The Flight Jacket Thread

[still]

looked for stuffs on flight jacket repros but found nothing here expect a old buzz rickson thread, i know a few members are into/owns flight jacket, both leather and nylon jackets...so i thought i'd start a thread for discussion on flight jackets repros.

discuss and share

[CommieRabbit]

I'd really love to buy an A-1 jacket for warmer weather and an ANJ-4 for winter time, probably both from ELC.

Flight jackets are great. As a fan of history and fashion I just think it's awesome when the two are combined.

[still]

my most recent purchase... by real mccoy NZ, it's a beaute.. i was amazed by how nice the texture and grain on the leather..

could you guys give me some tips for braking it in and maintenance of it?

[superBobo]

very nice jacket still. how much did you pay for it?

i´d love to get something like it, but i have a hard time seeing i´ll ever afford it...

[still]

paid around $800 for it. i was deciding to go for a lost worlds one or this one.

you can find real good ones on ebay that goes for $500-600 sometimes. which are definitely worth it.

[percy]

im my opinion, real mccoy do the best repro flight jackets out there. they have a combination of original features plus quality of hides used. eastman do some ok repros but i dont feel have very good leather. aero use some nice leather but im not entirely sure on the level of authenticity.

you can often get some good deals on sale items from real mccoys.

[synthi]

^ Is that opinion of the leather speculative or following you having handled the leather used on Eastman jackets & Real McCoy in person?

[percy]

i have handled all three. i have also owned two aeros and tried on a few elc.

as i said before.. just my opinion is all and it isnt to say the other products are poor, just that i think rmc is overall better. i guess it depends on what exactly you want from it... do you want total reproduction or just something that wears nicely with the spirit of the vintage jacket.

buzz rickson are nice too but pricey.

im sure airfrog and greg would be the best people to ask about jackets on here.

[synthi]

Cool, thanks for clarifying. I ask because Eastman proudly proclaim that they nerd out on their leather and that it took them 8 years (:eek:) to source the right tanneries :confused:

This thread has great timing because I've lusted after an A2 since forever and am presently selling some stuff to raise cash for one. Did some research this week and stumbled across this site http://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/index.shtml which seems like a great source of info. From the reviews I read, his opinion is that Aero have questionable authenticity and construction methods (reinforcing your view), Eastman are good, RMC are good but he could not justify the price tag, there wasn't a correlation between price and quality.

I'm not after a repro of a specific contract per se, just a seal brown A2 with veg tanned horsehide. I;d love to hear what others consider the bees knees.

[percy]

what i find about elc is that their leather feels quite thin and plasticky when new. it never seems to have the rugged grain of the other two.

[still]

i perferred real mccoys also. but it was more of a first impression choice tho..

buzz rickson ones are nice but the price is much more expensive than real mccoy ones.. not to mention eastman and aero are even cheaper.

their site is a interesting read (especially how they do variations on the leather):

http://www.buzzricksons.jp/product/army_air_forces-0001.html

[synthi]

Hmm, well maybe it's fate because after seding ELC 2 e-mails and hearing nothing, I've tried calling them all week without luck. Perhaps I wont bother. And here was me hoping I wouldn't have to venture beyond these shores

[percy]

if you just want a good quality jacket and arent overly bothered about it being totally authentic then aero would be fine for you. that is the reason i bought mine from them. they have a large sale section too for a deal.

[synthi]

Yeah, good advice. But I keep telling myself that this is a once in a lifetime purchase, I don't intend to beat the crap out of it so want to make the right choice, even if it means shopping outside the UK. Also, for some reason I'm very particular about the leather finish, I don't want any kind of aniline dye, sealed under clear coat crap; I think this is what gives the leather the plasticky look / feel you mention.

Thanks for your pointers, anyone have anything to say about Lost Worlds? Their site seems down. tia.

[GregNYC]

Nice thread! I've had A-2s by Flightsuits, Flight Jacket.com, Aero, and RMNZ. The RMNZ was custom fitted by Paddy after lots of measurements and sending a few stock jackts back and forth. Then I sent it to Jerome Urbaniak for painting of the Dragon Lady from Terry and the Pirates. Here are some of his pics - they are close-ups of the art, sorry no mid-length views of the jacket as a whole. More of my Dragon Lady pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/ywkgvc

[synthi]

Greg, great post and lovely art work on your jacket. Who would you recommend? RMNZ sound extremely helpful.

[eldave04]

I have had an aero bronco A-2 for just over a year now. The leather is great (jerky seal HH), but the zipper sucked, and I broke it within 6 months of decent wear. Otherwise the jacket is bombproof. Historical authenticity doesn t really matter to me, so I cannot comment on that.

I think that my next jacket will be an aero again, but I may send them a zipper to install instead of their standard talon repro. I just can t justify the additional cost of a RMNZ, as I am just not that concerned with historical accuracy. In addition to price, you can pretty much get a custom fit from aero, and they have a greater selection of leathers. The real deal is a great starter jacket. I am pretty sure my next will be their 1940 model in mid weight front quarter HH if available, with mustard lining, and ring snaps, with additional length to the body and arms.

A word of warning: A-2s are really short in body length by nature, make sure that you are aware of this.

You may want to check out:

http://cornellsurgery.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/

IMO it is the best resource for A-2s on the internet.

[dave023]

I have a type A2 jacket from Avirex, it really isn't a accurate repro but it still is a great jacket.The leather is really fine and I can wear it with thick clothes.

Altough I really like my A2 (since it's my first )I'd LOVE to have a accurate repro.

[eldave04]

ATTN Airfrog, please post pics of the patina on that really worn down jacket. If anything will make you buy an A2 it s these pics.

[superBobo]

nice Dave, did you buy it in europe?

[airfrogusmc]

Here ya go Dave.

Its a Real McCoys New Zealand Dubow in seal brown.It has an original WWII Crown zipper.

[airfrogusmc]

Heres some shots of my Aero A-1

[airfrogusmc]

Aero AN6552 with original Talon zipper

[holotekor]

air frog, the A2 looks great, and I'm loving the A1 as well. I was waiting for you to post yours!

[dave023]

nice Dave, did you buy it in europe?

Hey guys

Bobo..Yes ,I bought the jacket here in Brussels in an army supply shop.

Airfrog...Very very nice collection!!(understatement!)

[airfrogusmc]

my most recent purchase... by real mccoy NZ, it's a beaute.. i was amazed by how nice the texture and grain on the leather..

could you guys give me some tips for braking it in and maintenance of it?

My advice is just wear it ALLOT. DO NOT baby it. Great looking jacket. McCoys make some mighty fine repros.

[percy]

i bought an a1 from aero a couple of years ago but i cancelled the order before i received it. apparently they had already started it so it went into the sale section (oops). was in cape skin and looked gorgeous, am tempted to go for it again some time, that is if they would do it for me now!

[meader]

You got som really amazing stuff, airfrogusmc.

[airfrogusmc]

Thanks guys. The herd has been thinned lately.

Heres a RMNZ Roughwear duo toned B-3 I sold last year

Here is a RMNZ Werber I sold a few years back

Pre war Talon repro

[dave023]

Airfrog...The fact that you kept the pics means alot;)