Brown Leather Classic A-2 Vintage Air Force Style Flight Jacket
Brown Leather Classic A-2 Vintage Air Force Style Flight Jacket - Genuine Nappa Leather Outer Shell. Polyester Zip Out Lining. 2 Front Patch/Slash Pockets. Epaulets. Fold Down Collar. Knit Cuffs. Cowhide Leather. WWII Map Print Nylon Lining. The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket closely associated with World War II U.S. Army pilots, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back. Sometimes casually referred to as a "bomber" jacket, its original designation was "Jacket, Pilot's (summer)," and its wartime usage was limited neither to pilots nor to bomber crews. The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardized by the U.S. Army Air Corps as the successor to the Type A-1 flying jacket adopted in 1927. The military specification number for Type A-2 is 94-3040. The Drawing Number was given as 31-1415, but the spec. labels found in the jackets themselves show this to be 30-1415. All A-2 jackets had several distinguishing characteristics: a snap-flap patch pocket on either side that does not have hand warmer compartments (hands in pockets were considered unfit for a military bearing), a shirt-style snap-down collar, shoulder straps, knit cuffs and waistband, a back constructed from a single piece of leather to limit stress on the garment, and a lightweight silk or cotton inner lining with a military spec tag attached just below the back collar. Prior to WWII the collar was sewn to a neckband or "stand" like those found in dress shirts, a time-intensive operation. Wartime contracts generally had "simple attached" collars sewn directly to the back panel and rolled over.
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