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What got you interested in A2 type Jackets

Bombing IP

Well-Known Member
What prompted you to want to get an A2 Jacket ,was it your interest in films , aircraft history or just the iconic design ? . I know what set me off in the direction of I want that .


BIP
 

2BM2K

Well-Known Member
As a kid I built plastic aircraft kits, one of which was the B17 Memphis Belle. From this grew an interest
in the 8th AAF, in particular the B17 heavy bombers.

From this evolved the interest in A2 jackets, I can't remember at what point this happened.
 

MikeyB-17

Well-Known Member
I was always into planes as a kid, living near RAF St. Mawgan the sky was full of fantastic planes in the early 70's-Phantoms, Lightnings, Buccaneers, Vulcans, Victors, F-111's, Starfighters etc. etc. Many years later in the pub I saw a bloke with a leather MA-1 'copy' (with the label on the sleeve!) and thought it would be cool to have a flying jacket. Around the same time my Dad borrowed Kaplan and Currie's 'Round the Clock' from the library, full of pics of AAF crews in A-2's, B-3's etc. There followed several cheap A-2/G-1 copies, until I met a chap who knew Gary Eastman and had one of his A-2's. That was it, I was hooked. I saved up until I could order my first A-2 from ELC, when I drove up to Ivybridge and was measured for it. The rest is history.
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
I got into A2 jackets after going to an Autumn Air show at Duxford over 15 years ago. I was amazed by the variety of jackets being worn. My first jacket was a Cooper and this was quickly sold on to fund an ELC house A2. Since then I have acquired originals and repro A-2s.
 

Bombing IP

Well-Known Member
I AM SURPRISED ,that Coopers beat out Sefton A-2 jackets .These were around a long time before the Cooper and in my opinion were a much better representation of the type . One Jacket that I am sorry I sold on (if anyone has a large Sefton for sale let me know ). So it seems the spike in interest was around the late eighties .

BIP
 

johnwayne

Well-Known Member
It takes back to prob early 70's when I was in a trendy pub, decked out in my flares and Shetland roll neck, long hair etc and in walked two cool looking guys both wearing A2's although of course I didn't know that's what they were! A search then ensued in various flea markets around London - an aside story related is that I saved over £100 when looking for said A2 which as an apprentice was prob a months money at least and I came across a guy outside a train station doing the famous 3 card trick and yes muggins here lost all my money! My dear old Dad told me gambling was a mugs game and honestly I've never gambled since! However, I then discovered Ken's (Aeroleather) Thrift Shop in Batteresa, south London and used to feast my eyes on several A2's he had in his window but that were mostly small sizes and a bit out of my price bracket at the time - quite a few were painted too I seem to recall. Yes like Steve, the Great Escape turned my eye too and I eventually bought a cheap is repro from a film company who made them for a TV series called We'll Meet Again before moving on to my ELC bought in the late 80's (still go it today) and then of course the Internet came along and life changed!!
Cheers
Wayne
 

Bombing IP

Well-Known Member
I also was around at this time ,lived in London and was also an apprentice . The guy who I was at college with lived in Wandsworth and told me about this thrift shop ,not knowing what a thrift shop was back in 1975 .But no matter I wanted to see the jackets I was after a G1 ,I knew nothing about A-2 Jackets and went in and met Ken he sold me a Ralph Edwards G1 and sewed a name tag on it . The name tag read Edson D Newman Lt JG US Navy . Ken told me about A2 the painting of the backs and the guys who wore them were in the Army .That day Ken changed my life and I have always owned an A2 jacket and funny thing is never bought another G1 .
I have read every thing that was available on the USAAC I could spot an original from a 100 paces back then . Does anyone have any pictures of the old thrift store in Battersea I would love to see them , Do you have any Ken ? .

BIP
 

Rutger

Well-Known Member
I got to know them by VLJ. I still prefer nylon and their predecessors, but the A2 is an icon indeed and that's why I wanted one. Got five now...
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
All my interest in flying jackets stems from an interest in the history as well. The A-2 is such an iconic jacket and synonymous to mid century aviation. I also from a personal level love its association with Norwegian WWII fighter pilots wearing them and yes of course those myriad iconic photos of USAAF aviators from the war.

I'm actually planning on hopefully getting a new A-2 at Duxford this year at the ELC tent ;)
 

Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
[QUOTE="Bombing IP, post: 182342, member: 5525" . Does anyone have any pictures of the old thrift store in Battersea I would love to see them , Do you have any Ken ? .

BIP[/QUOTE]

There are a few scattered around, I'll need to get them scanned
 

Skip

Well-Known Member
Well as a family we often trundled off to the local airshow, where you could stand on the tarmac and get buzzed by Spits and Mustangs among others, not to mention stand within 10 metres of one without barriers while it started up. And then there was that TV series when I was 14, Tales of the Gold Monkey, set on a French pacific island just before the war, starring a one eyed dog, an almost always drunk mechanic, a temperamental flying boat, and a lead star that always ended up in trouble who happened to wear an A2 with a chinese bloodshot on the back. My curiosity was piqued, which then led to the flight jackets books

And all through that an avid interest in anything that flew in ww2. Down here we had a aircraft magazine series by Orbis Publishing I think which had double page spreads of some sexy aircraft drawings in their theatre camo and markings.

These days I have a few jackets and enjoy reading about the people and the history of WW2. Funny how in the beginning you weren't fussed on the details but years later after so many jackets...
 

Jason

Active Member
I'd been interested in aviation since before I could crawl, or so it seems. That led to an awful lot of my wage being spent on flying lessons as a 17 year old. Not long after, it was discovered that buying a house and flying lessons were mutually exclusive on a young technician's wage, and sadly had to leave ambitions of flying tethered to terra firma. After a while, as income grew a little bit, I wanted to do something to keep the interest - a flight jacket seemed the ideal way to indulge that. After looking around locally, nothing really seemed to fit the bill, and that's when Yahoo groups and the original VLJ came on to the scene for me. Computer viruses aren't the only disease you can catch from the internet, you know! The first A2 for me was some absolutely awful mail order repro from a disposal store on the other side of the country. Honestly, the Cooper A2 which was next was a massive step up! And from there, the collection grew. I think the disease became terminal once Perry's a-thrice came calling.
 

Atticus

Well-Known Member
A photo of my father wearing his A-2 hung in our den when I was a child. That photo is now my avatar. I guess I always wanted a jacket like his. Funny thing is, I've probably owned seventy or eighty vintage flight jackets in my life. But never a WWII era A-2.

AF
 

bn1966

Well-Known Member
Went down to ELC twice, first time I came back with a BOB Irvin Type..went again & came back with a Luftwaffe. Both times I had a look at this A-2 thing..not my 'cup of Tea'. went back a third time & ended up with...a RW A-2, had a look at an A-1 whilst I was there..not 'my cup of Char'. Went back again..M-422A..again B-15..again D-1..again..A-1 (how did that happen?).

Looking to visit next week...got my sights on a Hartmann :) Life was so much easier when I was buying from Cirrus!!
 
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