RAF Leather Flying Jacket
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RAF Leather Flying Jacket
Anybody know where I can source a genuine RAF Leather Flying Jacket? I'm looking for the current 'fast jet' type, not the WWII Irvin. I recall some while back seeing a picture in a brochure of Gulf War RAF Tornado crew Peters & Nichol wearing such, but can't recall the supplier's name in whose brochure I saw the picture.
Any help appreciated!
Abe
Any help appreciated!
Abe
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Pilot Officer PPRuNe
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Me as well Mr B, had it about 11 years... copied from the one Dan Winterland took out. Took 22 hours to make and is still in great condition... took 16 weeks to get a badge made in the UK
typical.
Tonks (enjoying Crete
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typical.Tonks (enjoying Crete
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As previously said, 'POPS LEATHER' are still making them for $160. If you can get your measurements to them they will make up, including leather flight badge with wings and name, in around a week. The boys from Bzz will collect as they are staging through weekly with the beast from boeing.
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Thank you all for posting the details.
I'm certain that Aviation Leathercraft was the brochure I recalled, however the Pops Leather product is more along the lines of what I was looking for.
Thanks again.
Abe
ps Thanks for your offer winkle, if I weren't a 44"L recon I'd have taken you up on it!
I'm certain that Aviation Leathercraft was the brochure I recalled, however the Pops Leather product is more along the lines of what I was looking for.
Thanks again.
Abe
ps Thanks for your offer winkle, if I weren't a 44"L recon I'd have taken you up on it!
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if Chuck Ellsworth reads this thread .....
looking at one of the links above I spotted something perfect for flying a Catalina across the North Atlantic ....
(with a matching jacket of course ....
)
looking at one of the links above I spotted something perfect for flying a Catalina across the North Atlantic ....
(with a matching jacket of course ....
)
The 'official' RAF jacket isn't shown in the Aviation Leathercraft catalogue as it isn't available to the general public - you have to contact them directly.
Pop's copies are hopefully better now than they once were - they were getting progressively better every time someone bought one. But some details such as the correct colour were never quite right (you can tell a Pop's copy a mile off due to the pen pocket and epaulettes)......
If you get a jacket from Pop's, get them to use something other than the nasty polyester material they normally use for the lining. I had the lining in another jacket changed when I was in Incirlik some years ago and it made all the difference to the warmth/comfort of the jacket.
Pop's copies are hopefully better now than they once were - they were getting progressively better every time someone bought one. But some details such as the correct colour were never quite right (you can tell a Pop's copy a mile off due to the pen pocket and epaulettes)......
If you get a jacket from Pop's, get them to use something other than the nasty polyester material they normally use for the lining. I had the lining in another jacket changed when I was in Incirlik some years ago and it made all the difference to the warmth/comfort of the jacket.
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The nearest thing to the 'official' RAF jacket, which as Beags correctly points out isn't supplied by Aviation Leathercraft to those without the necessary credentials, is to purchase one of their "Jacket Type 89903 Fleet Air Arm Harrier" styles and have them:
The end result is:
- Swap the "left hand sleeve combination pen pocket with zip close pouch" for a "left hand sleeve pencil pocket with velcro secured flap". (See Red Arrows Team & Type 2502 RAF Tornado jacket styles for velcro secured pencil/pen pocket).
- Add velcro secured epaulettes. (See Aviation Aircrew & Type 2502 RAF Tornado jacket styles).
The end result is:
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Have you tried Radford Leathers?
Radford Leathers in Coventry have a fab service and can usually deliver within a few days.
I ordered one and it was excellent. Was delivered next day after a phone call to confirm a few details. I was surprised, but most of their jackets are from stock, which is very unusual.
Quality and service was excellent and they have Replica Jackets that make the originals look inferior!! I absolutley love mine.
I ordered one and it was excellent. Was delivered next day after a phone call to confirm a few details. I was surprised, but most of their jackets are from stock, which is very unusual.
Quality and service was excellent and they have Replica Jackets that make the originals look inferior!! I absolutley love mine.
Now here's a question. With the new RAF policy on wearing blues, and the inability to wear the RAF Approved Jacket when flying, the opportunity to wear this item of clothing is less than ever. Do you think we should be afforded the option to wear the RAF Approved Jacket with No2s? It is certainly smarter than the nasty cloth General Purpose Jacket (GPJ)!!!
A further option; with the jacket pictured above there is a jacket that the non-brevet wearing personnel could also wear - if they wanted to?
Anyone else got thoughts on this?
Why do I ask - I hate the GPJ, the issue rain-mac really does make me look like an RAC man (the nasty reflective strip doesn't help!) and the Greatcoat is too camp now that John Barryman wears one!
The B Word
A further option; with the jacket pictured above there is a jacket that the non-brevet wearing personnel could also wear - if they wanted to?
Anyone else got thoughts on this?
Why do I ask - I hate the GPJ, the issue rain-mac really does make me look like an RAC man (the nasty reflective strip doesn't help!) and the Greatcoat is too camp now that John Barryman wears one!
The B Word
and the inability to wear the RAF Approved Jacket when flying,
Simply to look cool perhaps?
Some of us don't have the big boy moustaches and smoking pipes to pull the nurses, so a leather jacket and ray bans is our last chance.
Some of us don't have the big boy moustaches and smoking pipes to pull the nurses, so a leather jacket and ray bans is our last chance.
For FJ jocks to stand around in at air shows looking steely-eyed perhaps? Not that I can believe they'd ever wish to do that, nor need a leather jacket to achieve the effect.
Au Contraire, I have seen plenty of 101, 10 and 216 aircrew wearing these (in fact some had brevet badges made up in Sqn colours). Also there is more than a fair share on some of the ISTAR types.
But back to the question. Do you think we should ask to wear them with No2 Blues. I've seen plenty doing it (including the old CINC and a couple of 1 stars). Simple answer of "yes", "no" or "maybe" will suffice and don't forget to think whether you might want to in future when the dreaded ground tour comes along!
The B Word
Do you think we should ask to wear them with No2 Blues. I've seen plenty doing it (including the old CINC and a couple of 1 stars).
Has a bit of the Erich Hartmann about it!