Flight jacket
A flight jacket is a windproof blouson jacket , mostly made of leather or nylon , which has its origins in aviation. Flight jackets were originally used in both civil and military aviation and later spread as everyday clothing. This shows, especially with regard to the nylon variants, the trend towards the military look that is widespread in fashion , while flight jackets made of leather are now considered timeless fashion classics.
history
At the beginning of aviation , in the early twentieth century, pilots needed clothing that could protect them from wind and rain while in flight. In the flying machines from the pioneering days, the pilot sat completely unprotected in the open. This was not a problem, as the machines could at best climb to a few hundred meters and also not move very quickly. For the pilots, their normal everyday clothing or work clothing was sufficient to protect them from wind and weather. In the course of time, the aircraft brought ever higher levels of performance, which enabled humans to fly at high altitudes at relatively high speeds. When the First World War broke out in 1914 , sturdy, warm clothing was needed in which the pilot could still move around easily. What best met these requirements at that time were raincoats made of leather with double rows of buttons and belts. These coats reached in length either above the knees or to the middle of the thighs, were warm and in winter they were also lined with sheepskin . In this way, they offered the pilots sufficient protection against the weather, because at that time they were flown in open cockpits. After the war, the aviators discovered for themselves those jackets that were made for motorcyclists in France in the early 1920s . They were short leather jackets that were cut tightly. These jackets only had a length to the waist, which prevented the driver from sitting on the jacket, which would limit his mobility. The slim sleeves also contributed to the freedom of movement, as they prevented the jacket from being pulled up uncomfortably when the arms were raised. In the mid-1920s, the Schott NYC company is said to have equipped such a jacket with a zip for the first time .
The US needed a jacket for its air force at the time . On November 27, 1927, the "A-1" jacket was introduced for this purpose. This jacket had a completely new shape. It was a short horse leather jacket with knitted cuffs on the sleeves, waist and collar. The lining was made of satin . It had two sewn flap pockets on the front. The A-1 did not yet have a zipper, but was closed with a row of horn buttons. In 1931 the A-2, the successor to the A-1, entered service. It was practically an evolved A-1. Decisive changes were
- a zipper with a storm flap that could close the jacket up to the collar
- the back, which was now made from a single piece of leather
- the epaulettes for badges of rank
- as well as a cotton lining, which warmed better and did not allow the jacket to wander back and forth on the wearer's back, since cotton is not as smooth as satin.
Since the early thirties nor machines were flown open cockpit, two A-got the a collar made of leather, the collar ends by means of a push button was buttoned in place on each side to their flutter to prevent the wind.
This jacket set standards in cut and functionality. With the introduction of this jacket, a new era in clothing began. Not only on a military level, but also in terms of civilian fashion . With the A-1 and the A-2, a new piece of clothing was born: the blouson .
Leather jackets
The standard clothing of the flying personnel of the USAAF in World War II was the A-2 leather jacket, first introduced in 1931. This very functional jacket with a clear cut has two external pockets on the front and shoulder pieces on which the badges of rank were to be attached. The zipper from Talon was revolutionary at the time. These jackets were made from dark brown (“seal brown”) horse leather (horsehide), initially also with a reddish color (“russet”), later from goatskin (goatskin) or cowhide (cowhide). The US Navy counterpart was called the M-422 and was introduced in 1940. Called the G-1 from 1950, it had a similar cut to the A-2, but had pleats on the back and a lambskin collar. All of these jackets were manufactured by civil companies (contractors) from all over the USA in accordance with the specifications of the US Department of Defense, but had specific features in the details depending on the manufacturer. Well-known manufacturers were z. For example: Aero Beacon NY, Rough Wear, Bronco and Poughskeepie. Today collectors pay top prices for the rare originals. Films like Top Gun brought aviator jackets into fashion, which is why there are reproductions in large numbers and in a wide variety of qualities, right up to historically exact replicas with or without patina. The flight jacket A-2 in leather was reintroduced by the US Air Force in 1988 after many years of exclusively issuing nylon jackets (privately procured leather jackets were always allowed to be worn). With this measure a general wish of the aviators was fulfilled and the traditional awareness of this part of the armed forces should be strengthened. However, the manufacturing specifications have been changed to goatskin, as it takes longer to develop patina and thus retains its uniform character for longer.
In the past, the Bundeswehr also used leather jackets as official clothing for flight personnel. The jackets were made from kid leather and dyed gray to match the slate gray aviator suits of the Luftwaffe. The jackets were designed as reversible jackets, the inside was lined with bright orange fabric. To offer better protection against wind, the jackets had knitted cuffs on the collar and sleeves. The jackets had a total of 2 pockets. One on the left sleeve with three additional pen holders and a breast pocket on the left breast side. Badges (association badges, etc.) were either sewn on directly or attached with Velcro, as were the rank badges. Unlike the aviator suits, the rank badges are not worn on the shoulders, but on the sleeves (under the German flag). In the meantime, the gray uniform (station wagon and jacket) has been taken out of service and replaced with the new clothing in "Sage Green". The new flight jackets are now made of flame-retardant aramid and no longer of leather. Leather flight jackets from the German Armed Forces are nowadays in good condition, sought-after collector's items. The only difference between the originals and replicas is that the replicas have two additional pockets on the front left and right.
Sheepskin jackets
Pilot jacket in shearling ,
Royal Air Force Museum , Cosford, Shropshire, England
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These sheepskin jackets were developed by the American aerial acrobat and parachutist pioneer Leslie Irvin and produced in the UK factory he set up in 1926. They were not lined, but were made of sheepskin, with the brownish wool worn inside serving as an insulation layer. These jackets were very warm, but also heavy and restricted freedom of movement. The Irvin jackets had no pockets and served as a template for the jackets of the US Army Air Corps : From May 8, 1934, these were equipped with the sheepskin jackets B-3 , which were called bomber jackets in English , as they were only for the bomber crews was intended and not for fighter pilots. There was also the matching sheepskin trousers "Type A-3". In contrast to the British Irvin jackets, the “B-3” is partially reinforced on the outside with horse leather. The "B-6 Flight Jacket" developed shortly afterwards was cut shorter and had a thinner sheepskin.
The "D-1", actually only developed for the ground crew, was also worn by airmen as a summer jacket and was sheared even thinner than the "B-6".
In 1943 the last sheepskin jacket was introduced to the USAAF and USNavy. The "Type ANJ-4". This was a little thinner than the B-3 and had two flap pockets at the front and horse leather reinforcements on all particularly stressed parts. They were available in three versions, which only differed in small details. For example, the later version had a small leather triangle sewn onto the chest, to which the oxygen mask could be attached when not in use, and two small buttons at the lower end of the zipper. The ANJ-4 was very easy to wear and more practical than the heavy B-3, and immediately became the sheepskin jacket favorite among the bomber crews. However, the rather complicated construction turned out to be very expensive and production of this model was discontinued as early as 1944.
The disadvantage of the sheepskin jackets was that if the leather jackets got damp from rain or sweat and the plane climbed to higher altitudes, the water would freeze and reduce thermal protection. In 1944, the long-range Boeing B-29 bomber was introduced, which for the first time had a heated pressurized cabin. This made the heavy sheepskin jackets superfluous, at least for the crews of this type of aircraft. The fabric jackets slowly replaced the sheepskin jackets of the rest of the crew.
Fabric jackets
During the course of the Second World War , the need for jackets that were lighter and warmer, but just as robust as leather jackets, increased among US pilots. The "Type B-10" jacket was developed and introduced in July 1943. It was the first American model made of cotton, had a fur collar like the "M-422A" and was lined with alpaca fur. The "B-10" replaced the "A-2" and the thin sheepskin jacket "B-6". In November 1944 the "B-10" was replaced by the successor "B-15". Among other things, it had a larger fur collar and the patched flap pockets gave way to integrated pockets that were only accessible through slits that could be closed with press studs.
As early as 1940, the German Air Force had developed a fabric jacket for the pilots who flew over the English Channel in the Battle of Britain . Today it is referred to as the “ canal jacket ”.
Nylon and Nomex jackets
The first aviator jacket made of nylon , which was delivered to pilots in large numbers, was developed between 1942 and 1945 and introduced in 1947: the "Type B-15B". The earlier versions "B-15" and "B-15A" (1944) were still made of fabric. Later there were still the variants C and D. The cut and all military specifications were developed by Dobbs Industries together with the US Department of Defense . An alternative to the expensive leather and fabric jackets was sought that was just as robust and warming. For the first time, high-quality nylon was used as a material for flight jackets (water-repellent Dupont type 6–6 nylon aviator satin), initially only in olive-green. The new jackets even turned out to be an improvement over the leather jackets. The "B-15B" was not only just as resistant and warm, it was also considerably lighter than a leather or fabric jacket and offered the pilots more freedom of movement. In addition, nylon was beneficial to safety: the smooth surface prevented getting caught on switches and buttons when getting in and out of the narrower and crowded cockpits. In addition, the material made it easier to put on and carry the parachute, which in the 1950s, together with the ejection seat, became the standard of modern jet fighters.
The first nylon model "L-2" in olive green (sage green) was introduced as early as 1945, but the number of items produced was very small. The L-2 was supposed to be the successor to the A-2, but never reached the required number of pieces and was the rarest of all nylon jackets. It was very similar to the later model "MA-1". At the beginning of the 1950s, the L-2A, like the “B-15C”, was manufactured in midnight blue to emphasize the independence of the “United States Air Force” ( USAF ), which until 1947 was known as the “United States Army Air Forces ”( USAAF ) was part of the US Army . Later, the color of the L-2B was changed back to green ("sage-green"). The "B-15C" and the "L-2A" existed side by side until the "MA-1" was introduced in 1958, which from then on was the only USAF model issued to pilots. This model is now widely known as a bomber jacket . The first MA-1 jackets were offered in very small numbers in Europe in the late 1950s - either on the black market or through government sales. In the early 1960s, more jackets came to Europe when Alpha Industries exported military clothing for the European Air Force and civilian customers. At that time, the term scooter jacket became common in England , as the jacket was worn almost exclusively by scooter drivers.
With the introduction of the US models CWU-36 / P for summer and CWU-45 / P with insulating quilting for low temperatures, a new generation of jackets was created; the jackets were developed in 1977 by Alpha Industries for the US Air Force. The jackets of the CWU series have an openable collar made of the same material as the outer shell of the jacket. The pockets are high and angled so that the soldiers don't run around with their hands in the pockets. Today they are the standard jackets of the US Air Force, but are no longer made of nylon, but instead are made entirely of the fire-resistant synthetic fiber " Nomex ".
Other jackets for flight crews have been developed for extremely low temperature ranges, such as B. the N-3 , which was very similar to a parka, appeared in 1947 and is still in service with the USAF today with slightly modified details.
See also
Technical literature and sources
- Kesaharu Imai (Ed.): Suit Up! The Flight Jacket. World Mook, Tokyo 1993 ( Mono Collection Series Special Edition).
- Jon A. Maguire: Gear Up! Flight Clothing & Equipment of USAAF Airmen in World War II. Schiffer, Atglen PA 1995, ISBN 0-88740-744-7 .
- Jon A. Maguire, John P. Conway: American Flight Jackets. Airmen & Aircraft. A History of US Flyers Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm. 2nd edition. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen PA 2000, ISBN 0-7643-1065-8 ( Schiffer Military - Aviation History ).
- Mick J. Prodger: Air Force vs. RAF. Flying Clothing of the Air War, 1939-45. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen PA 1997, ISBN 0-7643-0234-5 ( Schiffer Military - Aviation History ), ( Schiffer Military History ).
- Gordon L. Rottman : US Army Air Force. Volume 1-2. Osprey Publishing, London 1993-1994, ISBN 1-85532-295-1 (Vol. 1), ISBN 1-85532-339-7 (Vol. 2), ( Osprey Elite Series 46 + 51).
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- ↑ MIL-J-83382 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ MIL-J-83388 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Alpha Industries Internet presence , accessed on April 19, 2007 ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Internet presence of Alpha Industries USA, accessed on April 19, 2007 ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
