To clear it up for some of the folks in the comment section. I’m a current pilot in the USAF. They issued me a leather A2 jacket. It has hand warmer pockets. It’s the official pilot jacket. Exactly like the one in the video. Case closed
I've been rocking this jacket since 1996 and it just gets better with age. Looks like the day I took it out of the box. It actually took a year or so to break in but it's still a little squeaky in spots. Very well made. This thing is built like a tank. Don't buy a cheap made in Pakistan knockoff. Cockpit USA is worth the $.
I have a couple Cockpit jackets so I'm not pulling a cheap shot, but as the video clearly shows the sleeves are in three pieces not two as stated in the video. There are two piece sleeve A-2's around, such as from U S Wings, Gibson & Barnes, etc. One Cockpit jacket I have has 2 piece sleeves and the other 3 piece. One should just be aware as to what they are buying.
Yeah the WWII version doesn't had this featur but this is a 21th Century version, like it's explained on their website, it's a modern version made related to feedbacks from pilote to make it better.
Exactly! The hand warmer pockets were considered inconsistent with maintaining "military bearing," and so were strictly forbidden for A-2s authorized to be worn with the uniform.
What the heck are the regs for wearing this? Anyone? AFI 36-2903 specifies that anyone with an aeronautical badge (officer or enlisted) may wear it, but even my MSGT is not certain on it. Just don't want to shell out 350 at AAFES just to have them say loadmasters aren't authorized.
You lost me at "hand warmer pockets." That's one of the surest ways to tell a non-authentic, fake A-2 from a period one or authentic reproduction. That takes away most of the value of the jacket, right there. It's worth maybe $75 at best. You can get cheaper ones, for as little as $35 new, which look every bit as good as this one.
First off, the raw sheets of full grain leather alone are worth more than $75. Your ignorance of leather is obvious. Second, A-2 jackets, like most military gear, go through regular revisions. WWII A-2s did not have hand warmer pockets, the most recent revision (known as the A-2 2000) does. This is the current official USAF contract design.
