Recent content by Grit

If you have totally flat feet like me you're going to need a shoe with a relatively straight last, otherwise you'll put a lot of pressure on the pinkie toes (I'd guess your shoes bulge out at that spot, all mine do). Normal feet have sort of a bean-shape footprint, flat feet are are straight...

With that Connie it's not the octane, but the lack of turbochargers, which were removed to extend time between overhauls for those pricey engines. Without the altitude-compensating turbos the Connie would have a difficult time staying up high. But you can get vintage aircraft over the Rockies on...

I'm with Wingnut on this. Airframe in Sky = Airplane Airframe on Ground = Engineered Sculpture To me, a decrepit airplane that sees the sky is far, far more beautiful than the most meticulously restored groundbound hangar queen. Whether it's old or new, the genuine article or a...

Can't say that I've seen a mod involving tight sleeves or shoulders. IMO that's a pretty serious mod, bordering on tailoring. I doubt many guys would have access to that sort of talent. The most common fix, probably, is going up one jacket size--something that seems to be supported by the myriad...

Is it just me, or does the young lady appear to be sporting a partial mustache?!? Hee hee! lol

Is it just me, or does the young lady appear to be sporting a partial mustache?!? Hee hee! lol

Hey Nick, Did you ever find a successful way to fill in the holes? I've been curious about this, myself. Thanks for sharing what you know--always good to borrow another's experience.

Nice post! And I totally agree. I can't comment as to who made the Top Gun jackets, but elsewhere someone said they're Avirex. And Maverick's jacket in the movie did have a chit of sorts, but it was for a Pacific Theater deployment, with (I fuzzily recall) Japanese and South Korean flags on...

Um, maybe I'm missing something here, but I can't seem to find a URL to the Good Wear Leather Coat people. Nor can I unearth one via Google. (It could just be that I'm a clod, though). I assume there's a site? Could someone please post a link, maybe? Or just show me the error of my ways and...

Polarized sunglasses aren't recommended for pilots, but it has nothing to do with aircraft instrumentation. There's nothing about glass-cockpit displays that precludes the use of polarized eyewear, but... ...polarized glasses dramatically reduce glare. And, well, a lot of the time the only...

In "Art of the Flight Jacket" one of the featured A2s had a theater-made relining that was very interesting--someone had taken a standard officer's shirt and sewn it into the jacket. They'd also put the shirt into the jacket inside-out, which not only kept the finished seams visible, it also...

I have a couple of Filson Cruisers, one from maybe the 1950s I scored in a thrift store for $20, the other I can't remember how I got it, I've had it so long. But here in sunny SoCal, there's maybe 10 days a year I can wear them... Also have a Filson wool vest, which is perfect underneath an...

I also started with a Cooper--I think I paid $60 for it on that famous online auction site. If you're patient, and slot in last-minute bids, they seem to be had consistently for well under $100 which is a relative bargain. I liked the goatskin, which isn't authentic but boy, it sure held up...

Thanks, all! And my apologies if I've resurrected a rotten bone of contention. I tried a search for similar topics, but entering "horsehide," "steerhide" and "leather" into the search box unearthed the phone book. I kinda figured there wasn't a surefire way to tell, but...you don't know...

Hello, Loungers! This one's for all you A-2 aficionados: Short of genetic testing, does anyone have a good way of divining what leather a jacket is made from? Many vintage A-2s don't have materials tags on them, so how can you tell what sort of hide it is? Goatskin's pretty easy to tell...