Admiral Byrd from Aero

[John Lever]

There's a Youtube US army vid. of incendiary rounds easy piercing 3/4 [18] mm manhole covers. Apparently they can take out APC 's.
Wonder how much they cost £10 k ?

 

[handworn]

I second the salute to Amanda; she's most helpful & professional. What did the Admiral Byrd jacket set you back? It's a great-looking jacket that they ought to add to their line. And is there a photo online of the man himself wearing the original?

Hello All,

Here are more detailed photos of the Admiral Byrd Jacket that Aero built for
Me. I had two modifications made after I got back home. I had two inside
breast pockets added, and I had the belt loops changed. The original loops
allowed the belt to droop in back and I kept getting hung up with it. The
new ones lay flat and there are two extra that help it stay close to the body.
I would really like to have one in seal brown goatskin also. I would have it
made with zippered cuffs and longer sleeves- mine ride up on my arms a bit
when motorcycling. I want to mention a lady at Aero named Amanda. She
was very patient, helpful, and went out of her way for me.

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

BladeSmith:

I think you just demostrated how to properly break-in a leather jacket. Wow, that jacket looks great!! I really like the styling as well. Thanks for sharing your pictures and congratulations on a stellar Aero jacket.

Regards,

Noel

 

[John in Covina]

Welcome to the Lounge

Hi Fuad,

I just wanted to say that your Aero jacket is a great looking and very functional piece of grand adventurer outerwear. You have the panache of the Gentleman Adventurer of the teens and twenties. (1910-1929ish)

Please be sure to give us the details of the TV program so we can watch it when it comes on cable / satellite TV.

For those interested in the machine gun, the MG42 is an awesome machine gun and to hear it being fired helps reveal the nickname it had "Hitler's Zipper!" The style of bolt and how it fires gives it an different sound, as the burst gets longer the cyclic rate climbs quickly and it sounds like a zipper being unzipped in a way. Many machine guns have a rate reducer, this one doesn't.

 

[MK]

.

Do you have a concealment holster for that thing?

 

[Erik]

What a great looking coat. :eusa_clap

 

[BigSleep]

Been a while since we've seen this coat.
How does it look with some age on it?

 

[1911 Man]

I've been wondering the same thing, but it seems that Bladesmith posted this thread, and hasn't been back since [huh]

Did we offend?

 

[Milu]

That's the jacket Indiana Jones should have worn!

 

[dhermann1]

Blade Smith, you have just made a certain segment of the Fedora Lounge membership TOTALLY CRAZY with interest and curiosity over the artifacts you have dangled before our eyes.
I agree that Aero should add the jacket to their line, and I think they should include a full scale replica of a Ford Trimotor with it. The jacket just makes you automatically assume a Trimotor must be nearby.

 

[carter]

I've been wondering the same thing, but it seems that Bladesmith posted this thread, and hasn't been back since [huh]

Did we offend?

Maybe he just got busy. He does some beautiful work as a bladesmith. You may be able to contact him via his homepage.

 

[Lear]

Fantastic Jacket

I'd love to know how much it was to have that Admiral Byrd jacket made up.

I wonder how much more than the standard Aero offerings, given that many of my 'extras', added only a fraction to the overall jacket price.

Let's hope that Aero kept the details & template.

Well, I do hope that BladeSmith returns to reveal the cost.


Edit: Got that wrong; there was NO increase in price, even though I had a list of non-standard 'extra' requirements.

 

[Milu]

I was thinking the same. I've written to ask Amanda at Aero about the Byrd.

 

[Milu]

I've just heard back from Amanda. £450. I've just found my Xmas present to myself.

 

[Lear]

Thanks Milu

I've just heard back from Amanda. £450. I've just found my Xmas present to myself.

A big thanks (from many of us I would imagine) for finding that out. I was going to email Amanda to ask the same.

It's pretty late in the year now. Considering the time to build an Aero, I'll probably wait until next summer before placing the order.

Keep us informed regarding what Amanda had to say about sizing & fit, compared to other Aero jackets. Please do post pics as soon as it arrives.

It'll be funny if Blademith is totally unaware of the interest he's caused.

Lear

 

[rgraham]

Here's a jacket I found while searching for Admiral Byrd's leather jacket. Good for reference if nothing else.

It was posted 19 months ago, so it may not be for sale anymore.

Here's the link that has more pictures. http://www.stylehive.com/bookmark/M...rica-Pony-Horsehide-Leather-JacketCoat-135041

 

[BladeSmith]

Sorry Fellows

Sorry Fellows,

I have been very busy, and have been remiss in keeping current with you. I am very happy that others are seeking to have Aero reproduce the Byrd Jacket. Alas the History Channel pilot never took to the air. It was quite a disappointment, but it helped to focus my attention on other more important things. I have been producing more work in my shop, and preparing myself for the daunting task of attaining my Master Smith's ranking. In a few months I will stand before a Master Smith and destruction test a beautiful Damascus steel knife of my own making. This is called the performance test and here is a link to see what that entails http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ABS_MSTest.htm. I have done more television work and will let you all know where that leads. I concur in the opinion that Indy should have worn this jacket instead, but there are many things that Dr. Jones has done as-of-late that I take issue with.

Here is the spiffiest thing to emerge from my smithy recently.

I have busied myself this past weekend by refurbishing my old campaign hat.

Cheers,
Fuad Accawi

 

[carter]

Glad to see you're back, Bladesmith. Sharaf Acca is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Good luck on obtaining your Master Smith ranking and in your other endeavors. Your posts are inevitably interesting and leave us wanting more.

 

[BladeSmith]

Glad to see you're back, Bladesmith. Sharaf Acca is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Good luck on obtaining your Master Smith ranking and in your other endeavors. Your posts are inevitably interesting and leave us wanting more.

Many Thanks Carter,

I very sincerely appreciate your interest and encouragement.

Cheers,
Fuad

 

[Story]

Neat silent video of a 1926 Fordson tractor 'snowmobile'
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=568_1233111054

Apparently used on Admiral Byrd's second expedition,
https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/35732/1/PolarEpubs_YoungsNarrativeAcct.pdf

they were converted to winter use by adding screw propulsion via large cylinders. The result was a "snowmobile" - dubbed the Snow Motor or Snow Devil. The 11-minute (silent) video shows impressive performance, and not just "for its time." The last portion of the video shows the screw propulsion mounted on an automobile rather than a tractor.

He's all set to visit the Mountains of Madness.