Famous People in Flight Jackets

[Doctor Damage]

As seen in this post of 'Jet Pilot Overseas' blog, these seem to have been more than just K-2B flight suits heavily modified - rather an experimental version I guess.
I also found another post in a different militaria forum referring to the same jacket with a bit of extra info on its possible manufacturer, but the jacket's identity is still elusive.

Excellent finds, very interesting stuff. Thanks.

Flying Tigers. M-422's and an A-2, not sausage-skin tight (guess some guys preferred their jackets loose fitting).

As one of our resident pilots once said, reaching forward for the controls in a tight jacket is not very comfortable.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

View attachment 21275
Flying Tigers. M-422's and an A-2, not sausage-skin tight (guess some guys preferred their jackets loose fitting).

That fit looks like the way the jackets are worn today...don't want a skin tight anything!

 

[Stearmen]

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom. First one is Korea, the other two are early NASA. Forget all the bull from The Right Stuff, he had it in spades! He was one of two pilots to be selected for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo program! He also was instrumental in designing the Gemini space ship. Unfortunately, he designed it to his body, all 5'5". The other astronauts nicknamed the Gemini's, The Gusmobile.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Very sad how Gus met his final fate, in an O2 rich capsule, screaming and clawing at the hatch while flames engulfed him and fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

 

[Big J]

Very sad how Gus met his final fate, in an O2 rich capsule, screaming and clawing at the hatch while flames engulfed him and fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

View attachment 21301

That's a real hero right there!

 

[South9407]

Gentlemen, please school me if I am doing this wrong. I haven't been here in a couple of years and I'm not sure how all the posts and threads work yet. But I am a vintage Navy flight jacket collector and I need some help locating a couple of Talon zipper sliders. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Edward]

A very young Christian Bale from 'Empire of the Sun' in what looks like a civilian version of a G-1.

As I recall, the jacket was meant to be that of an AVG airman who gave it to the kid, though it likely was badgex up civilian or modern version they used back when.

 

[Treetopflyer]

Even Bob Hope wore a flight jacket.

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[devilish]

^To everyone on the Internet. Please stop posting this idiots picture. I'm pretty sure he doesn't need anymore publicity and we don't need all his clones buying up N2's like they did MA-1's for the last few years. He's a talentless hack.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

 

[pauleway]

HoosierD - that's perfect. It's just the perfect example of that no talent"Representing"!:eusa_clap

 

[Stearmen]

^To everyone on the Internet. Please stop posting this idiots picture. I'm pretty sure he doesn't need anymore publicity and we don't need all his clones buying up N2's like they did MA-1's for the last few years. He's a talentless hack.

Are you talking about Bob Hope, or the Apollo Astronauts? Those are the only really famous people I recognize on this page!

 

[rocketeer]

Are you talking about Bob Hope, or the Apollo Astronauts? Those are the only really famous people I recognize on this page!

I sort of agree, but who is the bloke dressed as a dodgy Ronald McDonald, and what is he famous for ?

Is that a genuine N2 and is he a jacket enthusiast? To me the photo just looks like a man in a blue parka.

 

[Edward]

Isn't it Kanye West? He's very famous. Hip hop / rap kind of stuff, I gather - not really what most folks round here are into. I'm aware of him because of his award-show antics.

 

[Justhandguns]

Isn't it Kanye West? He's very famous. Hip hop / rap kind of stuff, I gather - not really what most folks round here are into. I'm aware of him because of his award-show antics.

I think 'Famous' here is defined by age and region here in TFL. I guess the age group here would lean more towards someone like Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, or the 'younger' ones such as Steve McQueen........!!! Kayne West? Just the boy from Chicago.....hahahaha!!!

 

[Doctor Damage]

Let's try not to act like curmudgeons or pretend the world ended in 1955. I know almost nothing about the man in the photo I posted, other than he's unquestionably famous and he's wearing a flight jacket. Sure, it's more than likely a modern day Alpha flight jacket, which will turn off the purists who insist on 1950s and 1960s vintage only*, but it still looks good and if it gets a few youngsters wearing flight jackets then great.

* The people who have a collection of vintage flight jackets, more than they will ever wear or need, bought for about $20 each when nobody wanted them. That's great and I'm happy for them, but the days of low low low prices for vintage jackets are long gone and I can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a vintage flight jacket which has been worn by a dozen people, has some stains or smells, and needs a bunch of repairs. New jackets have their place and we should all be glad that Alpha still makes reasonable facsimiles of their vintage jackets.

EDIT: Actually the zipper on Kayne's jacket is wrong for a modern Alpha.

 

[rocketeer]

Let's try not to act like curmudgeons or pretend the world ended in 1955.

Oh so very true


That's great and I'm happy for them, but the days of low low low prices for vintage jackets are long gone and I can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a vintage flight jacket which has been worn by a dozen people, has some stains or smells, and needs a bunch of repairs. New jackets have their place and we should all be glad that Alpha still makes reasonable facsimiles of their vintage jackets.

EDIT: Actually the zipper on Kayne's jacket is wrong for a modern Alpha.

* The people who have a collection of vintage flight jackets, more than they will ever wear or need, bought for about $20 each when nobody wanted them.

I only have one and yes I have had it a long time, over 30 years.
And yes, some folks would not be seen dead wearing vintage clothing due to stains and odours etc.

As I asked, is Mr West a jacket enthusiast or famous for wearing them? I guess otherwise he is the sort who could pay the most for the rarest just to say he had got it.

 

[devilish]

I posted as I dislike Kanye because of his terrible attitude towards life and his extremely annoying tendency toward self aggrandizement. An all to common occurrence in American pop culture these days. Having a big mouth and bad attitude is too often praised.
His jacket is probably an over priced 'designer' version from someplace like Visvim or his own Yeezy company.
Personally I am glad that we live in an age where styles from all eras can be worn together as one wants, that's not the issue. The deifying of the rude and talentless is what I disagree with and Kanye is virtually the poster boy for this practice.

 

[regius]

Tracy Morgan and Harrison Ford ≈

-dixon cannon

Did Gibson Barnes make Harrison's jacket?