The A-2 from flightjacket.com & Aero Leather edward-bay store?

[DanielJones]

Hello,

I have been mulling over the idea of getting an A-2 and had come across flightjacket.com. Has anybody here bought any of their jackets? If so what do you think of the quality & customer service? They also offer a custom made service for their jackets. Again, has anyone bought one of their custom jackets? Is the seal brown uber dark like the web images or is it just a darker shade from their regular brown? Their pricing seems reasonable, but I want a little feedback on them, their quality & customer service before I decide to take the leap.
I had also noticed that Aero Leather has an e-bay store. From what it sounds like they also provide a custom made jacket upon order. They also have free shipping and cover the duties. If I go that route, I was thinking of the 1940 Contract horsehide A-2 in seal brown that they offer. Now I know that several of you have bought Aero leather before, but have you bought the horsehide? Is it a fairly stiff leather or pliable?
Could you folks that have these jackets from Aero & flight jacket.com post some pictures of your goods so I can guage the color differences?
Thank you all for any input you can provide in making an informed decision. It will be a huge help.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[GTguyzach]

I had also been eyeballing some of their jackets, so count me in on wanting some feedback about them.

Thanks.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Flightjackets.com

Is U.S. Authentic and I have a russet horsehide that I bought a year ago from them. A beautiful jacket for a good price. They have a liberal try-on policy and good customer service.

As far as custom work goes, all I know is the quality of their nose art is generally adequate but definately not up to my standards, so I paint my own.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Daniel, I'm a big Aero fan. I bought a half belt model from them (like the one Toby Maguire wears in 'Seabiscuit') in the middle of last year, and have worn it for two winters. Seeing that Monopoly money is worth more than the Aussie dollar these days, and that shipping out here costs a small fortune, the jacket worked out very pricey. To say that I feel the cost was worth it says a lot about Aero's quality and product!

The front quarter horsehide is like armour, and very stiff. Acquaintances who are not hep to vintage style quickly nicknamed it the 'full metal jacket' (oh preserve me from the so-called wit of the common fool!). It has started to break in very nicely though, and is just starting to gain the beginnings of a patina after two seasons of consistent wear. I guess you'd say the horsehide doesn't soften so much as mould itself to the way you move and wear the jacket. In that sense, it does become more pliable with wear.

I hope this is helpful!

 

[Weston]

I've had a US Authentic. Best bet is to avoid their website and buy through eBay. They are regularly available unworn in multiple sizes for at LEAST $100 less than asking price. I had one, and it was going to take FOREVER to wear it in right. I sold it and will go for an Eastman or Aero next time. DO NOT waste money if you are going for perfection. If you really, really can handle having only one, and need it inexpensively, US Authentic might be OK. But DO NOT BUY if you think you'll trade it in later.

Good jacket, just not close enough to perfect when another c-note gets you into Aero.

 

[DanielJones]

Thanks for the input y'all. Good stuff. I shure would love to see some pics of your jackets in action to gauge the color as well. Thanks again.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Lost my pic in the photobucket.

So I uploaded a new one. This is fairly accurate for color in the shadowed areas. Highlighted parts are colored a bit from the room lighting.

 

[greyhound68]

I can't recommend Flight Suits enough. Great jacket for the money great customer service. Here is a link to their clearance rank.
http://www.flightsuits.com/clear_jkt_leather.html

Some great bargins here. I would also suggest you call them as many items are not listed here. Good luck.

 

[jake431]

Thanks for the input y'all. Good stuff. I shure would love to see some pics of your jackets in action to gauge the color as well. Thanks again.

Cheers!

Dan

Dan,

Here's two different Aero 1940 contracts, sz 46:

And a size smaller (44), also a 1940 Aero:

The first jacket was Aero's jerky russet horse hide, the second two jackets were their smooth russet horse. If I could combine the character of the first with the color of the second two, to me it would be perfection.

Hope that helps!

-Jake

 

[MJCR]

Hi there - I got a custom A2 in Seal Brown horsehide from US Authentics (flightjacket.com) last year and it's been great. I wanted something that looked authentic but also had the practical side covered by adding inside and handwarmer pockets. Now I'm aware that may seem like a mortal sin to some, and I am going to get an Aero one of these days, but for day to day wear I like my pockets! The jacket is great, breaking in well and pretty much bomb proof.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I went with the US Authentic not only for the way it looked, but also the fit. In particular the length as compared to other makers. So many of the reproduction A2s I think are too short for people of modern height. A jacket can fit perfectly everywhere, but if it's a bit too short it just looks too small.

 

[ldmax]

My opinion for DanielJones

You simply will not find a better built, more authentic jacket under $500 US than US Authentic. Wool knits, russet cotton lining, collar stand, and nickel Talon zipper. The zipper is a modern Talon, not a WWII repro, but still far better than a brass YKK. They are far superior to the Coopers, Avirex, US Wings, etc. for about the same price. They do not accept returns on custom work, but have a very generous return policy on standard items. They are a small operation, so if you call you will be dealing directly with the owner, Shaul Dover. I found him to be unfriendly and not very helpfull. I love my goatskin A-2, though.

 

[MJCR]

You simply will not find a better built, more authentic jacket under $500 US than US Authentic. Wool knits, russet cotton lining, collar stand, and nickel Talon zipper. The zipper is a modern Talon, not a WWII repro, but still far better than a brass YKK. They are far superior to the Coopers, Avirex, US Wings, etc. for about the same price. They do not accept returns on custom work, but have a very generous return policy on standard items. They are a small operation, so if you call you will be dealing directly with the owner, Shaul Dover. I found him to be unfriendly and not very helpfull. I love my goatskin A-2, though.

I'd agree with all of that, except that I found Shaul fine to deal with. His answers were to questions were often brief, but always prompt and the tone was fine.

 

[bfrench]

I'd agree with all of that, except that I found Shaul fine to deal with. His answers were to questions were often brief, but always prompt and the tone was fine.

Hi, MJCR and everyone else,

I've had a few dealings with Mr. Dover and found him to be terse but polite and informative.

Being a small owner operation it is a lesson a lot of the larger manufacturers could use. He's busy but available.

Based on his courtesy, I'd deal with him anytime.

Bill French

 

[DanielJones]

I went with the Better Customer Service...

Well after much consideration I think I will go with the U.S. Authentic A-2.
Shaul Dover has been Johnny-on-the-spot with all of my e-mails and has answered all of my questions (and there were a lot) both great & small. There was no initial response to my sample request, but in one week I had my samples, a bunch of them, all labled to identify the leather & color along with the cuff & liner materials. Mr. Dover's customer service has impressed me greatly, and for me, that is about 90% of the product.
Aero Leather USA had a good enthusiastic initial response, but zero follow-up. They said that they would send out some samples, and nothing so far. Plus the 6 week lead time compaired to a 1 week lead (for a custom, 2 to 3 days for a stock item) is very substantial to me as well.
If any of you gents have pics of your U.S. Authentics I sure would love to see them.
I'll be ordering mine from Shaul after the Holiday Season and I can guage my funds from there. The stock 46R will fit well, but I may go with a custom to get a couple of inside pockets added. I can't wait.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[kojax]

hello my brother is getting a 36r a2 horsehide jacket from u.s. mfg.....i just got a a2 36r goatskin from u.s. mfg. nice jacket for the money....i called flight suties 14 weeks to get a jacket crazy......

 

[Raymundo]

Flight Suits busy season is from November to April when they are doing contract work. Any other time they can finish a jacket order in about a week or two. IMO it is worth the wait to get one of their jackets.

 

[kojax]

A2 JACKET

i ordered a horsehide 38 a2 from fligt sutes the jacket was way to big....i have a 38 a2 goatskin from flight suites it fit me very well....i even sent my 38 goatskin back to them so they could make me a horside they said they could not do it this was i the summer when they were slow....the company turned me off.........

 

[Raymundo]

I have been a customer of FS for years and have never had any problems with them nor have I heard many negative comments about their customer service. It has always been excellent. Who was your contact when you had the problem?

Ray

 

[fortworthgal]

I have a horsehide russet A2 from US Authentic. I am VERY pleased with it, it is a top quality jacket for the price, and compares very favorably with originals owned by many of my friends. I'm a WWII reenactor, and I have no issues with authenticity with this jacket. The company is easy to deal with and friendly, and the jackets are custom made in a small shop. I will say that the jackets do run long. When I received mine the sleeves were literally about 7" too long, and they shortened them free of charge and shipped it back to me in less than a week. I don't have any photos yet or I would post them.

I highly recommend them.