Can anyone ID this flight jacket?

[fnoprx]

Just stumbled across this:

http://jetpilotoverseas.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/john-m-fritz.jpg

Really love the jacket - but I have never seen one like this before. Anyone here know what it is??

Thanks!

 

[Wconly]

The link doesn't want to pull up to the subject matter. W>

 

[fnoprx]

Hmm... still works for me. Does this help:

http://jetpilotoverseas.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/john-m-fritz.jpg

 

[Wconly]

Yeah...got it...thanks! But, sorry I have no clue what it is. W>

 

[Jack Burton]

The zipper layout looks a lot like a flightsuit. Is it possible that the jacket is actually the top portion of a 2-piece flight suit?

You should PM Peacoat and ask him to look.

 

[Peacoat]

The zipper layout looks a lot like a flightsuit. Is it possible that the jacket is actually the top portion of a 2-piece flight suit?

You should PM Peacoat and ask him to look.

I actually saw the photograph when fnoprx first posted it. As I couldn't give an ID with nomenclature, I didn't say anything.

I don't think it is the top part of a flight suit for several reasons. Pilots have their minds on things other than making major modifications of their gear (beer and girls, mostly). Also the jacket obviously has "knits" at the sleeves and at the waist of the jacket. Probably has a knit collar as well, but it is hidden from view. Flight suits weren't made this way.

From the looks of the airplane, the hair cut, the helmet, the and the style of the G-suit, I would say it is an early (1950s) nylon, or cloth, flight jacket issued to AF pilots. There are some on this board who can tell exactly what the jacket is, when it went into service and when it was replaced with the L2-b.* Or the guys on VLJ can name it also. What I say is merely a guess as I haven't seen one like this before. It is well outside my area of expertise.

If no one here gives an answer, I will try and remember to post it on VLJ for another look.

_____
*Atticus Finch is probably one of those guys who can nail it.


EDIT NOTE: I just looked at two of my flight suits, and they have the zippers as shown on the flight jacket in the photo. Neither my L2-b, nor my MA-1 has any zippers on the front of the jacket, as shown in the photograph.

 

[fnoprx]

Thanks for your input! Now I have another jacket added to my want-list...

Happy new year everyone!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

The zipper layout looks a lot like a flightsuit. Is it possible that the jacket is actually the top portion of a 2-piece flight suit?

You should PM Peacoat and ask him to look.

that would be my guess also from what I've seen.

 

[Phantomfixer]

I have seen one piece flight suits cut down to make a jacket, with cuffs and waist band added. This could be such a creature or a test sample of a replacement jacket.
The seams across the shoulder look strange for a cut down flight suit....

Would be nice to nail it down...
John

 

[Peacoat]

The zipper layout looks a lot like a flightsuit. Is it possible that the jacket is actually the top portion of a 2-piece flight suit?

You should PM Peacoat and ask him to look.

The more I think about it, the more I think you might be right. The jacket looks nothing like any of the nylon/cloth flight jackets in service after the A-2. The photo has a Korean era feel to it. If so, there would have been plenty of tailors available to make an extra flight suit into a jacket.

I agree with the Phantom Fixer that the seams are odd for a flight suit. I pulled two of mine out of the closet, one a Covington Industries 1965 contract (unpatched and unworn) and the other a Satellite 1966 contract (patched and very worn) and both have entirely different shoulder seams from the one in the picture. Of course that was about 15 years after the Korean War, and the specifications could well have changed.

I will go over to VLJ and see what they might know about it. Although, I was hoping one of our own nylon/cloth experts would have weighed in on it by now.

EDIT NOTE: I initially thought the aircraft in the picture was an F-86, but after actually looking closely at the picture, I see it is an F-104. The canopy and the nose wheel are wrong for the F-86, as well as the 105.

 

[Peacoat]

OK, here you go for the official answer. The pilot is wearing a civilian test pilot's flight jacket made by Fruhauf Southwest. They are very rare. The pilot in the photograph is John Fritz, who at the time was a test pilot flying the F-104--at least I got that right!

Here is another test pilot wearing the same jacket. This is Jack Zimmerman who also was a civilian test pilot at Edwards. I think this picture was taken in 1966.

For the full story, follow the link below to the VLJ forum:

http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11413&p=104063#p104063

Thanks to Stu at the VLJ forum for getting this right. Of course it was easy for him as he has been on the hunt for one of these flight jackets for several years.

Edit Note: Well, I don't know why I can't post that photo of Jack Zimmerman. Keeps telling me it is an invalid url. Finally got it. See Jack Zimmerman above.

 

[Phantomfixer]

Great leg work Peacoat. A rare bird indeed.
JZ

 

[fnoprx]

Amazing - good work! I thought I knew my nylon jackets, but seems I didn't quite...!

 

[Peacoat]

Amazing - good work! I thought I knew my nylon jackets, but seems I didn't quite...!

It was easy for Stu to ID the jacket, not only because he has been looking for one for several years, but also because he is the owner of the website where you found the photograph of John Fritz wearing the flight jacket in question.

Happy New Year, everyone.

PC.

 

[fnoprx]

Well - that explains a lot!