well they stayed in place, and pulled them until they coul figure it out better. At this point, it seems unlikely they'll bring them basck, but I could turn out to be wrong. I liked the idea in theory, but I'd trust Ken's call on that one. I'm not sure if they've cut mouton collars altogether, though - Aha! Looking at the customisation section of the website, it's still an option, albeit at an upcharge of £50: http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=1230

I agree with you, Smithy - I think if I was going to go for a Barnstormer, I'd opt for one in a nice brown hide with a rust mouton collar on it, and a blanket lining. Very much puts me in mind of Manfred von Richthofen:

I'm always holding out hope that eventually Ken will put one out in maybe a steer hide that can be made long enough to be close to knee length, so I can wear it with a suit in the dead of Winter. That's the one big failing of my other flying jackets - just too short to go over a suit jacket or a blazer. In the parlance of ver kids, I'd totally rock that with a Fedora on a cold Winter day...

 

[Plumbline]

Interestingly both Sam Walker barnstormers had closed linings and didn't present any problems !

 

[Smithy]

Thanks, Smithy.... yes, that's the one I'd half-remembered. Glad I wasn't going mad!

Since that thread was posted, Aero have stopped doing the removeable mouton collars. As I recall, Ken decided he wasn't quite happy with how well they stayed in place, and pulled them until they coul figure it out better. At this point, it seems unlikely they'll bring them basck, but I could turn out to be wrong. I liked the idea in theory, but I'd trust Ken's call on that one. I'm not sure if they've cut mouton collars altogether, though - Aha! Looking at the customisation section of the website, it's still an option, albeit at an upcharge of £50: http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=1230

I agree with you, Smithy - I think if I was going to go for a Barnstormer, I'd opt for one in a nice brown hide with a rust mouton collar on it, and a blanket lining. Very much puts me in mind of Manfred von Richthofen:

Yup, a brown Barnstormer with a rust mouton would look brilliant. Actually even a black hide with that collar would look the goods.

I'm always holding out hope that eventually Ken will put one out in maybe a steer hide that can be made long enough to be close to knee length, so I can wear it with a suit in the dead of Winter. That's the one big failing of my other flying jackets - just too short to go over a suit jacket or a blazer. In the parlance of ver kids, I'd totally rock that with a Fedora on a cold Winter day...