Tis the season...for a new A1

[Jeff M]

Arrived yesterday.
New A1 from Superior Flight Apparel.
Put on my waterproof hat, wore it out during a nice rain storm last night for a good soak. Wore it till it had a chance to dry a bit.

This is the same capeskin that John is using on his A1's.
So far I am impressed with it. Great drape, nice heft without being too thick or thin. Has a bit of texture to it without being overboard. (Actually flattened out a bit with the soaking.)
Mark was great to deal with. Kept me updated during the manufacture process.
Couldn't ask for a better fit.
I like it so much I'm tempted to order another just to have a spare...... :lol:

 

[ECKHARTUS]

Just superb

 

[CBI]

Looks terrific.

Congrats and great work Mark

I plan on contacting Mark for a jacket (different style) soon........................edit - just did

 

[airfrogusmc]

Looks fantastic congrats!!!!!

 

[Tariacuri]

Awesome!!!!!

 

[ausreenactor]

Pretty darn impressive!! Well done!! To both yourself and Mark.

Couchy

 

[Skip]

Deck the halls with capeskin...

Not a fan of A-1's but your helping me change my mind, it looks mighty good

 

[Jeff M]

Thanks all.
Must be a nice jacket. This is one even my wife likes. :lol:

Can't say enough good things about Mark and how the jacket turned out. The fit was perfect out of the box.
It responded beautifully to the rain. Put a bunch of keys in one pocket and a small LED flashlight in the other to give them some dimension during the soaking, wore it to let it dry as much as I could before heading to bed....got even better.

 

[767fo]

The jacket looks great Jeff. Mark did a great job!! Enjoy

 

[saucerfiend]

Jeff, nice pickup. Looks great! Hey, is that a "Hat People" cap or a vintage one? Goes great with that A-1.

Brian

 

[Jeff M]

Jeff, nice pickup. Looks great! Hey, is that a "Hat People" cap or a vintage one? Goes great with that A-1.

Brian

"Hat People".

 

[Rutger]

Although I've never worn a horse A1 , I do believe it's the cape that makes for an entirely different "wearing experience" than if it were a horse hide jacket. A horse jacket (and I suppose a horse A1) is "always there" with it's relative stiffness (and weight?).

 

[Dr H]

John (CBI) can offer a good perspective having owned both - he currently has a GW A-1 in Vermont espresso.

 

[CBI]

Well......to be honest ............ I really like both. At this point, I would have to give a slight edge to the Vermont Espresso HH version simply as a personal preference. This hide (which John no longer carries) looks awesome but was a bit too lightweight for A-2’s (although John did make some using it). Its almost as lightweight as cape and looks very similar. In general, I love the A-1 but every once and a while the period photos look too unstructured for my taste. I like the fact that the Vermont hide adds a little structure to it. The drape is really close without being too baggy. Of course cape is more authentic but I give in a little with this terrific HH.

If you wait about 6 weeks, I will be able to give a complete report comparing John’s early cape to the Vermont to his latest cape....................

More later ................

 

[CBI]

here's the GW A-1 in Vermont Espresso HH:

 

[Steve H]

"Hat People".

Yep, nice 8 panel!

 

[Marv]

Thanks all.
Must be a nice jacket. This is one even my wife likes it

Funny that, my wife actually likes the A1 (even though I don't own one as of yet) also over my A2s and M422a/G1s.....she even likes ELC's Thuderbird Field Instructor's flight jacket so what does that tell you

 

[Dr H]

That Thunderbird...with the mixture of panels...it's a girl's jacket...

Having said that, your wife can clearly pick a good design if she's partial to an A-1. Vickie (at GW) was similarly complimentary...

 

[dujardin]

splendid one

enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyy

mine is now my favorite and daily jacket

incredible look, comfortable, easy to wear

but now, with the winter.... i will use my combo jacket, much warmer

 

[Dr H]

Marcel, I've found in the past that I can layer with an A-1 under an overcoat (like a sleeved jerkin).
Works well - John Lever has done the same with an Irvin or B-3 (extends the season for your A-1).