Why & when do we love the A-2 & other leather jackets?

[Seb Lucas]

Did you write this after a few drinks or do you really believe this? If you really believe it, fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even though in this case I guess most people who post here would disagree with you. Perhaps you should try telling some of the surviving vets who wore the A2 in the War that their flight jackets were pretty awful.

My Dad, who was 23 in 1943, was in a camp during WW2, so he (and I through him) know a thing or two about liberation. But let's move on.

I put my case very stridently and I'm sorry if I upset anyone here. While I'm not a fan of the jacket I didn't mean to be so colorful in the execution of my ideas. I'm glad this forum is able to take robust debate. And by the way, I do respect other people's views.

I just wanted to put a different view as I am overwhelmed by endless praise for a jacket I like a lot less than a half-belt.

By the way, a dig at the jackets vets wore is in no way a dig at them. The primary reason they were fighting was to preserve diversity of opinion, so we're in safe hands all around.

Cheers everyone.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hey Seb. You definitely have a right to your opinion and the right to say it. That again is what all the veterans of the time did for all of us. Not everyone likes the A2 and that's o.k. To some people it's really just a leather shell with two useless pockets. Originally the leather jacket was devised because it didn't soak up gasoline and oil and not for its style. Otherwise who knows what we'd be wearing.

 

[kampkatz]

Apparently some people simply look at a design and decide it is not very appealing to them. That is why there are so many different styles of leather jackets. History students/followers can look beyond a particular jacket's shortcomings and appreciate it for what it symbolizes. The A-2 served its purpose well. Other designs followed because needs/requirements changed. Here we share our thoughts and likes/dislikes with respect for others who enjoy participating in such discussions. A little diplomacy can go a long way, so if we use the "do unto others" principle the discussion can remain pleasant.

 

[Silver Dollar]

I like what you're saying, Kampkats. It all depends on the perspective you're looking at. A civilized discussion where opinions and information are posted is a joy. That's where you really learn a lot that's not in the textbooks.

 

[Atticus Finch]

This thread was not meant to be an A-2 only thing but more how and when did we get hooked on our leather jackets? I was curious to see who had lifelong obsessions and who caught the bug later in life.[huh]

I have been wearing leather jackets since I was in high school...more than thirty-eight years now. I didn't own an A-2 until about six years ago when I bought my first issued Saddlery. On the other hand, I've been wearing G-1s since the early eighties. My father flew fighters in the USAAF, but I grew up between two large USMC Air Stations...so leather fight jackets always meant G-1s to me.

AF

 

[Johnnynotoes]

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet...and no the Grateful Dead aren't thrumming in the background. There was a young persons adventure sci-fi book series published in the 50s based on a kid adventurer and his exploits. In this first book I remember him readying his alien assisted home-made space craft and preparing to meet the unknown. A shakedown of his supplies and necessities was listed and enticingly described was his remembering to bring his heavy brown leather jacket against the elements.

I was probably about 9 yrs old...say 1969 or 70 maybe. The mental image I received from that one line gelled with what I had been SEEING up to that time. Heros Adventurers Pilots etc. All [many] wore leather jackets! Brown dominating. TV, comic books, those British boys journals that our local library would stock...brown leather jackets galore. And here was some kid MY age who built a spaceship and was taking off in his tough warm jacket for danger and adventure??? Worked for me...reading that description and tying everything together made that image irresistable. I had to wait until I was 14 for mine. Saved for it and wore it for 2 yrs until I outgrew it. Kids grow quick. There have been nigh on a couple of dozen since. My Aero HWM is probably my Mushroom Planet jacket. I've waited a long time, heh! Yep that's what started it for me. No kidding.

Still working on the fuel cells for MY spaceship...and the fiddly little button thingies that make stuff beep. [cue the Dead...]

 

[Leamas]

I can't recall when I first noticed the A-2. I think it was during the WW II movie The War Lover with Steve McQueen. Or it could have been McQueen in an A-2 in The Great Escape. This probably dates to when I was between 7 and 10, perhaps a bit younger. (I saw the movies on TV. So you can't date me by the release dates of the movies )

Even though I took notice of the jacket, I didn't fall in love with it and am still not in love with it, though I do like the jackets. If it weren't for the connection to WW II, I don't know whether I would have one. Rather, I would probably buy a leather jacket that had a better fit, i.e. a jacket without a wool waistband.

No, my love wasn't for the A-2. It was for the B 17's, and I am still enamored with those planes. The A-2, then, is one of my connections to the B 17's, and that is why I like to have my A-2's painted with nose art. If I'm going to go to the trouble of buying a WW II sized A-2 and fret over how it fits (any jacket with a waistband is going to be somewhat problematic), I might as well get some nose art (tasteful) to make the look complete.

For me choosing to get a WW II spec. A-2 and have it painted is just a matter of personal expression, kind of like bothering to buy and wear a WW II spec. A-2 in the first place (as opposed to any other type of leather jacket or an A-2 from another era). It's akin to a hairstyle, a wardrobe choice (like wearing fedoras in this day and age ), a tattoo, a t-shirt with a band's logo on it, etc.

Not to stir up that debate again. Just explaining why I like the A-2 and in particular painted A-2's.

 

[Phantomfixer]

yeah it reall was not meant to be a debate at all. Just when did you get hooked on leather jackets?? simple question huh? So the last two stories are pretty cool I can relate to the B-17 also. Here at Dover AFB we had the Shoo Shoo Baby restored. The plane was brought in from France in 79 I believe. I was a freshman in HS. It was supposed to take 3 years.... 13 years later it FLEW to Ohio. So I was able to see the restoration unfold and all the hard work that went into it. We (DAFB) traded the Shoo SHoo (a flying combat example of a B-17G) for another B-17 that sits static in the museum at DAFB. Great stories guys.

 

[fraazierjo]

A2's

For me, it was having a couple of uncles in the AF in England and the romance of that generation flying and fighting in WWII. From then on, in movies, Life magazine, vets wearing the A2's after the war, and just guys in lather jackets in high school - I was hooked. Let's face it - they are downright macho and sexy! I finally got the ideal A2 from someone in VLJ and it's everything I hoped it would be!

 

[DonW]

Up until about 3 years ago I hadn't heard of an A2 jacket, I started looking for a good leather jacket and discovered Aero Leathers and the Fedora Lounge, I ended up with an Aero Highwayman but discovered the A2. Whilst I was reading up on the A2 I had magic moment "I've got one of these!", a hunt into the depths of the wardrobe and the stored clothes that should have been given to the charity shop years ago was an A2, now very flat and knits that have supported many generations of moths but an A2 all the same. This had been given to me by an uncle in the late 1950's or early 60's, he told me it was a pilots jacket, it had been worn for painting and had white paint splashed on it which he cleaned of with turpentine! This jacket was too big for me and was put away and forgotten, I passed though being the right size for it without wearing it. I remember it having a label that was loose and it came off, I'm a bit of a horder and I think I may have it somewhere, there are no inspection stamps on the lining so I'm guessing it was a "civilian" model. Where my uncle got it from is unknown but it is now being carefully stored and I have recently bought a very nice Aero A2 in seal with rust knits off ebay, this will go with my 2 highwaymen and an ANJ-3, I think the A2 will be getting a lot of wear time when the weather cools down.

 

[nick123]

Out of the blue a few years back, a coworker surprised me with an A-2 they found at a thrift shop. The person told me "Nick, I had to get this. It's just SO you". Funny, because I hadn't been wearing leather jackets at that point but I was flattered and that act of kindness had an effect on me. The jacket was cheap (A civilian beater, I assume fake leather, but cool escape map lining and it had a flattering shape and fit)-but too short, so it sat in the closet.
But I was so flattered with the act of kindness (and the compliment) that I set out to find one that fit, kind of in remembrance of that person (I'm funny and put sentimental value on too many things). Then the search for a really good A-2 began, and the interest really took off.
But now that I think about it, I can remember wearing a "Top Gun" child's G-1 as a kid! I think my dad may have purchased it from an airport shop or even the Sporty's Pilot catalog back then.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Nick, sounds like you were given one of those old Avirex jackets with the map lining. It was real leather. They were around from the late 1970's and US Wings still do a version.

 

[Fanch]

If I were a collector, I might like A-2's with patches, etc. from other eras, but prefer simple, understated A-2 and G-1 jackets. Even when I was on active duty with my US Navy issued G-1, I wanted nothing added so that I could wear it with jeans when not in uniform without drawing attention to the jacket. That's just me though.

 

[nick123]

Nick, sounds like you were given one of those old Avirex jackets with the map lining. It was real leather. They were around from the late 1970's and US Wings still do a version.

View attachment 16010

It wasn't an Avirex. It was like a really cheap knock-off of an Avirex. I'm trying to remember the name of the brand.

 

[Monitor]

Haha I had an A2 with a map lining, too! It was my first leather jacket, my father gave it to me when I was just a kid but I wore it all the time, until it began falling apart. Well, lining was the only thing that fell apart but even though the leather became dry and started to crack at places, I think it still had a few years of life left... I don't really know where it is anymore. Moved around so many times I've either lost or gave away more things than I care to remember, but I really loved that jacket.

Don't know if it's due to the fact that I've spent so many years in it as a kid or because of my dislike for military clothing, but I have never been terribly impressed with the A2 jackets. Plus I really don't like the look of knit cuffs and waistband.

 

[nick123]

This may have been the brand (my jacket didn't have this type of leather)
http://www.rubylane.com/item/957075-1-14-17/Vintage-Flight-Jacket-Map-War-time

 

[morrison2951]

It wasn't an Avirex. It was like a really cheap knock-off of an Avirex. I'm trying to remember the name of the brand.

I've got an old Wilson's leather jacket with the map lining.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

I wish A-2s werent so popular, maybe I could afford a nice one then..

 

[Big J]

I'm not ashamed to admit it; I got into A-2's because McQueen wore one.
That's it.
He was cool in that movie.