The A-2

You've seen it on Steve McQueen, Gregory Peck, John Wayne and maybe you're father or grandfather. The A-2 flight jacket.

Adopted by the Army Air Corps in 1930, it was phased out in the 1970's. It was reintroduced to the military in 1988 and is still issued to airmen.

I bought an A-2 flight jacket when I learned to fly. It was part affectation (I don't know a pilot who doesn't have one) and part practicality. It's cold at altitude in the unheated cockpit of a small airplane.

Originally, A-2's were made from horsehide, but now they are made from goatskin. If you purchase a real one like this and care for it well, it will literally last a lifetime. The best place to buy is from a U.S. government contractor that supplies flight jackets to the USAF and the US Navy like Gibson and Barnes.

You can purchase a "civilian" A-2 that will include side hand warmer pockets, but the traditional model doesn't have them.

This jacket gets better and better with age and you'll never want to give it up.