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A modern nylon MA-1 flight jacket

The flight jacket, or bomber jacket is a garment originally created for pilots, which eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. In the First World War most airplanes did not have an enclosed cockpit, which necessitated a garment that could keep pilots sufficiently warm. While serving in France and Belgium, the Royal Flying Corps pilots had already begun wearing long leather coats in 1915, and the trend caught on. The US Army established the Aviation Clothing Board in September 1917 and began distributing heavy-duty leather flight jackets; with high wraparound collars, zipper closures with wind flaps, snug cuffs and waists, and some fringed and lined with fur. Thus, the American flight jacket was born.

Leslie Irvin first designed and manufactured the classic sheepskin flying jacket. 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 the Second World War. 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.

As aircraft became more advanced, altitudes got higher, speeds got faster, and temperatures got colder. Most heavy bombing raids in Europe during the Second World War took place from altitudes of at least 25,000 ft, where it could reach as cold as minus 50 degrees Celsius. Aircraft were not insulated and so the cockpits would get just as cold. Flight jackets were essential.

The two most historical and well-known American flight jackets are the A-2 jacket and the G-1. Although General “Hap” Arnold cancelled the original A-2 after twelve years because he wanted “something better”, the A-2 jacket remains the most recognizable and sought-after American flight jacket. The G-1, designed by the US Navy to parallel the Air Corps’ A-2, lasted until 1978, when Congress forced its cancellation because its tremendous popularity was overwhelming the Navy’s supply system. Not only were these two jackets useful to the serving men who wore them, but in their popularity they became symbols of honor, adventure, and style. Hollywood movies like Top Gun boosted sales of the G-1 tremendously, making these once-specialized jackets collector and fashion items.

Stylish flight jackets, however, are not limited to the A-2 and G-1. Shearling jackets, originally lined with fur, are recognized for being the warmest ones. Even when the fur was replaced with wool, this coat was warm enough to keep Lt. J. A. MacReady warm when he set a world record in April 1921, reaching an altitude of 40,000 feet in his open-cockpit airplane. Styles of shearling jackets range from the B-3, the “bomber jacket”, to the M-445, the Navy’s own Shearling jacket. Also popular in the military were, and still are, synthetic jackets. These jackets first gained esteem after Gen. Hap Arnold rejected the A-2 jacket in 1942. Styles range from the cotton twill B-series to the standardized jacket of the Navy, the CWU-series. 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.

Today flight jackets are usually associated with the MA-1, a U.S. military jacket, which is mostly found in black or sage green. The military version is made from Nomex. However, the normal version is made with flight silk nylon. It usually has an indian orange lining. It has two slanted flap pockets on the front, two inner pockets, and a zipped pocket with pen holders on the left sleeve.

• Alpha Industries
• Leather jacket
• MA-1 bomber jacket