The Flight Jacket Thread

[khoiphan92]

Im gonna buy a jacket but can anyone tell me the measurement for a small?

[Charlie Delta]

Now you're just being your silly old self again.

But you know this...

[khoiphan92]

no id on't

[airfrogusmc]

The FINEST reproductions of WWII A-2 flight jackets on the planet. The MOST accurate are right here.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/index.html

I have a Dubow coming in a few weeks.

[dave023]

Welcome back airfrog!!

[airfrogusmc]

Welcome back airfrog!!

Thanks Dave never really went anywhere though. Been posting allot over in culture (photo thread)...

[heBAY]

Jake, perhaps you can help me with this...or anyone who is an original military jacket expert...

Does anyone know anything about Carbon Hill Mfg. and/or zippers by a company named Talon? Though this is not directly related to flight jackets per say (I have my eye on a M-65 fishtail parka)...but if someone can shoot any info to me about these companies. Thanks.

[jake431]

Jake, perhaps you can help me with this...or anyone who is an original military jacket expert...

Does anyone know anything about Carbon Hill Mfg. and/or zippers by a company named Talon? Though this is not directly related to flight jackets per say (I have my eye on a M-65 fishtail parka)...but if someone can shoot any info to me about these companies. Thanks.

I've never heard of Carbon Hill Mfg. But Talon was, for a long time, a premier supplier of zippers to military and civilian contractors. Most of their zippers were nickel, but they did make some brass ones too. The Brooks motorcycle jacket I wore this morning has Talon manufactured zips. I'm not sure when you stop seeing them on jackets but I suspect it was around the 70's. By the 1980's most civilian jackets have YKK zips, and many military ones have scovill. The reason jacket heads so love Talons is that they (plus two companies, Conmar and Crown) made most of the zips for the US military jackets in WW2 and on. YKK zippers, while they undoubtedly work well, aren't even made of metal anymore (often).

Hope that helped somewhat.

Thanks,

-Jake

[jake431]

The FINEST reproductions of WWII A-2 flight jackets on the planet. The MOST accurate are right here.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/index.html

I have a Dubow coming in a few weeks.

I'll second this; Goodwear jackets are phenomenal. "1942 in a box" - but with the advantages that John (the owner/manufacturer) will make a jacket that won't be too short for you. I'm definitely going to be getting one myself - probably a Dubow. I just want to see Allen's jacket first - to know should I go with goat or horse.

-Jake

[heBAY]

I've never heard of Carbon Hill Mfg. But Talon was, for a long time, a premier supplier of zippers to military and civilian contractors. Most of their zippers were nickel, but they did make some brass ones too. The Brooks motorcycle jacket I wore this morning has Talon manufactured zips. I'm not sure when you stop seeing them on jackets but I suspect it was around the 70's. By the 1980's most civilian jackets have YKK zips, and many military ones have scovill. The reason jacket heads so love Talons is that they (plus two companies, Conmar and Crown) made most of the zips for the US military jackets in WW2 and on. YKK zippers, while they undoubtedly work well, aren't even made of metal anymore (often).

Hope that helped somewhat.

Thanks,

-Jake

+rep coming your way asap.

[jake431]

+rep coming your way asap.

Well, thanks! I do appreciate it. Sorry I couldn't help you with the manufacturer.

-Jake

[ang_kangkong]

Anybody have any experience with Lost Worlds leather? Particularly the B3. I feel like this has been asked before, so apologies if it's been asked.

[jake431]

Anybody have any experience with Lost Worlds leather? Particularly the B3. I feel like this has been asked before, so apologies if it's been asked.

While opinions of their A-2's are all over the place, most everyone I know who has seen it swears their B-3 is the cream of the crop, reproduction wise. Just be prepared for a p r o t r a c t e d break in period. It will break you as likely as you are to break it, in. Heavy heavy stuff.

-Jake

[matyomat]

Flight jackets and a pair of aviators and your set to go. beautiful

[edmond]

i just won a buzz rickson A2 ( sed but in pristine condition ) in yahoo jp. theyre a size 40 i usually wear a 42 on jackets ( i might let these go if it doesnt fit) any thoughts people? ould these fit me? i mean are they sized big ?

[jake431]

i just won a buzz rickson A2 ( sed but in pristine condition ) in yahoo jp. theyre a size 40 i usually wear a 42 on jackets ( i might let these go if it doesnt fit) any thoughts people? ould these fit me? i mean are they sized big ?

I depends what contract it is a reproduction of, but usually they're sized true, rather than large.

-Jake

[edmond]

i think they are roughwear clothing co.

[jake431]

i think they are roughwear clothing co.

If it fits like an original it should have slightly broader shoulders but I have not seen their rough wear. A-2's are not terribly baggy jackets, but it all depends how you normally wear a jacket. Is their a link you can post to the auction?

Thanks,

-Jake

[edmond]

sent you pm jake thanks!

[jake431]

Glad I could be of some assistance! If you ever have any additional questions about flight jackets, this forum is a great resource: http://cornellsurgery.com/phpBB3/index.php

Thanks,

-Jake

[edmond]

thanks jake appreciate everything!

[jake431]

I thought I would cross-post (taken from the Vintage Leather Jackets forum) this about aging leather jackets - it helps accelerate the break in process>

[For] the hot water technique, I simply let the leather sit under running hot water for about 30 seconds, and then dry it off (not letting the non-leather elements get wet). I then wrinkle the leather and try to get natural texture to come out, sometimes with very vigorous mashing of the leather with my hands.

Afterwards, I let the leather sit and dry naturally, or wear the jacket, as the leather really is completely wet. Since the leather's been mashed, the natural texture comes out and it looks a lot more like the older leather, rather than stiff and straight.

If you are trying to get a new, stiff leather jacket to break in, this is a great method to hurry it up, as well as mold it to your shape.

One caveat - this technique is specifically designed for Horsehide and Goatskin jackets - other leathers may be too delicate/not-water resistant enough for this treatment.

Thanks,

-Jake

[jake431]

Anybody have any experience with Lost Worlds leather? Particularly the B3. I feel like this has been asked before, so apologies if it's been asked.

Ang,

Here's one of Lost Worlds B-3's on eBay. Keep in mind that it's a used jacket from their 2001 production line, and you'll get a real sense of how heavy duty their jackets are.

-Jake

[cloudhands69]

I Won!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=350029173173&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=022

[jake431]

I Won!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=350029173173&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=022

Nice jacket; congrats! Post pictures when you get it, if you can.

-Jake

[coleslawyum]

Anyone know if the Real McCoys NZ is on par with Good Wear? Or vice versa. From what I read on this thread, I only see good things about the Real McCoys NZ.

[percy]

real mccoys are a very nice brand, using good quality leathers and have a decent level of reproduction accuracy.

they were probably the number one repro company until goodwear.

[edmond]

how about toys mccoys? and buzzrickson?

[jake431]

Anyone know if the Real McCoys NZ is on par with Good Wear? Or vice versa. From what I read on this thread, I only see good things about the Real McCoys NZ.

It depends what you are looking for. First off, Goodwear ONLY makes A-2's, at least for now, although they have built a few A-1 prototypes. If you want any other type of leather flight jacket (M-422a, B-3, B-6, D-1 etc) - you need to go to another manufacturer.

Second of all, it depends what you are looking for. RMNZ makes reproductions in the "Japanese" style - slight exagerations of the particular A-2 contract "features", that which makes each contract discernable from one another. This isn't very different from how Japanese denim companies make their own versions of "authentic" American work apparel, but the features of their jeans are somehow slightly exagerated from the originals (thicker denim, lower rise, etc). So their Dubow looks slightly distorted when compared to an authentic Dubow original. Also, their leather isn't terribly similar to the originals. Really, no one, Aero, ELC, RMNZ, Lost Worlds etc, has leather that looks like originals out of the box except Goodwear.

If you are looking for a modern jacket which is true to the spirit of an original, a RMNZ is a fantastic choice - before Goodwear they were (imho) the closet you could get to an original, and they do have an eye for detail. But John's Goodwear A-2's really are as close to 1942 in a box as you can get. Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I have to admit I do know John personally. I was fortunate enough to be able to try on one of John's pre-production Aero A-2's, and even in the pre-production stage he was successfully capturing all the nuances of an original without exageration.

Mind you the price you pay for so freakishly authentic a jacket is the long wait for it. It's just John making each customer's jacket himself, one at a time. But I have yet to hear someone who's gotten one from him say it wasn't worth it.

My 2 cents.

-Jake

[jake431]

how about toys mccoys? and buzzrickson?

See my response above RE: RMNZ - what I've said for RMNZ goes for these brands, with the caveat that RMNZ doesn't make cloth or nylon jackets (their sub-brand, "The Few" does though, but I've never seen them).

As far as nylon flight jackets go, the consensus is that BR is the king - but I've yet to see a B-10 they make that comes close to my RMJ Stagg B-10.

-Jake