Harrison Ford A2

[Isisllc]

I flew down to Dallas today for a meeting and was looking at the American Airlines in-flight magaine. On the cover was Harrison Ford wearing an A2 (I'm assuming a repro). I thought about putting the magazine in my bag, but figured that it would be available as I flew home this evening. Nope. Did anyone see the cover? Any ideas as to the maker of the jacket? It didn't look to have a collar stand, but was a dark russet. One piece sleeves, etc, etc...

 

[GoodTimesGone]

Here's the photo and the article- http://hub.aa.com/en/aw/web-exclusive-h ... ode=page_2
If you want to buy it- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harrison-Ford-A ... 257cc12c0c
The jacket has handwarmers yet looks like horsehide. My guess is a Gibson & Barnes.
____________________________________________________________________
Tom

 

[bfrench]

Here's the photo and the article- http://hub.aa.com/en/aw/web-exclusive-h ... ode=page_2
If you want to buy it- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harrison-Ford-A ... 257cc12c0c
The jacket has handwarmers yet looks like horsehide. My guess is a Gibson & Barnes.
____________________________________________________________________
Tom

That would be my guess also - I had a black version and the pocket flaps look identical.

 

[Hamsterbear]

Cheeses...some wank pinched a magazine off a flight and is sellng it on eBay... :roll:

There was a whole pallet of these at work for the cabin crews to put in all the seat back pockets.....

 

[Isisllc]

Missed the handwarmers when I saw the picture. It was an early flight...

 

[Hamsterbear]

May not be a G&B...notice the snap here:

Looks like some other "oversized mall jacket", which is what you would expect for someone his age..
Side entry, roomy front pockets, oversized roomy fit, probably a zip out liner and inside pockets as well.
I'd like to get one just like this!

 

[atkins]

Is it the same as this?

I like this one better with the arm pocket, very military looking.

wow big picture, sorry .

 

[Hamsterbear]

That's probably it. You can't see the other sleeve in the AA magazine cover picture.....
He probably got it in the EAA store ( Young Eagles promoter),AOPA, or Sporty's Pilot Shop or similar......

 

[derleicaman]

A quick glance at the cover shot and it looks OK, but on closer study, the details are just hideous! 99.99% of the folks out there would never notice, though. Something nice from JC, Aero or ELC would be most appropriate for the real Indiana Jones!

 

[dmar836]

Horrible!

 

[Hamsterbear]

A quick glance at the cover shot and it looks OK, but on closer study, the details are just hideous! 99.99% of the folks out there would never notice, though. Something nice from JC, Aero or ELC would be most appropriate for the real Indiana Jones!

And...

Horrible!

Well, to each his own. I don't mean you guys specifically, but I happen to like the jacket Mr. Ford is wearing.
That's why I mentioned "for his age",...and I'm headed there also. I'm not 20 years old anymore, and my "quest" for the perfect A-2 began in the 1970's when there weren't any decent reproductions. I remember when a Flight Apparel Industries jacket looked fantastic, as did the other jackets, like Split-S and such were really not bad. Remember when the Willis & Geiger jacket was touted as an "exact reproduction of MacArthur's A-2? My first "A-2" (hahahaha) was a Schott bomber jacket my dad bought me in 1976 at a surplus store in San Francisco (Kaplan's, if anyone remembers)
Now we have not only accurate reproductions, we have reproductions of almost every nuance and variance of all the different contract makers of the war period. We have Aero, Eastman, GW and even newer folks making them like Bill Kelso. That's great! But like mentioned in the quote above, 99% of most folks wouldn't even notice who made it, or how accurate it was or wasn't. I've had people gawk at me upon discovering I paid $700 for a leather jacket, because to them....it's just a leather jacket. I've also had positive remarks when wearing a $65 old Avirex I got on eBay, but no notice when wearing one of the higher end repro's like RMNZ. See?
Anyway....I no longer find A-2's comfortable, and jackets like the one Ford is wearing is much more appealing, much more comfortable these days. I still want quality, and the G&B airline pilot jackets fit my bill, such as the Raider jacket, and I love the Skyliner.
I never wear any of my A-2's anymore. Occasionally I'll wear a Navy G-1, which has always been superior in fit/comfort than the A-2.
I'd still like to find out the maker of Fords jacket.
Your thoughts?

 

[GoodTimesGone]

I don't think the jacket looks that bad. It's a bit loose fitting, but if that's the way Harrison likes it for comfort that's his deal. The jacket looks well made and I like the russet color. I don't care for the looks of a pen holder on the sleeve of a leather jacket, but it comes in handy when you're strapped in the cockpit. The jacket totally fits Ford's unassuming personality. He seems to be a man who's comfortable in his own skin. I read a magazine interview with him years ago which mentioned he had a old pickup truck he liked to drive while doing work on his ranch. I respect a man like him much more than the Hollywood celebrities who flaunt their wealth out on the town or on shows like MTV Cribs.
3/4 of the leather jackets in my closet would probably be considered by some to be horrible/hideous since they have labels like Cooper or Avirex. To each their own- everyone is entitled to an opinion and I take no offense. Harrison Ford probably doesn't care what we think of his jacket either.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tom

 

[dmar836]

I don't mean horrible for his choices but..... There are lots of jackets that aren't an A-2 much less a perfect A-2. I do think that often the horrible part is consumers, even those with the means to have anything they want, are misinformed or ignorant. The jacket isn't that bad but it is a great assumption that everyone, even a majority, wearing an oversized mall jacket is doing so after great research and deliberation. Many just aim low and hit the mark every time - and they are just fine with it.
Dave

 

[Who]

I like how Harrison doesn't give a f***. The jacket looks okay - needs to be more beaten. We can all be thankful that he doesn't walk around in his Indiana Jones jacket.

 

[Hamsterbear]

I like how Harrison doesn't give a f***. The jacket looks okay - needs to be more beaten. We can all be thankful that he doesn't walk around in his Indiana Jones jacket.

and a Fedora.

 

[dmar836]

I might add the background for my statement stems from frequent observations in general aviation. There are many a pilot with "flight jackets". I have yet to see an ELC much less a Goodwear or original. From the ages of mid-20s to 80s it's the same - baggy, Sky Mall-looking jackets.
I'll repeat that I think this comes more from what is commonly seen in print ads and movies than in study or research. I have had several discussions with such guys - only the young ones who are less likely to resist my limited knowledge. They look blankly or say, "really" when I discuss the nuances of actual flight jackets. To them that mall jacket was a real representation of flying heritage. None yet have known what the O2 tabs or headset wire strap is for but they use headsets daily. Then again, mall jackets don't have such additions.
Just saying(as I really don't give a hoot what others choose to wear- just what I choose to wear and why),
Dave

 

[Chandler]

Remember when the Willis & Geiger jacket was touted as an "exact reproduction of MacArthur's A-2?

Wasn't that the Avirex "MacArthur?" I think so because... I bought one. Too.

My first "A-2" (hahahaha) was a Schott bomber jacket my dad bought me in 1976 at a surplus store in San Francisco (Kaplan's, if anyone remembers)

Mine too, but in '78. Still have it too, though it doesn't fit. But to the question of changing tastes with age, I still enjoy wearing my A-2s when the right weather permits. Being just north of 50 hasn't really altered my opinion on the style and look of the jackets -- and I'm still in search of that perfect example.

 

[CBI]

pseudo-aviator style jackets have been marketed since flying began. There are so many jackets from the 30's-40's that beg the ?, why didn't people just wear A-2's

to each his own

 

[herk115]

A quick glance at the cover shot and it looks OK, but on closer study, the details are just hideous! 99.99% of the folks out there would never notice, though. Something nice from JC, Aero or ELC would be most appropriate for the real Indiana Jones!

And...

Horrible!

Well, to each his own. I don't mean you guys specifically, but I happen to like the jacket Mr. Ford is wearing.
That's why I mentioned "for his age",...and I'm headed there also. I'm not 20 years old anymore, and my "quest" for the perfect A-2 began in the 1970's when there weren't any decent reproductions. I remember when a Flight Apparel Industries jacket looked fantastic, as did the other jackets, like Split-S and such were really not bad. Remember when the Willis & Geiger jacket was touted as an "exact reproduction of MacArthur's A-2? My first "A-2" (hahahaha) was a Schott bomber jacket my dad bought me in 1976 at a surplus store in San Francisco (Kaplan's, if anyone remembers)
Now we have not only accurate reproductions, we have reproductions of almost every nuance and variance of all the different contract makers of the war period. We have Aero, Eastman, GW and even newer folks making them like Bill Kelso. That's great! But like mentioned in the quote above, 99% of most folks wouldn't even notice who made it, or how accurate it was or wasn't. I've had people gawk at me upon discovering I paid $700 for a leather jacket, because to them....it's just a leather jacket. I've also had positive remarks when wearing a $65 old Avirex I got on eBay, but no notice when wearing one of the higher end repro's like RMNZ. See?
Anyway....I no longer find A-2's comfortable, and jackets like the one Ford is wearing is much more appealing, much more comfortable these days. I still want quality, and the G&B airline pilot jackets fit my bill, such as the Raider jacket, and I love the Skyliner.
I never wear any of my A-2's anymore. Occasionally I'll wear a Navy G-1, which has always been superior in fit/comfort than the A-2.
I'd still like to find out the maker of Fords jacket.
Your thoughts?

If it's good airline pilot type leather jackets you're looking for, try Perrone. I had four of their 1756 "No-name" A-2 repros back in the 90s and they were truly awesome jackets. Would still wear them if I could fit into them. If Perrone's standards are still as high now as they were then, you will be happy.

http://www.perroneapparel.com/

 

[herk115]

I might add the background for my statement stems from frequent observations in general aviation. There are many a pilot with "flight jackets". I have yet to see an ELC much less a Goodwear or original. From the ages of mid-20s to 80s it's the same - baggy, Sky Mall-looking jackets.
I'll repeat that I think this comes more from what is commonly seen in print ads and movies than in study or research. I have had several discussions with such guys - only the young ones who are less likely to resist my limited knowledge. They look blankly or say, "really" when I discuss the nuances of actual flight jackets. To them that mall jacket was a real representation of flying heritage. None yet have known what the O2 tabs or headset wire strap is for but they use headsets daily. Then again, mall jackets don't have such additions.
Just saying(as I really don't give a hoot what others choose to wear- just what I choose to wear and why),
Dave

I live in a town that is neither military nor aviation and am probably one of the few that knows what an airplane is or even bothers to look up when one flies over. I can assure that no one, but NO ONE in this town has ever noticed my leather jacket or come up to me and said, "Gosh, is that a Goodwear Dubow 27798?" The whole point behind my wearing what I wear is to feel good about myself. I feel good knowing I've got the best, I feel good knowing I did my homework to get it right, and I feel very good knowing I'm a veteran who earned that jacket. You are 100% correct: don't waste any time worrying over what others choose to wear or what they think of yours. If you're happy with it, wear it, and have a great time doing so!

And as far as the weenies at the local air patch, yes, I've noticed too that they spare no expense in buying what we on this list would consider the cheapest piece of cr-- when they buy a flight jacket. But that's if they buy one at all. Most of them don't own any flying togs and look askance at me for "playing dress-up" in my military A-2 (while not being able to tell the difference between a Flight Apparel and a GW). But it's their problem, not mine. I wear mine with pride and always will. So should you guys. So should Harrison Ford.