MA-1 Flight jacket

[bn1966]

First L2B with replacement NOS knits should be with me this Saturday. Will post pics soon as opportunity or the wife allows.

 

[alec0226]

Hi Jwag. While Spiewak makes fine jackets, I'm pretty sure they never made MA-1s for the government. The spec tag on your jacket indicates it is a E-series MA-1. All E-series MA-1s would have either a DSA or DLA number on their tags. If yours doesn't then its a civilian jacket.

Here's a photo of a tag from an issued D-series MA-1. Notice the DSA number and the two digits following the 100 in that number..."67". That is the contract year of that jacket. Of course, there is also a date on the tag.

Here's the jacket the tag is in...a 1967 Satellite Outerwear.

AF

I have 3 MA-1s, 1961 skyline, 1964 & 1965 Alpha, all have 58% wool 42% cotton interlining, the 1967 satellite has 100% wool pile interlining, which one is better?

 

[Atticus Finch]

I have 3 MA-1s, 1961 skyline, 1964 & 1965 Alpha, all have 58% wool 42% cotton interlining, the 1967 satellite has 100% wool pile interlining, which one is better?

Hi alec0226. I also have examples of those three jackets in my collection. Truthfully, I can't tell a difference in any of them...at least not with respect to the interlining. Now when you compare the C and D-series jackets to an F-series MA-1 with its poly interlining, there is a notable difference.

AF

 

[alec0226]

Hi alec0226. I also have examples of those three jackets in my collection. Truthfully, I can't tell a difference in any of them...at least not with respect to the interlining. Now when you compare the C and D-series jackets to an F-series MA-1 with its poly interlining, there is a notable difference.

AF

Thanks AF, I used to have a 8279F dated 1987，it seems that the outer shell is a lot thinner than C and D series, so I didn't keep it.
And I do want to thank you again, AF, I started collecting MA-1 jackets when I saw that photo of you wearing 1961 skyline with a jeep, it's so beautiful! I must have one!

 

[Atticus Finch]

Thank you, but the credit goes entirely to my girlfriend. She is an excellent photographer. In fact, most of the photos I post on FL were actually taken by her. She can somehow magically make even fat old guys like me appear halfway presentable.

AF

 

[bn1966]

Received a 1973 Alpha MA1 in XL this week, lovely jacket. Fitted very well apart from the shoulders which were too narrow at 20", found a grubby late Alpha MA1 ground crew version from 85..didn't like the nylon or interlining feel, fit was fine apart from the shoulders at 20" again. The shoulders on both these jackets are narrower than my early 70's L2Bs. I can get away with anything 21" plus, does anyone know whether there are any service issue MA1 XL's with shoulder measurements that might work for me?

 

[mihai]

After all these happy experiences I'm going to share my less successful one.
I purchased a l-2b from eBay(http://www.ebay.com/itm/291155814072?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649). Being a bit dirty esp the inner orange lining ( 33% wool 67% rayon composition) I decided to launder it.
- I set a delicate cycle, no centrifuge, 30 deg Celsius(86 Fahrenheit)
- this jacked was zipped, turned inside-out

Big mistake, when I got it out, the orange lining had heavy piling. The knits are full of those fragments. I'm considering of replacing the liner with some cotton/poly fabric or even silk.
So moral of the story : avoid machine laundering of this kind of fabric present esp in l-2 jackets

 

[theundeadkennedy]

There's a real nice 1976 Greenbrier "Hunter" MA-1 on eBay right now. I would've gone for it, but after asking for measurements I know the sleeves are way too short. I hope it goes to someone around here.

 

[bn1966]

Link:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1...746465?pt=LH_DefaultD&clk_rvr_id=689983702446

 

[Doctor Damage]

thanks to one of our members who saw William Holden in "Toward the Unknown"... more nylon porn!

 

[bn1966]

Will have to get a copy now

 

[Big J]

My first dabble in vintage nylon;

1967 Satellite Outerwear MA-1 size XL




1968 Alpha Industries MA-1, size XL

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ What amazing jackets. Where do you guys find them in such good condition? Lucky guys. Whenever I see a vintage Large listed it's almost always destroyed.

 

[Atticus Finch]

My first dabble in vintage nylon;

1967 Satellite Outerwear MA-1 size XL

Big J, I think you've gone straight to the top of the heap as far as orange lined MA-1s go. My '67 Satellite is one of my two most loved nylon jackets...the other being a '61 Skyline with a Coats and Clark Crown main zip.

Here's my '67 Satellite, also in "big boy" size XL.

AF

 

[Big J]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.
I've been on the lookout for a wool interlined MA-1 in XL for a while, but they seem pretty rare (I guess they've already been picked up, and owners don't want to part with them). I think because of my age, I get a really warm fuzzy nostalgia for the cold war, and even though I don't need two, when I saw them, I 'had' to have them both.
Interestingly, the slight color variation in the photos is real (I didn't expect that), and the '67 Satellite is a little longer (almost an inch and a half) than the '68 Alpha.
In a way, it's nice to see that variations in flight jackets of the same model continued from the A-2's, all the way to nylon (not to mention all the bleating I did about my latest E-series G-1 being almost nothing like my other E-series).
It sure does make for a lot of character between jackets, and a very interesting hobby.

Atticus, I have indeed noticed that we are the same size, and looking at a photo of you in one of your MA-1's (maybe even your pristine Satellite pictured above) reassured me about my sizing.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Atticus, I have indeed noticed that we are the same size, and looking at a photo of you in one of your MA-1's (maybe even your pristine Satellite pictured above) reassured me about my sizing.

To paraphrase Bob Dylan...

I was so much older then,
I'm fatter than that now...

AF

 

[bn1966]

I love those 67 Satellite's Gentlemen.....great score Big J. Are they really 'Big Boy' XL?

Big J, how is the Alpha fit? I got one 6 months ago but had to move it on due to uncomfortable shoulders (too tight at 20"). Shoulders were in fact narrower than my Alpha L2B.

Ended up with a Greenbrier 76 to meet my wool interlining MA1 lusts. What are the shoulders like on the Satellite ?

 

[Big J]

I love those 67 Satellite's Gentlemen.....great score Big J. Are they really 'Big Boy' XL?

Big J, how is the Alpha fit? I got one 6 months ago but had to move it on due to uncomfortable shoulders (too tight at 20"). Shoulders were in fact narrower than my Alpha L2B.

Ended up with a Greenbrier 76 to meet my wool interlining MA1 lusts. What are the shoulders like on the Satellite ?

Your Greenbrier is really nice, and those who know love the vertical stitching on the windflap.
Next time I get home, I'll measure both jackets, and post the results. I don't think the size difference is so big, but it is noticeable.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Atticus, I have indeed noticed that we are the same size, and looking at a photo of you in one of your MA-1's (maybe even your pristine Satellite pictured above) reassured me about my sizing.

The photo above was taken several years ago for a friend who was building a site dedicated to vintage nylon flight jackets. I photographed my collection by placing jackets on the floor and shooting them from above. During the process, I had to keep shooing my cat away while I tried to get each photo exactly right. I thought that I had succeeded until months later when l looked closely at the photo of my Satellite MA-1. You can see Maggie's paw in the upper left corner of the photo. She had managed to get herself into the picture in spite of all my efforts to the contrary.

AF

 

[Big J]

The photo above was taken several years ago for a friend who was building a site dedicated to vintage nylon flight jackets. I photographed my collection by placing jackets on the floor and shooting them from above. During the process, I had to keep shooing my cat away while I tried to get each photo exactly right. I thought that I had succeeded until months later when l looked closely at the photo of my Satellite MA-1. You can see Maggie's paw in the upper left corner of the photo. She had managed to get herself into the picture in spite of all my efforts to the contrary.

AF

I love cats and dogs, we've got a Bernese Mountain Dog, and I learned very quickly that claws and expensive leather jackets are a bad combination! The first command that dog should've been taught was 'down!'. I imagine cats+vintage nylon=stress.