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Anyone Know of a Source for French Armee de l’Air Jackets?

w1rc

Member
Hi All:

Looking for a long time for one of these. Anyone know a source for an authentic jacket?

TIA,

Michael
w1rc
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
That one is over 500 Euros. I sold one on eBay about four years ago for peanuts that I bought for only a couple more peanuts in the eighties. I assume it was one of these anyway, although it might have been an earlier version. There were loads of surplus ex issue ones around then and they were known as Jaguar jackets after the plane.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
That one is over 500 Euros. I sold one on eBay about four years ago for peanuts that I bought for only a couple more peanuts in the eighties. I assume it was one of these anyway, although it might have been an earlier version. There were loads of surplus ex issue ones around then and they were known as Jaguar jackets after the plane.
Great for the buyer...I have no interest at all in these jackets...just try to help...I have only access to the issued ones but not to the civilian or commercial ones.
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
Just surprised at how much they seem to have shot up in price. They are a nice flight jacket and I like the colour too. Not so grey as the modern RAF approved dress ones.
 

w1rc

Member
Thanks to all who replied. €550 plus shipping is way over my threshold. I am thinning out the herd and was hoping for a swap. No big deal if I don’t get one......
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Just surprised at how much they seem to have shot up in price. They are a nice flight jacket and I like the colour too. Not so grey as the modern RAF approved dress ones.
Please also note that 99% are commercial or civilian versions....they sell cheap...originals..saw very few good ones...
quite high, unless wreckages...
In France the commercial version are available almost on every garage sales or flee market...but almost none is a real authentic flight jacket..

Here a ridiculous commercial version.
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/BLOUSON-AVI...983596?hash=item33f8c4de2c:g:hAMAAOSwI7Fb3tG4
 
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Pilot

Well-Known Member
The ones I knew were French issue surplus. There were loads of them around in the army surplus stores which still existed back then.
Back then?
Because since several years all decommissioned flight jackets are given to the Police de l’ Air et des Frontières...( border guards)......then destroyed...As for the original surplus shops... ( originals not commercials) they do not exist in France since 1971...all others self so called surplusses only sell pure inventions or cheap Asian made items...since then.
 
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Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
AsI wrote further up I bought one in the early eighties. I think it was Lawrence Corner a well known London army surplus store who had them then. They were quite common and known as French Jaguar jackets. They were all issued and used and most had names in them.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
AsI wrote further up I bought one in the early eighties. I think it was Lawrence Corner a well known London army surplus store who had them then. They were quite common and known as French Jaguar jackets. They were all issued and used and most had names in them.
Apologies but hard to believe the “early eighties in combination of original Armée de l’Air”....you may or not believe me that I was in this “Armée “ during this time....and we as “members “ had no ( official ) access to the “originals” which went to “surplus”...What kind of surplus!!!?......however...early 80 is over 35 years ago...good luck if you want to pay “ peanuts” and this for an original...
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
No idea what kind of surplus but a couple of friends had them too. One used his for years as as his main jacket in motor cycle dispatch. I just dug up a picture of it but there isn't any way to upload it directly on this forum as you can with others. It's pretty old and bashed about in that picture by then. I think I got 35 quid for it when I sold it on eBay maybe six or seven years ago.

PM me your email and I'll send you the picture and you can tell me what it is.

BTW I don't want to pay peanuts. I don't want one at all. I paid peanuts then.
 
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Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
So you said in your email reply. But as I told you I bought it as surplus and had no interest in whether it was an original French air force jacket, although that was how they were described. They had quite a few of them and they were all used. It was a good quality jacket and wasn't a cheap copy. The zip is a Riri which cheap copies don't use. They were well known at the time as French Jaguar jackets and if not common you'd see them about.

So what do you think is it then? Oh, and thinking back I'm sure the name in it was Lieutenant something.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
So you said in your email reply. But as I told you I bought it as surplus and had no interest in whether it was an original French air force jacket, although that was how they were described. They had quite a few of them and they were all used. It was a good quality jacket and wasn't a cheap copy. The zip is a Riri which cheap copies don't use. They were well known at the time as French Jaguar jackets and if not common you'd see them about.

So what do you think is it then? Oh, and thinking back I'm sure the name in it was Lieutenant something.
A commercial jacket...no way an original AdlA jacket...no way...many details, pockets, pen pocket, chest rank flap etc..total not as the original...even the liner ( the bit I can see) looks funny...
A nice lookalike...but not an original...sorry and good night from Seoul/South Korea
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
No worries I don't have it anymore and I don't care if it was original or not. But it did have a name in it with a military rank....

As you say you served in the French air force you would have more interest in it than I did. Could be it was before your time of course?
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
This thread made me wonder if it was what I assumed it was so I did a search for French air force flight jacket and I came up with a hit as seventies French air force jacket. There are a few pictures of originals plus new repros on sale.

That's why they were known here at time as French Jaguar jackets of course because the French flew Jaguars as did the RAF in the seventies.

This is a link to the jacket I had described as a seventies one. So I assume you were thinking of the later ones when you were in the air force.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...biw=914&bih=456&dpr=1.75#imgrc=Uk9p09n6AXLiFM:
 
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