Club Obi Wan

Not kidding, it was a raiders style (as in FS raiders)..it may have had flap pockets but I was focused on the ragland sleeves and waistband.. Maybe we can start our own trend

Kinda sounds like an A-2 to me, and that's what I started out with. No problem here! Sign me up!! Regards! Michaelson

I think a cool jacket that is very Indyesque is the Navy G-8 open cockpit jacket from the 30's. Avirex does a reproduction of it - it has side pull tabs and a bi-swing back, zippered sleeves. It's a pretty cool looking jacket. I think you can see it on the US WIngs Avirex page - I am sure this was the style coat that inspired the Indy design.

Here is the link;

http://www.uswings.com/avirex2.asp

Regards,
Swindiana

Yeah, I plan to own an A2 at some point in the future.

It's Indy - Tom Selleck style!

Are we expecting to see the facial hair to go with it, Al?

Oh, will suit you! Oh!

Regards,
Swindiana

Ob1al, PI.

I was looking at the avirex page posted and noticed that they have a raiders jacket as well..the short one with the zip pocets. This was the leather jacket that I purchased and owned for about 6 months..I had more problems with stitching coming out and had it repaired so many times that the retailer finally got tired of sending it back and just gave me a store credit...too bad, I loved that jacket...but it left a bad taste in my mouth towards avirex. I am seriously looking at the FS raiders as it looks like the same jacket, but in cow...I think it may be heavy but it certainly has the look...they are making one up for me as I type this, not sure when it will be done....

For some reason Avirex has gone downhill in their quality control. My very first jacket was/is an A-2 by them, but under an early 1970's military contract, and it's STILL in solid wearable shape, and it's really taken a beating, as for many years it was the ONLY jacket I owned. The last Avirex I saw was just a shadow of what they used to make, and that's sad.

Regards! Michaelson

nicktheguy wrote:I think a cool jacket that is very Indyesque is the Navy G-8 open cockpit jacket from the 30's. Avirex does a reproduction of it - it has side pull tabs and a bi-swing back, zippered sleeves. It's a pretty cool looking jacket. I think you can see it on the US WIngs Avirex page - I am sure this was the style coat that inspired the Indy design.

Swindiana wrote:Here is the link;

http://www.uswings.com/avirex2.asp

Regards,
Swindiana

Wow! That most certainly looks Indyesque, closer than any real life jacket I've seen from that era. I did not know about the G-8.

Looks like it would make a great bike jacket too.

I think the G-8 is a pretty cool looking Indyesque jacket. I actually had one many years ago when Banana Republic was a cool store. I still have the jacket - it varies from the Avirex one in that the cargo buttons have hidden snaps instead of exposed buttons. I just wish I hadn't grown out of it - the jacket still looks brand new. If only my arms hadn't grown......amongst other things....

Reference the Avirex G-8...it Does have the under arms gussets...but I think it does NOT have a bi-swing back. Also, I seem to recall seeing in a catalkogue that the back has a seam down the middle. I've never seen one in person...just in a catalogue. I could be very wrong.

ob1al wrote:Yeah, I plan to own an A2 at some point in the future.

It's Indy - Tom Selleck style!

Roger That, Michaelson--- My under USAF contract Avirex cowhide A-2 is a tank and a half! Love it (over 20 years old)...but another big
"roger" on Avirex quality becoming strange...for example the G-8 has a two peice back, not one piece goat skin as original specs called for...and some of their stuff (especially when you see the S, M, L sizes instead of numbers, 38, 40, 42 etc) now seem to be made in Korea.

Still, my A-2 has taken more punishment across China than you can believe and it is still ticking.

These older A-2s were part of a batch that Avirex used to compete for the big USAF contract but which they lost to Cooper...personally, I think the Avirax would have been better for the USAF than the Cooper. The Avirex had the real look of the original (1931 first issue year). The Coopers always looked like repros.

When I was serving in the Pentagon, I could look at the USAF officers in their A-2s and know from 2 corridors away who got stuck with a Cooper and who lucked out with the Avirex proto type.

If you think folks on this forum are picky, be advised that it took the Chief of Staff of the USAF to actually make the decision between the Avirex and the Cooper (He chose, poorly). Then again, this was the same time when the Air Force expereimeted with the "Airline Pilot" blues uniform. Us Army guys used to give them a hard time (good naturedly).

Best regards to all USAF out there! Cheers--Feng (US Army, Retired)

my dad was in the air force in Korea. He hated the airline pilot unis when they were proposed--"they'd have never put that @#$% on us in the 1950s."

Many thanks to your Dad for his service to the Nation!

Lao Feng wrote:Reference the Avirex G-8...it Does have the under arms gussets...but I think it does NOT have a bi-swing back. Also, I seem to recall seeing in a catalkogue that the back has a seam down the middle. I've never seen one in person...just in a catalogue. I could be very wrong.

No Bi-swing back. Here is the back of the jacket:

http://www.uswings.com/g-8.asp

nicktheguy wrote:I think the G-8 is a pretty cool looking Indyesque jacket. I actually had one many years ago when Banana Republic was a cool store. I still have the jacket - it varies from the Avirex one in that the cargo buttons have hidden snaps instead of exposed buttons. I just wish I hadn't grown out of it - the jacket still looks brand new. If only my arms hadn't grown......amongst other things....

Nick,

What size is your G-8? I may be interested in it if you are willing to part with it.

US Authentic also makes a G-8...

http://www.flightjacket.com/detail.aspx?ID=8

this company is known for it's high quality A-2s. I have one and it's a VERY good jacket.

Do you think this is the jacket that was the inspiration for the Indy jacket? Sure looks similiar.

No, it wasn't, according to all research done to date, and the designer of the jacket. Regards! Michaelson