Re: Military air crews - question about current A2 jacket is
Has any service member recently been issued an A2 flight jacket? If so, is it manufactured by "Cockpit USA?" I'm in the market for a leather jacket and a website (www.bestglide.com) is claiming they sell the current A2 being issued to our armed services flight crews.
Also if this is the actual jacket for sale - how's the quality/thickness of the jacket? It sells for $355, which seems on the low side for a quality A2, real or replica.
Thanks for any info.
The most current A-2s being issued to USAF guys are made by Avirex, which is the company now known as "Cockpit USA". So, yes...that's true what they're claiming in their ad.
I have two of them -- one I was issued in 1999, and one that I bought for my own non-duty wear.
The quality is as good as any other A-2 I've seen. I also own one of the early 1990s-USAF issue jackets made by Cooper and the quality is the same as the Avirex. I am guessing they are able to sell at the price they're offering because of the volume they've all ready been able to produce for the USAF going on 10 years.
I've intentionally mistreated my issued jacket ever since it was issued, since I wanted to get that WWII distressed-leather bomber jacket look. That means I haven't given it leather cleaner or moisturizer, I've worn it in harsh weather (rain), let it sit rumpled up in the back of my car during harsh summers. Unfortunately (fortunately) it still looks as good as when it was issued. The knit cuffs are still in great condition and the leather isn't showing so much as a crack or discoloration anywhere.
I'm a little bit of a history snob, and I didn't want to like the Avirex jacket. Avirex a long time ago used to claim that they were a WWII manufacturer of A-2s, which is flatly not true. So, I've long disliked the company simply for elitist reasons, and I wish that I could give their military-issue jacket a bum review.
But, I can't. It's a great jacket. It's met/exceeded most of my expectations, and the areas that I don't like are pretty minor.
If you're a strict history buff, note that the current-issue A-2 differs from the "heritage" A-2 design in a couple ways:
- The dimensions have been altered to make it more wearable
-- the neck diameter is larger (I think it makes the collar and jacket look different than the heritage jacket, but it depends on the size -- it is less noticeable on smaller sizes, but I wear a 46 and it's pretty apparent to me)
-- additional pieces are added in the armpit area to enable raising your arms up (a BIG problem for me with the "heritage" jacket)
-- the waistline is larger/looser than the heritage A-2
-- None of these changes substantially changes the look of the jacket but DOES noticeably improve the day-to-day utility and wearability.
- The pockets now have side-entry openings in addition to the top entry. The design is such that the casual observer won't be able to tell, though.
- The metal neck clasp is gone.
- Inside "pen" pockets and vertical pockets have been added to the liner.
So, the real bottom line is that it's a good jacket and MIGHT be worth the money depending on what you are looking for. If you want a true-to-design WWII jacket, this isn't the one for you. If you want an A-2 that is real military issue and is, IMHO, more wearable than the WWII design, then this is the one for you.
I can post some photos if you're interested.