Flying boots

[Smithy]

[QUOTE="Doc" Devereux]In his Bentley, surely?[/QUOTE]

Full marks Doc!

 

[Spitfire]

Bentley trucks???lol

 

["Doc" Devereux]

Whyever not? Rolls Royce made tenders...

 

[Windsock]

Bentley trucks???lol

Fantastic photo Spit, where'd you get it?

 

[Windsock]

Found the attached images in an old folder on my PC, the first advert is from Jan 1931 and the boots were on ebay a few years back, I think the boots may date to earlier than the ad as the construction is simpler, however, I could be wrong. The 2nd ad is from 1944 the boots were also on ebay a while back (looking great in brown), the large printed label dates from the war years.

Despite them preceding the others these almost look like a cross between the '36 boot and the '41.

 

[Hawkmoon]

1936 Pattern Flying boot

Hi All,

I'm only new to the forum, as a matter of fact, I've only just stumbled across it due to my search on info for the 1936 Pattern boots!

I love the look of the '36 Flying boot, and have wanted a pair ever since I first started looking at my fathers war books along with viewing 'Piece of Cake' for the first time when I was nine years old (I'm 26 now).

So here I am, flush with the funds for a pair of boots. As a matter of fact, I was just about to place an order with Aero Leather for a pair till I saw this forum, which has made me think a little harder.

Although I am in the market for what will only ever be a reproduction anyway, I would still very much prefer as high a degree of authenticity and quality as per the originals as is possible - my interest was sparked off by original boots in those era photgraphs, not by inaccurate replicas on a website.

So, who does everyone think would be the better place to buy boots from?

Thanks,

Will

 

[Hawk_Eye]

At the moment I think Aero is still your best bet, in fact I'm planning on placing an order sometime in the next couple weeks. I'd stay faaar away from motorcowboys boots if I were you. I hear Eastman used to make a good pair but they ceased production citing lack of interest, and finding them is next to impossible. The only other option might be What Price Glory, but their boots have not been released yet (I heard they may be out sometime in April) but the general word seems to be they're going to be fairly accurate, and WPG is great with prices, just look at their superb 350$ Irvin. Hope this helps

 

[Smithy]

At the moment I think Aero is still your best bet

There's been some talk here before regarding the Aero '36 Pattern and apparently the vamp is incorrect on the boots.

If you are after a more accurate repro boot, it might be worth waiting the month or two until the WPG offerings come out - though presuming they do get released then, Jerry has been saying that they are just about to come out for a couple of years now.

 

[Hawkmoon]

1936 boots

Hi guys,

Well, I was going to place an order with Aero leather the other day, but am holding back (at least, for the moment) until I can figure out which way I should go.

The question is: Are/would the WPG boots be worth waiting for?

I e-mailed Jerry the other day, asking about boots and got the exact same reply.

In all honesty, I don't know how long I'll be willing to wait. Waiting a month...would be pretty hard - considering I was going to put money down the other day - let alone waiting for a number of months.

Will

 

[Smithy]

The question is: Are/would the WPG boots be worth waiting for?

I don't reenact but I have a number of friends who do and the word seems to be that expectations are pretty high for the WPG boots when they come out. There seems to be a fairly strong feeling that they will be pretty accurate. The Aeros on the other hand are nice boots and they're well made but the pattern is slightly off.

Up to you.

 

[PADDY]

Aero.

CLICK on images below to enlarge.

 

[Hawk_Eye]

******* Paddy, you must wear those things 24/7. They look amazing. Just like I hope to have mine eventually look (when I buy them) sans some of the mud of course.

 

[rgraham]

A-20 pilot boots

I received these boots from a friend of my wife. Her father was an A-20 Havoc pilot in the South Pacific during WWII. The leather is still quite supple, and the wool inside is about 90%. I am very lucky to have gotten these, as I'm sure they would have just been tossed away. I've included a close up of the vamp, and a very worn down heel.

[URL="http://public.fotki.com/regor12/flight-boots/detailfour.html"][URL="http://public.fotki.com/regor12/flight-boots/detailfour.html"][URL="http://public.fotki.com/regor12/flight-boots/heeldetailone.html"][URL="http://public.fotki.com/regor12/flight-boots/manufacturedetail.html"]http://public.fotki.com/regor12/flight-boots/sideviewtwo.html[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[Rufus]

Beautiful pair of boots there Mr G!

A good cobbler will sort those out no problem.

The leather looks in incredibly good condition!

You lucky fella!

Rufus

Paddy...clean yer boots... you're on a charge.
No Weekend pass fer you, Pallie!

 

[rgraham]

Beautiful pair of boots there Mr G!

A good cobbler will sort those out no problem.

The leather looks in incredibly good condition!

You lucky fella!

Rufus

Paddy...clean yer boots... you're on a charge.
No Weekend pass fer you, Pallie!

Thank you. I am leaving these boots as they were last taken off. To me, they are a bit of a shrine to a man that wore them in battle. That heel is likely worn in such a way from many hours pushing the rudder pedals.
A few friends have asked if I have put them on, and I tell them that there is only one person to fill those boots, and now he's gone.

She also has her father's A-2 jacket. I told her she should keep it, and mount it under glass.

 

[Windsock]

Hi guys,

Well, I was going to place an order with Aero leather the other day, but am holding back (at least, for the moment) until I can figure out which way I should go.

The question is: Are/would the WPG boots be worth waiting for?

I e-mailed Jerry the other day, asking about boots and got the exact same reply.

In all honesty, I don't know how long I'll be willing to wait. Waiting a month...would be pretty hard - considering I was going to put money down the other day - let alone waiting for a number of months.

Will

If I were in your boots, i'd wait to see what they end up like- unless it takes years then go for the Aeros and resell them if the WPG's are better. Paddy's beaten up pair look the most authentic of the Aero's shown so far but to me the Aero's just don't look right- and i've looked long and hard at originals in the flesh and in period photos. It's a subtle thing but it's a definite significant difference.

I think I know what it is- the Aero pattern has a slight jack boot look about them and I think that may be due to the proportions- including the height of the vamp. They appear to be slightly wider and shorter and may not taper as much as originals. Having said that originals come in different shapes as well and the top section is quite a complex shape to make and would be difficult to get it right.

In addition the leather thickness may not be the same. Originals tend to look neat and tailored even after 60+years and plenty of wear, whilst the creases on the Aero's tend to look pronounced. Perhaps they have used thicker leather.

The AM stamped variety appear to have a significantly wider top, the no-names medium width and the Beddgoods appear to be narrower at the top. All of these also appear to "lean forward" where the back section tapers inward following the calf. I have a suspicion that the Beddgoods were made narrower as they were typically worn with shorts only in hotter climates and as they were narrower they wouldn't flop about so much whilst running etc.

Hopefully the WPG's will get these details right. If they did then that would be an excellent buy.

 

[Windsock]

Thank you. I am leaving these boots as they were last taken off. To me, they are a bit of a shrine to a man that wore them in battle. That heel is likely worn in such a way from many hours pushing the rudder pedals.
A few friends have asked if I have put them on, and I tell them that there is only one person to fill those boots, and now he's gone.

She also has her father's A-2 jacket. I told her she should keep it, and mount it under glass.

Fantastic pair of boots, just like 2 pairs I have. The brown ones at the front of this thread were also owned by and AAF Pilot- I wish I had more luck in researching him. Good on you for leaving them as they are as well,that's what I do too and I hate the thought of polishing them- just give them a dust off every so often. I have another pair of black Beddgoods i'll post soon, these are really special....

About the A-2, good advice for her to keep it- so long as it's looked after and not hung up in a dark cupboard. The next best thing would be to keep it and the boots together- sometimes these things are more appreciated and cared for by others outside the family strangely enough. The next best thing after that would be to let me buy it off her to look after it!!

 

[rgraham]

Do look closely at the vamp. It does not simply overlap the the leather above. It is as though the two meet next to each other. I'm sure that is not easy to do.

 

[Spitfire]

Fantastic photo Spit, where'd you get it?

Getty Images - as far as I remember....it's a super photo.

 

[Hawk_Eye]

I had this pair of 1940 pattern boots on ebay but a fellow ebay member graciously sent me some information about the previous owner. They belonged to a Pilot Officer Malcolm James Yarwood, a Navigator in the Royal New Zealand Air Force who was posted to 190 (RAF) Squadron. He was killed in action on September 21st, 1944 near Nijmegan, Holland at the age of 34, and is interred at the Jonkerbos War Cemetary outside of Nijmegan. Now this is just speculation, but the date and location of his death leads me to believe that he was involved with Operation Market Garden. Since the recieval of this info i have pulled the BIN listing and am now pondering my options, and seriously considering keeping them now.