Your first flight jacket

[Spitfire]

I had my first flight jacket in 1977.
It was an Irvin from the newly openede Aviation Leathercraft.
Had many nice chats with Simon Green before I finally bought it. Which actually happened because I visited ALC in Andover. Tried it and bought it.

For the next couple of years I was their "agent" in Denmark and sold about 100 pieces.

In the late 70's I got my eyes on the A2 too. But it was harder to get one.
ALC had one made up - but I felt it was a bit wrong. So my second A2 happened to be a Avirex. With Pinup on the back.
(cute, right? )

Both jacket - except the ALC A2 - are long gone.

 

[bbc1969]

Hello all. My name is Dave, and I am a new member here. I wish I would have found this site long ago! I thought I would make my first post here.

This is my first flight jacket. It is an A-2 style made by "Golden Fleece". I got this jacket about 25 years ago, when I was in I think the 10th grade. I got it a size big (Thank goodness as it lasted me for years before I but on a little weight )

I had the choice of a letterman's jacket (I lettered in football that year) or I could have a flight jacket. While all my friends went with letterman jackets, I of course chose the A-2 as I was (and am still) an aviation fanatic.

It is well worn, and as I was looking at it while taking pictures for this post, I found receipts in the left pocket dated 1993. So I got good wear out of it for over 10 years.

It needs some sewing repair on the stitching on the right side where the sleeve and body join, and is well worn in the lining. I will get it fixed someday as I hope to pass it on to my son. Here are a few pics.

 

[ron521]

Mine was a genuine U.S. Navy G1 purchased from a military surplus store in Kingsville, Texas in 1978. I have a photo somewhere of me wearing it standing by my 1959 Matchless G3.

I was very slender when I bought the jacket, and eventually outgrew it, and gave it away.

My current flight jackets are a Berman's brown leather "A-2 replica", not authentic, but still a worthy jacket, which I've had since 1983, and a Schott 184 SM, which I bought in 1993.

Both have held up very well, still look good, and are worn regularly.

 

[Pilgrim]

Similar to the green nylon reversible Peacoat showed---I had a surplus-bought reversible freen/orange flight jacket when in Boy Scouts. Worked pretty well on campouts.

 

[scottyrocks]

I wasnt exactly rolling in dough when I was a teen, so my first one was a vinyl bomber that cost me an entire $20 brand new. Over about two years, the outer layer had gone into disintegrate mode. By the time I hit college I had sprung for a Cooper leather bomber jacket - $40 brand new. This was probably about 1978.

I had made the mistake, a few years after getting it, of bringing it to a place that cleaned leather furniture and such. When I got it back, I was shocked and po'ed. They had covered it with some sort of shiny coating that destroyed its worn in look that I loved so much. The cleaning was supposed to be just for the grungy insides.

In all the years I had it after that, until it fell apart, the leather never looked a day older than when I got it back from the 'cleaners.' Never again. These days, I buy leather jackets with removable liners so I can remove and clean them.

 

[Kid Mac]

An LL Bean A-2 from when they were still made in America. It does have non-standard hand warmer pockets, but otherwise it is a fair repro. Nice goatskin, collar stand, single piece back, two-piece sleeves, a Scoville zipper, and Scoville snaps.

It still fits. It's a good beater for hiking in the woods with the dog.

 

[greyhound68]

My first flight jacket was an issue G-1 probably a 1968 model (had no tag) given to me by my Uncle who got it from some Navy test pilots at Pax river in Maryland. Still have it and it fits

 

[Pilgrim]

I bought an LL Bean A-2 around 1990 - wore it here and there, a dozen times or more. However, originally I was in central TX and it wasn't comfortable to me with the heat and humidity. Once we moved to CO in 1998, it stayed in the closet because I had gained a few pounds and it was snug. It was in pristine condition...a few weeks ago I just gave it to a co-worker who had done me some favors.

Here in Colorado a jacket is much handier for me. I have a Schott insulated tan jacket and just got a slightly larger A-2 relative, an AN-J-3. Frankly, I like the AN-J-3 the best of all...it has a bit of extra room, the weight is pleasant, and it's great leather.

 

[Tally Ho!]

G-1, size 40, BUAER label, ca. 1952 with a "SIKORSKY ENG. SYST. 1" writing in the back.

Picked it up in London about 1988, haggling my little heart out with the paki shop assistant - cost me an arm and a leg (at the time, for a basically shot leather coat).

I just LOVED it and only wore it on special occasions as the leather had been pretty brittle.

Sold it the other day on ebay (a s I gained two sizes in the meantime; some movie picture studio bought it so you might actually see it some day on TV).

That old G-1 was the beginning of a deep love towards old flight jackets; god, I just love 'em!

Cheers, Tally Ho!

 

[SamReu]

Spokes Man

A Golden Bear with side pockets, bought for an astonishing $200 back around 1981. I still have it, too.