a-1s, and other pre war jackets

[Silver Surfer]

has anyone else noticed that very often a-2s, and other pre war jackets exhibit sleeve tunneling? my older gw a-2 has longer than average sleeves, and I have often thought of having them shortened, but having looked at umpteen photos of guys wearing a-1s, it seems that is how they were often made and worn. also, when driving , the sleeves do not ride up to the mid forearm as so many a-2s do.

 

[B-Man2]

Vic
I think you have your answer in your post .
My guess is that the sleeves were made longer in those earlier jackets because unlike WWII pilots , they were in open cockpits and if their sleeves rode up on them cold air would more easily go up the sleeves . Longer sleeves prevented that to a lesser degree. As I said nothing to confirm this thought but it seems plausible.

 

[Chandler]

Researching photos* for my new GW (a pre-war contract) I've seen sleeve lengths vary all over the board. Yet another idiosyncracy of the A-2 and its manufacturing (and probably diverse body shapes).

In some of the recent A-1 and pre-war navy jacket posts you can also see a lot of extra-long cuff knits. Very odd looking.

*I'll see if I can get permission to share a few.

 

[dinomartino1]

None of these sleeves are riding up with arms at various positions, the knits all seem to be staying over the wrist bone.

 

[B-Man2]

View attachment 123507
None of these sleeves are riding up with arms at various positions, the knits all seem to be staying over the wrist bone.

Agree … the cuffs look fine…… the pants seem to be riding up.

 

[Chandler]

Agree … the cuffs look fine…… the pants seem to be riding up.

Tee time after getting in some flying hours.

 

[Silver Surfer]

typo in my post. it was supposed to be the long sleeves and tunneling in a-1s and other pre war jackets, not a-2s. my computer has a mind of its own.

 

[Chandler]

Doesn't "other pre-war jackets" encompass A-2s?

So, is that GW an A-2 or A-1?

 

[Silver Surfer]

I was not clear. I was referencing pre a-2s. my gw jacket that I was referring to is an a-1

 

[bseal]

Would you be so kind as to please show us an image of your A-1? Thanks.

 

[asiamiles]

In some of the recent A-1 and pre-war navy jacket posts you can also see a lot of extra-long cuff knits. Very odd looking.

Weren't some jacket cuffs made extra long so they could be folded back? I'm not sure if they were intended to be folded back or if the long cuffs simply offered the wearer the option of folding them back.

 

[Chandler]

Weren't some jacket cuffs made extra long so they could be folded back? I'm not sure if they were intended to be folded back or if the long cuffs simply offered the wearer the option of folding them back.

Don't know. But it doesn't sound very military.

 

[asiamiles]

Don't know. But it doesn't sound very military.

If it was a style commonly found on commercial jackets of the time it's something the makers could easily have carried over to their issued jackets; I don't know if it was ever specified by the military that cuffs had to be a certain length?

 

[B-Man2]

The longer cuffs fit nicely into the gauntlet type gloves that were used by flyers in the early days of flying . The gauntlets would fit farther up the arm over the jacket and keep wind from getting in.

 

[Silver Surfer]

as requested, some pix.

 

[Grant]

Doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for the pics.

 

[zoomer]

Don't know. But it doesn't sound very military.

Many pix of 1920s military fliers look distinctly unmilitary by today's standards.

 

[Chandler]

...by today's standards.

Well, I was even talking the standards of the era. Rolled up sleeves (cuffs)? No, no.

 

[B-Man2]

Nice A-1 Vic !

 

[Silver Surfer]

Thanx, partner. It will be nicer yet when I get, and have stitched on, a 13th pursuit ( post wwl-pre wwll) patch on it