Flight Jackets

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CaptainRobertRiter

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CaptRobertRiter
I used to buy flight jackets from China and give to my students. Now China is putting out trash jackets made of plastic even though they advertise the original leather jackets. Here is the USA I am having trouble finding real leather flight jackets. They are now the faux leather which is plastic and poly liners. These jackets are deadly in a cockpit fire, and will not last. So, anyone know of a place to get real cow hides? Anyone know of a shop that can make custom flight jackets? Thanks! God Bless!
 
CaptainRobertRiter said:
I used to buy flight jackets from China and give to my students. Now China is putting out trash jackets made of plastic even though they advertise the original leather jackets. Here is the USA I am having trouble finding real leather flight jackets. They are now the faux leather which is plastic and poly liners. These jackets are deadly in a cockpit fire, and will not last. So, anyone know of a place to get real cow hides? Anyone know of a shop that can make custom flight jackets? Thanks! God Bless!
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Depends on what you want to spend. On the high end: https://www.schottnyc.com/store/men/jackets

Slightly less: https://gibson-barnes.com/product-category/apparel/flight-jackets/leather-flight-jackets/
 
My buddy has an 20 year old Southwest leather flight jacket that the standards check airman wear. It is so sharp and he said they are only allowed to wear them if he is in SW full uniform.
Myself have never had the urge to get a nice flight jacket but that could change in the future. So I am watching this thread.
An airport manager was telling us that if you land at every airport that West Virginia will give you one.
 
Mine is a Reed. Genuine leather and is a very warm jacket made in the USA.

reedsportswear.com

Men

Reed Wholesale Imported and Made in USA Leather Jackets, Coats, Accessories, Hides, Skins. Reed Leather motorcycle jackets - Sportswear leather jackets SINCE 1950 Union Made in USA leather sale. American made bomber coats.
reedsportswear.com reedsportswear.com
 
Things might have changed, but San Diego leather used to have great jackets made of real leather.

Check some motorcycle boards. They know the difference between plastic and dead cow.
 
RyanB said:
Mine is a Reed. Genuine leather and is a very warm jacket made in the USA.

reedsportswear.com

Men

Reed Wholesale Imported and Made in USA Leather Jackets, Coats, Accessories, Hides, Skins. Reed Leather motorcycle jackets - Sportswear leather jackets SINCE 1950 Union Made in USA leather sale. American made bomber coats.
reedsportswear.com reedsportswear.com
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Amazing difference in price from the high end suppliers and Cockpit USA. Might have to try one of these since my first leather jacket was stolen.
 
Piperonca said:
Amazing difference in price from the high end suppliers and Cockpit USA. Might have to try one of these since my first leather jacket was stolen.
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You won’t be sorry. This is the one I have I think.

reedsportswear.com

REED Men's American Style Bomber Genuine Leather Jacket - Imported

Reed leather bomber jacket Leather bomber jacket. Men's American style jacket Zip-out lining Durable & Comfort for a great price Publisher: American style bomber real leather jacket by reed.
reedsportswear.com reedsportswear.com
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Go from China to India: https://www.ebay.com/itm/165643714546?hash=item2691227ff2:g:nb4AAOSwRpRjB2xa&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA0HwGnpKxBEBS1s9xnJKSa8dHvwEjvahOCYAwYCKgZzK9KI9e8UZCZqPu+/MCWqTe99bgJaYE0diG9Xjayb3kJ1tZuT95qu/VoCSQ3gkbcElJxEf4sH9VCN0sdrw/ONulDKny+Q99TDpVqLLmCs0gE2TRxxHR/OoQOrT/Iv2SAC4SR4KZDgaxTsHohtvIz4QK0bLYaN0tIhY6CbWzEiLJRommvUewhd2WXSQyRF5NWKQb2En17fua3gAET0+00aBxqFbOWAcj93AoDOxhICY7kHo=|tkp:Bk9SR5b9kKiWYw
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Or to Turkey:

www.etsy.com

PopsLeather - Etsy

Shop ''...60 Years in the Business'' by PopsLeather located in Türkiye. Smooth shipping! Has a history of shipping on time with tracking. Speedy replies! Has a history of replying to messages quickly. Rave reviews! Average review rating is 4.8 or higher
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com

Pop's Leather used to have a web page, but now they just seem to be on Etsy. Bought a leather helmet from them; well-made, came pretty quickly.

Bought my current jacket about twenty years ago... $115, from Sears. Think it was their "Sears Leather Experience" catalog. Wore it proudly, but by last summer it was getting pretty ratty...the zipper was messed up, the pocket liners were ripped out, and the knit cuffs were a bit frayed.

Took it to a local alterations shop, and they made it practically brand new again. Cost was $230, exactly twice what the jacket. The shop was very complimentary about the condition of the leather itself... other than a minor scratch or do, it was nearly perfect. Tag says made in India.

More information on leather flying jackets than you'd EVER want to know, here: http://www.bowersflybaby.com/stories/jackets.html

Ron Wanttaja
 
I've been happy with a horsehide A2 jacket from: flightjacket.com Probably a bit more $$ than you'd want to "give" to your students.
 
I have a 25 year old jacket I purchased new from https://www.uswings.com/
He is a local veteran and built a good business here in Ohio.
Here is a link directly to the made in the USA jackets
www.uswings.com

Jackets Archives - US Wings

Home of the hand-made jackets in the USA U.S. Wings recently added to OTEXA’s Made in U.S.A. Database
www.uswings.com www.uswings.com
 
Jim_CAK said:
I have a 25 year old jacket I purchased new from https://www.uswings.com/
He is a local veteran and built a good business here in Ohio.
Here is a link directly to the made in the USA jackets
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I have a US Wings leather jacket for 15 years. This summer I plan to send it back to have the liner replaced and the leather oiled. I don't care about the cost because it is too good of a jacket.

I also have lost about 50 pounds since I got it so it is a little big for me, but now has room to wear a sweater under it.
 
www.perroneapparel.com

Home - Perrone Apparel

*Please note – jacket production takes approximately 10-12 weeks. Quality Leather since 1893 - Made by Aviators May we introduce ourselves to you? Perrone Leather Apparel has been in the leather business since 1893, spanning four generations, three of which are still working the factory today...
www.perroneapparel.com www.perroneapparel.com


Had one of these issued to me in 2000 at my first airline job. Still going strong. Had the zipper replaced last year. Otherwise all original.
 
Do I need a leather flight jacket to prove I'm a pilot?
I'm the kind of guy that does not bring up being a pilot in every conversation, most people in my life do not know.
 
4RNB said:
Do I need a leather flight jacket to prove I'm a pilot?
I'm the kind of guy that does not bring up being a pilot in every conversation, most people in my life do not know.
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Where do you put all your PORI? (patches of righteous indignation)
 
 
4RNB said:
Do I need a leather flight jacket to prove I'm a pilot?
I'm the kind of guy that does not bring up being a pilot in every conversation, most people in my life do not know.
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Please turn in your certificate. :)
 
Salty said:
Where do you put all your PORI? (patches of righteous indignation)
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I have my school patch on the left side and then the PORI on the right side. The PORI are velcro backing so you can change them as you want see fit. I already have about 20 patches designed, and I am just getting started! Thank you for putting up with me. I have 30 years of righteous indignation to share!
 
aftCG said:
Wait. A cow hide jacket from India?
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I don’t think so! The Cow is more important there than people! Reading the description it is Sheepskin, which I do not think holds up as well as cow leather. Also, the lining is made of Fuax Fur.
Faux fur is described as: Most faux fur is made from polyester and acrylic blended yarn knitted into a fabric backing. I would highly warn against getting a flight jacket with this material guys! The purpose of a flight jacket is mostly to protect you from fire. In the event of a cockpit fire the polyester melts into you skin. I knew of one pilot that this happened too. He survived the cockpit fire, but then passed away due to the infection caused by the polyester in his skin.
 
CaptainRobertRiter said:
Wow! Another friendly guy with fouled plugs! I hope this was a joke??? Sadly, I have noticed that people in aviation are very savage to each other. Why is this our culture?
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It was a joke. That's what the smiley face is there for. You might want to consider recalibration of your offense-o-meter at your next annual.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
www.perroneapparel.com

Home - Perrone Apparel

*Please note – jacket production takes approximately 10-12 weeks. Quality Leather since 1893 - Made by Aviators May we introduce ourselves to you? Perrone Leather Apparel has been in the leather business since 1893, spanning four generations, three of which are still working the factory today...
www.perroneapparel.com www.perroneapparel.com


Had one of these issued to me in 2000 at my first airline job. Still going strong. Had the zipper replaced last year. Otherwise all original.
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Thank you Tarhee!
This one looks the best! The only problem I see is that the lining is made of Nylon. Nylon is any polyester product that will melt into you. I will see if they can make one with a cotton or wool lining.
 
SkyChaser said:
It was a joke. That's what the smiley face is there for. You might want to consider recalibration of your offense-o-meter at your next annual.
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Thank you for the joke! It is really hard to tell the tone on these threads, and I am not good at knowing what all the emoji’s mean. Happy New!
 
4RNB said:
I'm new to that as well. Should I have earned some patches by now?
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I am selling them for $25 each and including the articles that are behind the patch. I hope you guys like them! They are mostly politically incorrect and have a bite to them. Or as Salty says, PORI which is patches of righteous indignation. I am going to ask Salty to be my marketing guy!
 
Jim_CAK said:
I have a 25 year old jacket I purchased new from https://www.uswings.com/
He is a local veteran and built a good business here in Ohio.
Here is a link directly to the made in the USA jackets
www.uswings.com

Jackets Archives - US Wings

Home of the hand-made jackets in the USA U.S. Wings recently added to OTEXA’s Made in U.S.A. Database
www.uswings.com www.uswings.com
Click to expand...
Thank you Jim! This one looks good, but once again has a Poly-Cotton lining. I will contact them to see if we can get them made with just a cotton or wool lining.
 
CaptainRobertRiter said:
I used to buy flight jackets from China and give to my students. Now China is putting out trash jackets made of plastic even though they advertise the original leather jackets. Here is the USA I am having trouble finding real leather flight jackets. They are now the faux leather which is plastic and poly liners. These jackets are deadly in a cockpit fire, and will not last. So, anyone know of a place to get real cow hides? Anyone know of a shop that can make custom flight jackets? Thanks! God Bless!
Click to expand...
Wow. Never heard of that before. Nice touch. I didn’t get nuthin from my CFI. Just had to give him a piece of my shirt.
 
CaptainRobertRiter said:
Thank you Tarhee!
This one looks the best! The only problem I see is that the lining is made of Nylon. Nylon is any polyester product that will melt into you. I will see if they can make one with a cotton or wool lining.
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You should put out a long winded post referencing a new youtube video you put on on this topic. Explore aviation accidents related to inner linings melting into pilots and the excess morbidity/mortality because of it. And how all these airlines are doing it wrong: https://www.perroneapparel.com/airlines/
 
 
"Genuine Leather" does not mean "made from hides." Leather can be pulverized and manufactured into sheets that are technically "leather" but not the kind of hide construction we love. In Bible bindings, it's called "bonded leather." I don't know if jacket makers adhere to any terminology standards or not. Many years and waist sizes ago, my wife bought me a wonderful bomber jacket made out of goatskin. Incredibly light and resilient, I have worn it whenever I could zip it over my belly... hopefully I"ll wear it again soon.

Unfortunately, I don't have the pilots license to go with it... I have a different PPL "Pilot Poseur License"
 
Lawson_Stone said:
"Genuine Leather" does not mean "made from hides." Leather can be pulverized and manufactured into sheets that are technically "leather" but not the kind of hide construction we love. In Bible bindings, it's called "bonded leather." I don't know if jacket makers adhere to any terminology standards or not. Many years and waist sizes ago, my wife bought me a wonderful bomber jacket made out of goatskin. Incredibly light and resilient, I have worn it whenever I could zip it over my belly... hopefully I"ll wear it again soon.

Unfortunately, I don't have the pilots license to go with it... I have a different PPL "Pilot Poseur License"
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Dear Lawson,
What a nice post! It made me laugh as my students who are now becoming Captains are not able to fit into their jackets anymore! I did not know this about about the leather. How has the goatskin leather held up to the years going by?
Thank you for being a part of our community regardless of having a pilots license! Happy New Year!
 
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