I hear the holy grail of flight jackets thrown around a bit, but honestly this is a strong contender. And if not the holy grail, then definitely the Cadillac. When the Air Force became its own service branch in 1947 they wanted to distinguish themselves from their Army cousins, and chose to change to an all blue uniform. This included the new nylon flight jackets that had recently been introduced... A true classic was born with the beautiful L-2A.
Tried and tested in the air above the Yalu River as well as the bars in Seoul, the L-2A was not only comfortable in the cockpit, but stylish on the ground and well liked by pilots... Until they realised that blue wasn't the most inconspicuous colour for escaping when shot down in snowy Korean mountains, and the now classic sage green was introduced in 1955.
Condition
Used but solid. The shell itself is light faded to a beautiful blue with some variation across the jacket. The original conmar zippers both work perfectly. The knits are a little salty witth moth damage and light repairs. Long term they could be replaced but I'm not sure it quite needs it.
Sizing:
- Tagged Size 38
- Fits a modern medium/large
- Pit to pit 23"
- Shoulder to shoulder 19"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 24"