CockPitUSA USAF 21st Century A-2 Jacket

[Doctor Death]

So I finally got an A-2 jacket and I'm now an official member of the A-2 owner's club! Got it from legendaryusa when they were doing their Black Friday sale last Thanksgiving. https://legendaryusa.com/collection...kpit-usa-mens-usaf-goatskin-a-2-flight-jacket

Seems CockpitUSA ran out of stock and took forever to make more but got it recently. https://cockpitusa.com/products/u-s-a-f-21st-century-a-2-jacket

Glad I ordered through legendary because, although it took quite awhile, I like that I saved a lot. (Because I'm a cheapskate.) I think I paid something like $472 inclusive of shipping, if memory serves. I don't think cockpit does many sales, although they did one recently for winter clearance, but only for in-stock items. So I wouldn't have been able to get this jacket from them, since cockpit's been out of stock for awhile now.

Got mine in black. This jacket looks very sharp and versatile and is also very comfortable. It will serve for casual or even business casual or for a semi-formal dinner or night out. (I'm sure the vintage crowd would point out that it's not the same as the classic old jackets, but I don't care about historical authenticity.) The goatskin is thin, compared to most of my other leather jackets, but it's still a very warm jacket. Must be because of the elastic cuffs on the wrists and waistband. And also due to the quality of the leather. There are a couple of armpit airholes on each side, which is definitely a good thing because it's such a warm jacket. The brass zip is rather small, like the classic A-2. Just have to be extra careful when zipping up.

Some time ago, I asked cockpitusa what material they use for the elastic, and I forgot exactly what material it is, maybe acrylic, but I believe they said it's artificial, definitely not wool. Which sealed the deal for me because I don't want wool in my closet. (It attracts pesky wool eating moths. )

This jacket definitely runs big. Use cockpitusa's fitting system for the correct fit. I'm 5'9", about 158 lbs, with a 38 inch chest, 32 inch waist. I usually get size 40 for most of my leather jackets, but this jacket I got in only size 36 and the fit is absolutely perfect. I can wear it with just a t-shirt underneath or layered with a t-shirt plus a shirt with decent thickness.

Have worn it a couple of times already. So far, no one has asked "where's your fighter plane?"

 

[Doctor Death]

I found that email from cockpitusa from last year. They said the cuffs and waistband are made out of a "synthetic blend" - "poly, spandex, nylon, acrylic". They said the elastic is designed to last and not stretch out over time.

That was good enough for me. I was concerned about wool attracting moths which lay eggs. And you could get those creepy tiny worms on your clothes. I dare you to try and eat synthetic blend, you creeping crawling maggots!

 

[jacketjunkie]

I own a Goatskin A-2 by Cockpit. It is indeed oversized but it did see its fair share of wear. It‘s collecting dust now, but not because it had any flaws, it‘s just that I like others better.