RAF Leather Flying Jacket
Inhaling their armpit aroma?
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
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They come in handy for briefings, you could stick it at the back of the room and then slope off..
From my book RAF Helicopters The First 20 Years inside cover Flt Lt J H Martin in the classic Irwin with his Belvedere crew that lifted the Sculpture atop the Coventry Cathedral in 1962.
When 25 Sqn reformed at Leeming as an F3 Sqn, their Boss, Mick Martin, wanted the Sqn to have an 'identity'. Aviation Leathercraft supplied the 25 Sqn Tornado Jacket to those guys on the Sqn at a discounted rate and the 'identity' was born.....
The Staish at Valley got to hear about said jackets being worn with uniform and banned them for the Sqn MPC at STCAAME roundabout 1990. He didn't want his impressionable young students being misled. Well those cheeky chappies of 25 Sqn did take their jackets to Valley but never wore them. The Det photo though was just of jackets on hangers, hooked over the 'Winder' rail with each owners name on the photo but with the title 'No Jacket Allowed' (required, gettit?). Don't know if the photo ever got to STCAAMEs corridor wall but it certainly didn't hurt anyones career-the Qwip achieved Air Rank and is now a Director Of Something Important with the CAA!
The Staish at Valley got to hear about said jackets being worn with uniform and banned them for the Sqn MPC at STCAAME roundabout 1990. He didn't want his impressionable young students being misled. Well those cheeky chappies of 25 Sqn did take their jackets to Valley but never wore them. The Det photo though was just of jackets on hangers, hooked over the 'Winder' rail with each owners name on the photo but with the title 'No Jacket Allowed' (required, gettit?). Don't know if the photo ever got to STCAAMEs corridor wall but it certainly didn't hurt anyones career-the Qwip achieved Air Rank and is now a Director Of Something Important with the CAA!
My 2502 25 sqn Tornado jacket is still in good nick a decade after I purchased it and perhaps todays 25 Sqn instructors should ask Manning & standards if Aviation Leathercraft should reissue this but take out the silhoutte of the F3 from the label.
I wore mine a month ago when flying in the AW149 NMH at Yeovil a month ago,
Cheers
There is already an approved pattern leather flying jacket that can be worn with No 2 Dress (“blues”) and No 14 Dress (“flying suit” or 1-piece FACS). If there are enough of you that show an interest on a Squadron then Aviation Leathercraft will do a bespoke lining colour and badge if you want it.
It is very similar to the 25 Sqn or what became the Tornado F3 leather jacket (mine has a V Sqn label in the very same). I also have one of the MOD Approved ones as above - I’ve had it since 1995 and it’s still going strong (once a month rubbed over with midnight blue boot polish). I even had the lining replaced after 20 years by Aviation Leathercraft. They aren’t cheap, but if I think about the 26 years of wear I have had from it, then it works out about £12/year so far - and I fully expect it to be £6/year or less at the rate it’s going!
https://www.flying-jacket.com/jacket...attern-jacket/
It is an MOD Pattern and so there are other suppliers. Pop’s Leather in Turkey do their own, with some extra utility items like a gun stowage and linings. https://www.instagram.com/popsleather/?hl=en
However, unless you are Turkey, then you may as well get the UK manufactured version which is of better quality. By the time you have paid for shipping from Turkey (and any customs duty) then the prices are pretty similar.
It is very similar to the 25 Sqn or what became the Tornado F3 leather jacket (mine has a V Sqn label in the very same). I also have one of the MOD Approved ones as above - I’ve had it since 1995 and it’s still going strong (once a month rubbed over with midnight blue boot polish). I even had the lining replaced after 20 years by Aviation Leathercraft. They aren’t cheap, but if I think about the 26 years of wear I have had from it, then it works out about £12/year so far - and I fully expect it to be £6/year or less at the rate it’s going!
https://www.flying-jacket.com/jacket...attern-jacket/
It is an MOD Pattern and so there are other suppliers. Pop’s Leather in Turkey do their own, with some extra utility items like a gun stowage and linings. https://www.instagram.com/popsleather/?hl=en
However, unless you are Turkey, then you may as well get the UK manufactured version which is of better quality. By the time you have paid for shipping from Turkey (and any customs duty) then the prices are pretty similar.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,915
Received 2,839 Likes
on
1,212 Posts
Be great to see the photo please
My 2502 25 sqn Tornado jacket is still in good nick a decade after I purchased it and perhaps todays 25 Sqn instructors should ask Manning & standards if Aviation Leathercraft should reissue this but take out the silhoutte of the F3 from the label.
I wore mine a month ago when flying in the AW149 NMH at Yeovil a month ago,
Cheers
My 2502 25 sqn Tornado jacket is still in good nick a decade after I purchased it and perhaps todays 25 Sqn instructors should ask Manning & standards if Aviation Leathercraft should reissue this but take out the silhoutte of the F3 from the label.
I wore mine a month ago when flying in the AW149 NMH at Yeovil a month ago,
Cheers
want a spare?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234100819...8AAOSw3w5gxc8T
There is already an approved pattern leather flying jacket that can be worn with No 2 Dress (“blues”) and No 14 Dress (“flying suit” or 1-piece FACS). If there are enough of you that show an interest on a Squadron then Aviation Leathercraft will do a bespoke lining colour and badge if you want it.
It is very similar to the 25 Sqn or what became the Tornado F3 leather jacket (mine has a V Sqn label in the very same). I also have one of the MOD Approved ones as above - I’ve had it since 1995 and it’s still going strong (once a month rubbed over with midnight blue boot polish). I even had the lining replaced after 20 years by Aviation Leathercraft. They aren’t cheap, but if I think about the 26 years of wear I have had from it, then it works out about £12/year so far - and I fully expect it to be £6/year or less at the rate it’s going!
https://www.flying-jacket.com/jacket...attern-jacket/
It is an MOD Pattern and so there are other suppliers. Pop’s Leather in Turkey do their own, with some extra utility items like a gun stowage and linings. https://www.instagram.com/popsleather/?hl=en
However, unless you are Turkey, then you may as well get the UK manufactured version which is of better quality. By the time you have paid for shipping from Turkey (and any customs duty) then the prices are pretty similar.
It is very similar to the 25 Sqn or what became the Tornado F3 leather jacket (mine has a V Sqn label in the very same). I also have one of the MOD Approved ones as above - I’ve had it since 1995 and it’s still going strong (once a month rubbed over with midnight blue boot polish). I even had the lining replaced after 20 years by Aviation Leathercraft. They aren’t cheap, but if I think about the 26 years of wear I have had from it, then it works out about £12/year so far - and I fully expect it to be £6/year or less at the rate it’s going!
https://www.flying-jacket.com/jacket...attern-jacket/
It is an MOD Pattern and so there are other suppliers. Pop’s Leather in Turkey do their own, with some extra utility items like a gun stowage and linings. https://www.instagram.com/popsleather/?hl=en
However, unless you are Turkey, then you may as well get the UK manufactured version which is of better quality. By the time you have paid for shipping from Turkey (and any customs duty) then the prices are pretty similar.
cheers
