Found: Schott A-2 Style Flight Jacket, IS-674-MS

[Weston]

Well all, I've been chasing the A-2 thing for awhile. Bought and sold one replica (US Authentic) for a couple hundred, had an Indiana Jones jacket, sold it, etc. Walked into a flea market on Friday afternoon....there it was. A beautiful Schott leather jacket no tag (no tag items can't be sold). I snatched it in a second, tried it on and looked for a mirror. Size said 42 - a little big. I tried it on - perfect fit! I couldn't believe it. This jacket had seen some action - knits in perfect shape, but leather that felt like it could stop bullets! Some wear here and there and sleeves that looked like they'd been creased and worn with love and care for many years. The owner offers to hold it for me, and I accepted. I decided to head back to see if I could snag the tag, if it fell off.

I dig around under some pillows - and there it was - all of $25. I take it to the register, and the booth is on sale too – got it for $17! This won't be the end of the road for my A-2 love, but man, even though its got handwarmer pockets, and buttons on the epaulets, it's got what NO other jacket I've bought or seen in the last few years has: it just feels DAMN MANLY. This is a jacket that could be worn in a bar fight, on a bike, you name it. I wear this baby around and it feels like it could jump off me and kick the other coats kiesters by itself.

Repro's have got nothing on this bad boy. And at $17, what a steal! (And pictures will be forthcoming if I can summon a decent haircut soon)

 

[Sertsa]

Wow. Congrats. This is exactly the kind of story I occasionally hear but never have had happen. I'm wondering about the US Authentic's apparent lack of manliness (comparatively anyway), but that might derail this thread.

I was flight jacket shopping at the US Wings retail store yesterday and the Schott's were very nice, and now that I think about it, pretty damn manly, too.

 

[Fletch]

The lowest priced US-A A-2 is about $300. This means you'd have to wear it in twelve bar fights before it was as manly as Weston's Schott.

 

[Sertsa]

Fletch. Cool analogy, but Weston has the manly Schott. I just looked at some (along with some US Wings, Cockpits and other brands they have in the store).

 

[Weston]

I had to get mine pre-bar fought in, if that's a phrase. A Nazarene minister doesn't have too much occasion for bars (or hopefully fights) so glad I got those in early. LOL...how would I ever get it looking this great without someone to help me along? Pics forthcoming if wifey will cut my hair today. Gonna wait till after service tonight in case the clippers slip LOL

 

[dr greg]

and????

still waiting for the picture of this marvellous find!

 

[Edward]

Good score! They may not be the most accurate of WW2 era replicas (and in any case, I don't think that's what they're shooting for), but as you'll have discovered those Schott jackets are superb quality and they do look good on their own terms. I don't know about US pricing, but over here in the UK a new Schott (the quasi A2 / G1 hybrid type, with the clip on fluffy collar and the zip out pile lining) goes for GBP300-350 that I've seen (that's USD600-700), while used but in excellent shape on eBay UK the Schott brand can command around GBP100 (USD200).

 

[Doctor Strange]

I had one of these through much of the 80s, and it was a very warm, tough, functional jacket: my standard outerwear through several NYC winters.

The fact that it's a mish-mosh of A-2 and G-1 details that doesn't aspire to be an "accurate" flight jacket shouldn't detract from your pleasure in wearing it! These Schotts are great military-inspired civilian jackets, period.

The only long-term issue I had to overcome regarding mine was the full realization that "accurate" A-2s and G-1s are nowhere near as heavy and warm as these Schotts. My experience with the Schott gave me a totally wrong idea of how a "leather flight jacket" should feel!

 

[Edward]

The only long-term issue I had to overcome regarding mine was the full realization that "accurate" A-2s and G-1s are nowhere near as heavy and warm as these Schotts. My experience with the Schott gave me a totally wrong idea of how a "leather flight jacket" should feel!

lol

I'd love to see a Schott cut to a WW" A2 pattern.... I have a similar jacket I bought used and it's great, but the slimmer WW2 cut definitely suits me better, as the baggier bomber creates a much bigger silhoette, giving me the appearance of being much larger than I actually am, especially with the handwarmers in use and/or the pockets full! lol

 

[Flitcraft]

I used to have one of those Schott's...

when I worked as a deckhand on a commercial boat based in Norfolk, VA.
Its a great jacket- warm and almost bullet-proof. The two guys I worked with ended up buying the same model. Almost indestructible.
You got a great deal!