A British vintage classic, and all-round wonderful jacket. Developed in the late 60s to replace the draughty 1951 pattern parka, the Mk3 jacket would come with a matching pair of trousers, and were specifically designed for the Vulcan, Lightning and other jets of the age. Made of a windproof cotton gaberdine outer layer, mesh insulation and a ventile lining layer, these jackets are surprisingly warm and very light. So many details on these from the newey zips, to the hidden hood, tape buttons and intact 'fork' that fits under the crotch to stop the jacket riding up whilst in flight.
This is from an earlier contract, delivered in 1980, but most notably on this are the patches. It's very unusual to find these patched, especially this early. This is actually a Fleet Air Arm jacket, with patches belonging to 737 Naval Air Squadron and HMS Antrim. But most unusually, this belonged to a US Navy Pilot. Commander Patrick Cosgrove (1949 - 200@ was an exchange pilot with the FAA in the early 80s, flying with many of the crews that deployed to the Falklands. Whether he deployed there or not I'm not sure, but certainly it's in the right time frame, and both HMS Antrim and 737 NAS featured prominently in the conflict. Thus the reason why the stars & stripes are on the sleeve!
Condition
This is in amazing condition, most of these I've ever seen are battered, and this looks hardly used. The colour is still the strong forest green, and the labels are bright white!
Size
- Tagged a size 3
- Fits a modern medium/short
- Pit to pit 22"
- Shoulder to shoulder 18"
- Shoulder to cuff 22"
- Collar to hem 22"