If traced to its very beginnings, the flight jacket was created for practical reasons. In the First World War most airplanes did not even have an enclosed cockpit. While serving in France and Belgium, the Royal Flying Corps pilots had already begun wearing long leather coats in 1915, and the trend caught on. The US Army established the Aviation Clothing Board in September 1917 and began distributing heavy duty leather flight jackets; with high wrap around collars, zipper closures with wind flaps, snug cuffs and waists, and some fringed and lined with fur. Thus, the American flight jacket was born. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

Leslie Irvin first designed and manufactured the classic sheepskin flying jacket. In 1926 he set up a manufacturing company in the United Kingdom, and became the main supplier of flying jackets to the Royal Air Force during most of the Second World War. However the demand during the early years of the war was so great that the Irvin company engaged sub-contractors, which explains the slight variations of design and colour, which can be seen in early production Irvin flying jackets. Leslie Leroy Irvin (10 September 1895 — 9 October 1966) made the first free-fall parachute jump in 1919. ... Sheepskin: slang term for a diploma. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

As aircraft became more advanced, altitudes got higher, speeds got faster, and temperatures got colder. Most heavy bombing raids in Europe during the Second World War took place from altitudes at least 25,000 ft, where it could reach as cold as minus 50 degrees Celsius. Aircraft were not insulated and so the cockpits would get just as cold. Flight jackets were essential.

The two most historical and well-known American flight jackets are the A-2 jacket and the G-1. Although General “Hap” Arnold cancelled the original A-2 after twelve years because he wanted “something better”, the A-2 jacket remains to be the most recognizable and sought after American flight jacket. The G-1, designed by the US Navy to parallel the Air Corps’ A-2, lasted until 1978, where Congress forced its cancellation because its tremendous popularity was overwhelming the Navy’s supply system. Not only were these two jackets useful to the serving men who wore them, but in their popularity became symbols of honor, adventure, and style. Hollywood movies like Top Gun boosted sales of the G-1 tremendously, making these once specialized jackets collector and fashion items. A classic advertisement for an A-2 jacket. ... Henry Hap Arnold Henry Harley Hap Arnold was an aviation pioneer and commander of the United States Army Air Corps (from 1938), commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces (from 1941 until 1945) and the first General of the Air Force (in 1949. ... A classic advertisement for an A-2 jacket. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Type Bicameralism Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D, since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D, since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... ... Top Gun is a 1986 American film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Paramount Pictures. ...

Stylish flight jackets, however, are not limited to the A-2 and G-1. Shearling jackets, originally lined with fur, are recognized for being the warmest ones. Even when the fur was replaced with wool, this coat was warm enough to keep Lt. J. A. MacReady warm when he set a world record in April 1921, reaching an altitude of 40,000 feet in his open cockpit airplane. Styles of shearling jackets range from the B-3, the “bomber jacket”, to the M-445, the Navy’s own Shearling jacket. Also popular in the military were, and still are, synthetic jackets. These jackets first gained esteem after Gen. Hap Arnold rejected the A-2 jacket in 1942. Styles range from the cotton twill B-series and the standardized jacket of the Navy, the CWU-series. Both synthetic and shearling jackets are both worn and collected by army buffs today, but neither has the historical status as the A-2 jacket or the G-1. A classic advertisement for an A-2 jacket. ... A classic advertisement for an A-2 jacket. ...

Today flight jackets are usually associated with the MA-1 a U.S. military jacket, which is mostly found in black or sage green. The military version is made from Nomex, however the normal version is made with flight silk nylon. It usually has an indian orange lining. It has two slanted flap pockets on the front, two inner pockets, and a zipped pocket with pen holders on the left sleeve. The MA-1 bomber jacket (also known as the MA-1 flight jacket)was first developed in the mid 1950s. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... NOMEX® is the brand name of a flame retardant meta-aramid material marketed and first discovered by DuPont in the 1970s. ... Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers first produced on February 28, 1935 by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers research group at DuPont. ...

See also

• Leather jacket