![]() ![]() ![]() It has two slanted flap pockets on the front, two inner pockets, and a zipped pocket with pen holders on the left sleeve. ![]() It is made with flight silk nylon and usually has a blaze orange lining, with the specification tag in the pocket, though earlier models had a sage-green lining and the specification tag on the neck area. Today, flight jackets are usually associated with the MA-1, a now-obsolete U.S. military jacket, which is mostly found in sage green. Both synthetic and shearling jackets are worn and collected by army buffs today, but neither has the historical status of the A-2 jacket or the G-1. Styles range from the cotton twill B-series to the standardized jacket of the U.S. Navy, the CWU-series. These jackets first gained esteem after General Hap Arnold rejected the A-2 jacket in 1942. Also popular in the military were, and still are, synthetic jackets. Styles range from the B-3 "bomber jacket", to the M-445, the U.S. Navy's shearling jacket. Macready warm when he set a world record in April 1921, reaching an altitude of 40,000 feet in his open-cockpit airplane. Even when the fur was replaced with wool, this coat was warm enough to keep Lt. In addition to the A-2 and G-1 jackets, shearling jackets, originally lined with fur, are recognized for being the warmest flight jackets. Hollywood films like Top Gun boosted sales of the G-1 tremendously, making bomber jackets collector and fashion items. Their popularity evolved into symbols of honor, adventure, and style. The G-1, designed by the U.S. Navy to parallel the Air Corps’ A-2, lasted until 1978, when U.S. Congress cancelled it due to its tremendous popular appeal, which was overwhelming the Navy's supply system. Although General “Hap” Arnold cancelled the original A-2 after twelve years because he wanted "something better", the A-2 remains the most recognizable and sought-after American flight jacket. The two most historical American flight jackets are the A-2 jacket of the Air Force and the G-1 of the Naval Aviators. The cabins of these aircraft were uninsulated, so a warm, thick flight jacket was an essential piece of equipment for every member of the crew.įlight jackets in the United States Some heavy bombing raids in Europe during World War II took place from altitudes of at least 25,000 ft (7,600 m), where ambient temperatures could reach as cold as −50 ☌ (−58 ☏). However, the demand during the early years of the war was so great that the Irvin company engaged subcontractors, which explains the slight variations of design and colour that can be seen in early production Irvin flying jackets.Īs aerospace technology improved, the altitudes at which aircraft operated increased. In 1926 he set up a manufacturing company in the United Kingdom, and became the main supplier of flying jackets to the Royal Air Force during most of World War II. Leslie Irvin first designed and manufactured the classic sheepskin flying jacket. Flight Jacket of a pilot of a B-17 bomber in WWII ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |