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New Aero B-10

Tommy

Active Member
full


So I thought it was worth giving this own thread, rather than continuing to derail the 'fantasy' Buzz thread.

I was lucky enough to get in there for the 42" Sample! I've gotta say I liked it immediately more than any Aero B-10 I've ever seen before. It definitely stands up there with what Buzz are putting out in my opinion, even it is maybe more of a civilian/ test pilot version. It certainly looks to be put together with better quality materials than the Pike Brothers, which is not a bad jacket in itself either? I like to think the team that started putting this together have done their research and tried to come up with something that fitted their own tastes and desires. Yes, it probably won't turn out to be an exact repro of any major manufacturer, but it is a great looking Cloth Jacket.

I've also noticed some similarities to the A-9 Jacket which was apparently a very limited immediate predecessor to the B-10. I can only find very limited info about that jacket, probably because they had very little service issue? So maybe this makes the 'Experimental Test Sample' label actually quite appropriate to these?
 
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Cocker

Well-Known Member
I'm in too!

Mine should be ready b the end of March/mid April. Medium brown fur and knits, though I'm still pondering about the knits. Ken has been really helpful in ordering it, and a grand guy to treat with. I hope we'll get more pictures of those jackets coming soon!
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member
I was just about to make my own thread for this too! I've gone for size 46, added body and sleeve length. Dark rust collar, brown lining and seal brown knits. Dark brown buttons too.

There's something kinda cool about Aero doing their own version again, particularly with the customisation options they offer. I like the fact it's not an exact repro of any particular contract, because it allows you to use your imagination a bit and get something unique! Plus, as Ken pointed out, having the Experimental Test Sample label means we can create our own 'fantasy' jackets ;)
 

Cocker

Well-Known Member
Brown buttons, that's a great idea! I'll steal it from you!

Heay Meacham, saw the post on the hat place about your car, sorry for you, mate! Hope everything'll be sorted out with the insurance.
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member
Other cloth jackets I'd love to see Aero make....

M-421a, lightweight summer USN flying jacket. In essence an M-422a without knits and made out of khaki cotton. One of my all time favourite jackets, but sadly I've never been able to source on in my size. I'm hoping that because it's not too far removed from existing pattens Aero make, this could be feasible for production in the future...! :)

superdenimthe_real_mccoys0520180227.jpg

Another experimental test sample, this time of the L-2. Made from dark blue twill cloth (I think it's cotton). There's something really quite smart looking about a bomber jacket made from a more natural material, it almost looks like a piece of tailoring you could wear out to dinner!

L2A-test-sample.jpg
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member
Brown buttons, that's a great idea! I'll steal it from you!

Heay Meacham, saw the post on the hat place about your car, sorry for you, mate! Hope everything'll be sorted out with the insurance.

Go for it! I went for dark brown but some originals and Real McCoy's go for lighter, almost coffee coloured buttons that also look really cool and 'pop' out from the dark green cloth.

Yes, it's a real shame and pretty damn depressing! Insurance is dealing with everything as we speak, there is currently a team of guys outside clearing all the debris away - on a weekend! Now that's good service. Hopefully soon we'll be able to retrieve the car, get it all written off and order a new one - and then get all the building work repaired.
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member
I've also noticed some similarities to the A-9 Jacket which was a very limited immediate predecessor to the B-10. I can only find very limited info about that jacket, probably because they had very little service issue? So maybe this makes the 'Experimental Test Sample' label actually quite appropriate to these?

I’ve never heard of an A-9 jacket. Interesting, any photos / links to info, however limited it may be?
 

Tommy

Active Member

A-9, according to American Flight Jackets. But no label pictured. The book is a mixed bag, and he takes shorcuts in places- such as referring to both M442a and G1 as simply G1s... which although he warns you of his intent to do so, makes the book look less authoritative on it's subject matter. I don't take whats in there as gospel, but I do enjoy flicking through.
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member

A-9, according to American Flight Jackets. But no label pictured. The book is a mixed bag, and he takes shorcuts in places- such as referring to both M442a and G1 as simply G1s... which although he warns you of his intent to do so, makes the book look less authoritative on it's subject matter. I don't take whats in there as gospel, but I do enjoy flicking through.
That’s plain weird...never heard of this before. Looks identical to a B-10 as far as I can see? You’d think he’d try and include a label at the very least to show the A-9 designation...
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Maquire is usually pretty reliable, I wonder how I missed this in the past, 25 years ago this book was a "bible"

I wonder if the jacket is a Type B-10 fitted (aftermarket) with a label such as this ................
A-9 Label.JPG

over the years we've probably fitted a dozen or more "borrowed" or doctored or "strategically damaged" labels to replace missing original labels on behalf of customers on relines, etc.
Something like this replacing a lost original would look very convincing.
 

Tommy

Active Member
Or maybe they were making some of the A-9 item's and misread the brief? I doubt with a war on the Foreman would demand a complete rerun of the labels. They probably just packed them out and shipped them off. The picture I've put up simply shows a jacket that appears to have no appreciable to any other B-10, other than the fact that like most 'uniform' of the time, each Maker probably put its own spin on the design
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Or maybe they were making some of the A-9 item's and misread the brief? I doubt with a war on the Foreman would demand a complete rerun of the labels. They probably just packed them out and shipped them off. The picture I've put up simply shows a jacket that appears to have no appreciable to any other B-10, other than the fact that like most 'uniform' of the time, each Maker probably put its own spin on the design

I think you might have nailed it. Tommy!

The A-9 trousers were made as a "Suit" alongside the B-10 jacket, same factories in most cases. I know how easy it would be for a few labels to get mixed up, especially in those days when a 40" or 42" trousers would have been really rare. A worker back then seeing "Size 42" would have immediately thought "Jacket"
I can imaging a bundle of matching trouser labels with a big Size 42" on them could easily have been bundled up with some cut size 42" B-10 jacket linings. It's not like the machinists back then would have spent much time admiring (and checking) their work.
 

MeachamLake

Well-Known Member
I think you might have nailed it. Tommy!

The A-9 trousers were made as a "Suit" alongside the B-10 jacket, same factories in most cases. I know how easy it would be for a few labels to get mixed up, especially in those days when a 40" or 42" trousers would have been really rare. A worker back then seeing "Size 42" would have immediately thought "Jacket"
I can imaging a bundle of matching trouser labels with a big Size 42" on them could easily have been bundled up with some cut size 42" B-10 jacket linings. It's not like the machinists back then would have spent much time admiring (and checking) their work.

Seems like a logical conclusion to me too!
 

ButteMT61

Well-Known Member
So I thought it was worth giving this own thread, rather than continuing to derail the 'fantasy' Buzz thread.

I was lucky enough to get in there for the 42" Sample! I've gotta say I liked it immediately more than any Aero B-10 I've ever seen before. It definitely stands up there with what Buzz are putting out in my opinion, even it is maybe more of a civilian/ test pilot version. It certainly looks to be put together with better quality materials than the Pike Brothers, which is not a bad jacket in itself either?

Any chance of pics wearing it?
Please? :)
 

johnwayne

Well-Known Member
Yes I'd like an M421a too! Someone in US offers a cheapo version and I was tempted by one JC/GW offered a while back, an original but it looked a tad small ok JC's pics and I'm about his size so bailed out. Bazelot here offered me an original too but more than I wtd to pay for essentially a lightweight jacket, provenance/ history aside, I just couldn't justify it, nice as it was.
BR used to do them but seemed to have ceased production unfortunately.
 

Tommy

Active Member
I've been considering an AN 6551 for a while, nearly brought the Buzz one last summer, but umed and erred and then they were gone in my size. What was the one with 3 pockets and a patch? Was than a M421a with one more pocket or an AN 6551 with one removed?

Anyone else ever get amused at how topics on the board can go off on a tangent really easily!
 
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