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ORIGINAL FLITE WEAR JACKET FROM APOLLO ERA
- Thread starter Jorgeenriqueaguilera
- Start date
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
Hi Adam, a person was selling it in NY. This time 3% search and 97% luck...
917_k
Well-Known Member
Awesome jacket and pretty damn rare.
Does anyone know much about ‘Flite Wear’ by Land Mfg Co? Google doesn’t throw up a huge amount of info about this garment manufacturer, except they made clothing for the space programme; I’ve got a USAF marked N3B made by them and just trying to figure out what the heck it is.
Does anyone know much about ‘Flite Wear’ by Land Mfg Co? Google doesn’t throw up a huge amount of info about this garment manufacturer, except they made clothing for the space programme; I’ve got a USAF marked N3B made by them and just trying to figure out what the heck it is.
DenimCanvasCamo
Member
Mate, such a cool piece. I'm very very jealous!
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I’ll be posting more Flites in a few days!
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
Just a couple more...More? You’re pushing your luck pal!!!
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
Hi
It will be very unlikely to find originals for sale and as far as I know they were only issued to astronauts and NASA test pilots, that’s the reason for its scarcity, but you can buy a repro which is very close to this one at this website:
Flite Wear - Type 2 - NASA Flight Jacket
Now in stock. Luna Replicas brings you our flagship line, "Flight Wear" Type 2 NASA flight jackets. These jackets are built from the ground up using historic examples to recreate the original jackets, exactly as they were made for the Apollo astronauts & crews. All facets match the original...
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Hi fellas. I can tell you a few things about Flite Wear and Land Manufacturing. My name is Joe Land and may I give a shout out to Max of Luna Replicas who manufactures a faithful and authentic reproduction of the NASA flight jackets originally made by my dad, E.H Land of Wichita, Kansas. My father was a professional tailor with a high end men’s store in Wichita during the fifties. The merchant he worked for loaned my father out to help his close friend Freddie Fruhauf who was in the band uniform business. Through a mutual arrangement my dad moonlighted for Fruhauf to manage their sewing production operation for the band uniforms. Fruhauf chose to walk away from the flight suit business and stick with band uniforms. My dad saw this as an opportunity and set up to make flight suits in the basement of our home. Dad worked as a tailor by day and cut out flight suits and jackets at night so my mother and three ladies they hired could sew all day. Thus Land Manufacturing was born in the basement of our home. Here’s the thing. My dad was an expert tailor. He made his own patterns for the jackets and flight suits. And his reputation for quality and fit became known as the business rapidly expanded. It got to the point that dad quit the day job, Hired more sewers and moved the business into a rented building sometime in the late 50’s. By 1960 he was making flight wear for the US government, many foreign governments, and most of the airframe mfgs. Lockheed, Gruman, General Dynamics and others. Dads Flite Wear brand became a favorite with the test pilots Because of the fit and custom tailoring. Dad made many trips to Edwards AFB to measure the pilots for their own custom suits and jackets. Dad was out at Edwards to watch Joe Walker land from one of record setting X-15 flights. They brought dad out there just to take Joe Walker’s measurements for a flight suit. The deal to make the flight suits and Jackets for the Gemini astronauts happened because they were all test pilots who were already flying in garments my dad had made. At its peak in the early 70’s Land manufacturing grew into a 45,000 square foot plant with 300 employees doing government contracting manufacturing a broad line of flight safety products including flight suits, jackets. The plant was sold in 1973. My father passed away in 2016 at the age of 89. He still had a small tailor shop on his property where he tailored and fit suits for all his friends. Even then he still liked to measure his friends and make patterns to sew up custom cowboy shirts for his buddies.
SuinBruin
Well-Known Member
Fantastic info, thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum!
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
Oh my!!! Thanks for sharing that story @Joe Land, gosh I love your fathers’ jackets and flight suits!!! I try to collect them all; Flite wear, Flite Gear, Fruhauf....
Welcome to this forum, I’m sure we will enjoy to hear more of your stories and knowledge.
You are such an addition to this site!
These are some of my Flites and Fruhauf..
NASA
McDonnell Douglas
Northrop
Grumman
Boeing
Fruhauf
Welcome to this forum, I’m sure we will enjoy to hear more of your stories and knowledge.
You are such an addition to this site!
These are some of my Flites and Fruhauf..
NASA
McDonnell Douglas
Northrop
Grumman
Boeing
Fruhauf
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Thank you! I can’t begin to tell you how gratifying it is to discover the appreciation for my dad’s work. It was so long ago. I’m 66 and I was a just a little boy when mom and dad accomplished all that. I remember playing in the factory among the piles of flight suits, the roar of room full of sewing machines running full tilt. I met the Blue Angels when they came in for custom fittings. They and the astronauts were my heroes. I remember how upset dad was when Joe Walker was killed. I owe a lot to Max at Luna Replicas for turning me onto the following that is out there for Flite Wear. I had no idea. Max sent ne one if his reproductions. I grew up in that factory and trust me. It’s the real deal.
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
Joe
Welcome to the forum . Your back story with the history of your dads hard work ethic and your moms support to his business accomplishments is heart warming . Yes we all like and collect flight jackets here but as you can see , the history of the jacket and the people who inspired and made them is as significant to us as the jacket or piece of clothing is itself . Please consider sticking around for a while as we enjoy talking to people like yourself and hearing stories from your youth and about your dad and his business . Question ? Do you have any photos of your dads business , his production facilities. your dad , or an original jacket or flight suit that he made.and you would care to share with us? We absolutely love to see and learn about stuff like this.
Cheers
PS... I also notice that you have a Purple Heart with an Oakleaf Cluster . Thank you for your service.
Welcome to the forum . Your back story with the history of your dads hard work ethic and your moms support to his business accomplishments is heart warming . Yes we all like and collect flight jackets here but as you can see , the history of the jacket and the people who inspired and made them is as significant to us as the jacket or piece of clothing is itself . Please consider sticking around for a while as we enjoy talking to people like yourself and hearing stories from your youth and about your dad and his business . Question ? Do you have any photos of your dads business , his production facilities. your dad , or an original jacket or flight suit that he made.and you would care to share with us? We absolutely love to see and learn about stuff like this.
Cheers
PS... I also notice that you have a Purple Heart with an Oakleaf Cluster . Thank you for your service.
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I'm glad to share and answer questions as best I can and I'll dig around for some photos.
Jorgeenriqueaguilera
Well-Known Member
“The Flight Suit Man”..... simply, WOW!
