How the US Air Force lost its leather bomber jackets

With the invention of airplanes, a need was born: a way for pilots and their passengers to stay warm at high altitudes. As the development of flight technology skyrocketed during the two world wars, leather bomber jackets and accompanying leather pants and even the leather flight cap became the standard. Wool-lined leather jackets were issued to flight personnel as a matter of course.

After World War II, aeronautical engineering continued to advance by leaps and bounds, and soon the era of jet aircraft was born. By the mid-1950s, the leather bomber jacket was no longer a suitable garment for pilots and others flying US Air Force aircraft.

It was all because of the new jet planes. These could fly at high altitudes. If the aviators’ bulky, heavy jackets became wet from the rain as they walked to the plane, the water would freeze at high altitude. This made the airmen cold and unhappy. Additionally, the aircraft were much more streamlined in design than earlier aircraft. There was no longer a place for bulky jackets in cramped cabins filled with complicated equipment. Pilots and navigators needed to move easily around the cockpit and get in and out of it without hindrance. USAF bigwigs began to regard these classic garments as security risks.

Manufacturers were informed: what was required was a light but warm jacket that would be suitable for flight crews operating the latest jet aircraft. The bell tolled for bulky leather goods. Bomber jackets had become relics consigned to history.

The first manufacturers decided to try using cotton. The result was the B-15 jacket. This one had a wool collar with fur (kinda like fur), which was inherited from the earlier B-10 leather bomber jacket. The B-15 did not last long because it was too light and did not keep flight personnel warm. The B-15 was reinvented, this time made of nylon, and the fur collar was removed as it was found to interfere with the straps in practice.

The next development after the B-15 nylon flight jacket was the MA-1 jacket. Designed for the US Air Force, the Intermediate Weight Flight Jacket, or MA-1, was made from high quality nylon with polyester interlinings (quilting). This served a useful dual purpose. In hot weather, the traveler can wear the jacket open and be comfortable. Entering the aircraft, the pilot could zip up the MA-1 and be as hot as toast at high altitude.

It was the MA-1 flight that succeeded in completely usurping the leather bomber jacket as a US Air Force issue. The first MA-1 jackets were issued around 1949 or 1950 to pilots and flight crews of the United States Air Force and Navy. Small numbers were also issued to Army flight personnel. While there have been many design modifications since then, mostly due to new textiles, new sewing techniques, or a new aircraft cabin design (most recently in 1980), the MA-1 flight jacket has become the standard in the USAF flight jacket. keep reading

Midnight blue was the color originally used by the military for MA-1 jackets, but was later changed to sage green, for camouflage purposes. During the Korean War (1950-1953), as evidenced by various historical photographs, the leather bomber jacket was still present in the army. These flyers were often a motley crew. Some aviators still wore their beloved leather flight jackets, while others wore B-15 jackets and still others, blue or green MA-1 jackets.

Today, modern-fashion MA-1s are available in a variety of colors, including traditional, and black, red, blue, silver, gray, and yellow. Original leather bomber jackets have become collector’s items, and there are some leather craftsmen who make beautiful replicas of the fleece-lined leather jackets of yesteryear.

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