Just who did design the A2?

[johnwayne]

Was reading a book I've had for some years called 'All American' - a history of US 'fashion' through the years that inspired Tommy Hilfiger and of course there's a lot of Ivy League stuff, but also cowboy, sports and 60's English - everything that floated his boat when building his empire it seems. However, theres two pages on leather jackets, firstly the Perfecto bikers jacket and then.......the A2.
It shows a nice Aero original described as an A240!!! I think that's just a typo - it was printed in Japan and happens to be a 40" jacket but what I picked up on is it states "in 1930 Irving Schott was asked by the military to design a flying jacket" and give a little description alluding to the fact the A2 was his design!!!!

To the best of my knowledge I understand there are no records to put its design down to any one person as such? Obviously the spec is from 'USAAF drawings' but did they contract out the design? As Schott didn't have any contracts Im intersted as to where the author got his info from and if anyone does know?
Cheers
Wayne

 

[atkins]

Interesting, i'd like to know more. Whoever she or he i'd like to thank him. Thanks Wayne.

 

[gyrobroyeur]

To be honest, I don't have any serious information about A2 / Schott relation, but...
Schott trademark pretend to be the designer of perfecto style jacket, (perfectos was Irvin Schott's favourite cigarillos). The history don't seems so clean about this paternity...
It's for them a commercial argument and they use it a lot (visit their website...)
If Mr Schott was in anyway, the father of the A2 style jacket, I think they shouted it today...
All that I know, is that Schott pretends used to make A2 or G1 (don't remember) for the army/navy, and nobody found trace of this contracts...

 

[deeb7]

All that I know, is that Schott pretends used to make A2 or G1 (don't remember) for the army/navy, and nobody found trace of this contracts...

Annoying, isn't it? Write your own Wikipedia page, spread it on the Internet, and it becomes true.

• Avirex/Cockpit
  In 1942 a small workshop in Long Island obtains the first exclusive licence to produce leather jackets for U.S. Air Force and for decades supplies the U.S. Air Force under the label "Avirex". In a short time the company starts again to produce the famous "Bomber" weared during the WWII and the company decides to sell these products on the civilian market. Avirex made the most popular jacket of ever, the G-1 Top Gun. In 2006 all Avirex branded military and classic apparel was discontinued and transferred to a new Clymans company, Cockpit USA. All Avirex-branded flight jackets have been discontinued, although the same jackets are now available under Cockpit USA® brand.
  
  Schott Nyc
  In 1913, two brothers, Irving and Jack Schott started making raincoats. In 1928, nearly 40 years before Harley Davidson would create their own, Irving Schott designed and produced the first leather motorcycle jacket. Commissioned by the US Army Air Corps at the start of WWII, Irving Schott designed and produced a "bomber jacket" that would serve and protect Our Boys as they fought for liberty in the air over Europe and the Pacific. Rugged and warm, these leather and wool jackets would be produced by Schott for the US Military for the next 60 years.

flightvintage.net

 

[gyrobroyeur]

All that I know, is that Schott pretends used to make A2 or G1 (don't remember) for the army/navy, and nobody found trace of this contracts...

Annoying, isn't it? Write your own Wikipedia page, spread it on the Internet, and it becomes true.

• Avirex/Cockpit
  In 1942 a small workshop in Long Island obtains the first exclusive licence to produce leather jackets for U.S. Air Force and for decades supplies the U.S. Air Force under the label "Avirex". In a short time the company starts again to produce the famous "Bomber" weared during the WWII and the company decides to sell these products on the civilian market. Avirex made the most popular jacket of ever, the G-1 Top Gun. In 2006 all Avirex branded military and classic apparel was discontinued and transferred to a new Clymans company, Cockpit USA. All Avirex-branded flight jackets have been discontinued, although the same jackets are now available under Cockpit USA® brand.
  
  Schott Nyc
  In 1913, two brothers, Irving and Jack Schott started making raincoats. In 1928, nearly 40 years before Harley Davidson would create their own, Irving Schott designed and produced the first leather motorcycle jacket. Commissioned by the US Army Air Corps at the start of WWII, Irving Schott designed and produced a "bomber jacket" that would serve and protect Our Boys as they fought for liberty in the air over Europe and the Pacific. Rugged and warm, these leather and wool jackets would be produced by Schott for the US Military for the next 60 years.

flightvintage.net

You're right... And i'm really scared by your example...
We are just talking about jackets, but what will happen with political subjects were powers afford to falsificate the truth?
Keep your paper archives, don't burn the books... :ugeek:

 

[deeb7]

To the best of my knowledge I understand there are no records to put its design down to any one person as such? Obviously the spec is from 'USAAF drawings' but did they contract out the design?

I agree, there's no one person, it's more an update of the A-1 design, which in turn was modelled on existing cycling/aviation fashion.

Drawing up a list of specifications, after more than a decade's field use with its predecessor, and the introduction of the zipper, created a classic design.

 

[FtrPlt]

Interesting to see the back and forth with the collars over the decades:
A-1 with knit collar
A-2 with traditional collar
MA-1/L-2B back to knit collars
CWU series and new A-2 -- back to traditional style collars