The Fastest Man in the World Jacket...

[DanielJones]

In watching The Aviator again there was a jacket that HH wore when he flew his sleek experimental speed plane and then proceeded to crash it into a beet field.
It had the styling of an A-2 (collar and rib-knit waist) but all the button down features of an A-1 piolots jacket. The wrist cuffs & carco pockets were button down as well instead of the rib-knit & snaps. Unfortunately there is only one screen shot of the jacket on line and most of it is covered up.

Also, I don't have the screen capture software yet to collect a few more images to show this jacket. So, if any of you have this feature could you grab a few shots of this scene as HH is getting into the plane. They're some of the best shots of this jacket.
Now, does anybody know where to find a jacket like this one. I know that there are a couple of places that offer something close (like the Averex cotton A-2 at U.S. Wings), but those seem too modern and don't really fit the image.
I'm wondering if Magnoli could make something like this, or is there one out there just eluding my searches? Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer in this search, it is most appreciated.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Here is the actual jacket.

And the website:
http://www.library.unlv.edu/hughes/pages/aviator.html

 

[DanielJones]

That be the one! Cool!
Now, if only I can find out what style jacke it is and if there are any reproductions of it. Thanks for the pic and link, most appreciated.:eusa_clap

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Some of these are close, but not close enough. I've seen others closer, but I forget where. Probably easier to find in the Spring.
http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=10150

http://www.neilcooperusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NCUSA&Product_Code=sp6150
http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/produc...66&group_id=467&cat_id=5285&subcat_id=&bhcp=1

 

[The Wolf]

Your thread title confused me

I expected to see a red jacket with a yellow lightning bolt.
Turns out you weren't talking about Jay Garrick: the Flash.
Not even my second guess, Jesse Owens.

<------------Me

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Here you go...

.
.
Oh, wait, you said "FaStest man. Never mind.

 

[scotrace]

Look Tony,

Please don't clutter up this thread. This should obviously be over in the "World's Dashingest Man" thread!

Sheesh.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Good eye, Dan! I really like that jacket, too. This is another one I've been eyeing, because it has buttons instead of zippers. I'm not crazy about the elastic cuffs and collar, though. I hate when you reach for something or when driving and the sleeves creep up your arms. (I know, Matt, smaller armholes!) But elastic means they stay there when you lower your arms again. The Hughes jacket would not do that.

Incidentally, anyone else catch that when Hughes/DiCaprio is flying that plane, it switches between two different planes? Look closely as the plane makes passes down the runway, and you'll notice that it has a full canopy. The H-1 had an open cockpit.

DiCaprio in the open cockpit

And the model they used for filming. Note the canopy.

 

["Doc" Devereux]

Hmmm. What are the odds that the wings are wrong, too? Looks like the model duplicated the coast-to-coast variant of the H-1, rather than the sprinter in which DiCaprio is sitting.

I'm with you on the elastic sleeves, Jack. It's buttons and zips for me, which is why you'll almost certainly never find me in an A-2.

 

[Indy Magnoli]

Dan,

If you can find a "close-enough" jacket for yourself, feel free to PM or e-mail me to discuss replicating this. We'd be able to do it with no problems. It would certainly make a good addition to my line of clothes!

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Incidentally, anyone else catch that when Hughes/DiCaprio is flying that plane, it switches between two different planes? Look closely as the plane makes passes down the runway, and you'll notice that it has a full canopy. The H-1 had an open cockpit.

And the model they used for filming. Note the canopy.

I wouldn't put much stock into the scenes from the film.

The original H-1, and the Jim Wright replica, both had canopies that retracted into the sides of the cockpit, (Which was not uncommon for racing aircraft like the Wedell-Williams racers, etc.) also if you look at the original film of Hughes flying the H-1, you'll see that Hughes had an adjustable seat that could be raised when the canopy was open for take offs and landings.

Hughes wore a helmet and goggles for high speed flight, unlike the scenes with DiCaprio wearing a fedora with an open cockpit. (Never would have happened as Hughes would have wanted the cockpit closed for less drag) not to mention keeping away 300+mph wind in the face.

I'd imagine that they chose the long wing from the R/C model due to better control, most non aviation people probably didn't notice the difference.

Actually Hughes wasn't the fastest man alive in 1935, I believe Warrant Officer Angelo from Italy, flying the Macchi MC-72 seaplane at 440mph, held the record at that time. (Plus the Supermarine S6 High Speed Flight team flew 400+mph)

 

["Doc" Devereux]

I wouldn't put much stock into the scenes from the film.

The original H-1, and the Jim Wright replica, both had canopies that retracted into the sides of the cockpit, (Which was not uncommon for racing aircraft like the Wedell-Williams racers, etc.) also if you look at the original film of Hughes flying the H-1, you'll see that Hughes had an adjustable seat that could be raised when the canopy was open for take offs and landings.

Can you point me at a source for this film? Sounds like something I'd like to see.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

You can see Hughes sitting up high in the newsreel films of the H-1, (Look up one of the documentaries on Hughes)..... this set-up was not unusual with military type tailwheel aircraft, so the pilot could see over the engine. (Esp. Naval Carrier aircraft)

There is an old Richard Dix movie, Men Against the Sky :

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032781/

The movie has a good bit of film of the H-1. (This was an RKO picture, so Hughes was involved as was legendary movie pilot Paul Mantz, who knew Hughes quite well.)

 

["Doc" Devereux]

Cheers, Absinthe. That should keep me entertained for a bit.

 

[DanielJones]

Dan,

If you can find a "close-enough" jacket for yourself, feel free to PM or e-mail me to discuss replicating this. We'd be able to do it with no problems. It would certainly make a good addition to my line of clothes!

Kind regards,
Magnoli

Well Magnoli, We're getting closer with the images of the jacket, but most of the close enough jackets are just not that. Most of them have too modern a cut and the collar is usually leather and all wrong. The collar on this particular jacket is more like a car coat or something similar, the cuffs are snug with a double button on them. the cut and styling is very much like the A-1 pilots jacket but with the collar and cuffs as a button up. I'll send you an e-mail soon and maybe we can discuss a prototype for your collection.

Hemmingway,
Thanks for the additional photos, those were very helpful.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Mojave Jack]

That jacket looks like it could be really versatile. Casual with an open collar shirt, but completely approriate with a tie. In today's society that is a useful feature! Keep us posted on your progess, DJ and Magnoli! I, for one, would strongly consider one of these!

On a related note, Rather than hi-jack this thread to discuss the H-1, I've started a thread on Golden Era Planes of Fame, if anyone is interested in continuing the above discussion.

 

[DanielJones]

Looks to be similar to the M41 field jacket, especially around the collar.

So I suppose a reproduction could be based in part on the M41 but with with a rib knit waist, cargo pockets instead of slash hand warmers and a tighter button cuff and a covered storm flap on the chest. Just an idea. What do you think Magnoli?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Indy Magnoli]

I don't know... there are so many differences between the two, I don't think you could really say you're basing the former on the latter. [huh]

I think we're better off simply working from screen grabs and production photos. We've got enough angles to fill in all the details. I'm ready when you are.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

 

[Jerekson]

Hmm, never really noticed that jacket in the film.

That doesn't really come as much of a surprise to me - every time I watch that scene, I'm always staring at the plane!

 

[SamMarlowPI]

i sure as hell would love to have one of these jackets too...could i get PM'd when you get done? please..