How it all began...

[busdrivermike]

How it all began :
Once upon a time there was a young lad named Michael
This is him upon his trusty steed the 1987 Suzuki DR 600
Highly influenced by the television show tales of the gold monkey
And movies like Indiana Jones and the road warrrior
He purchased a Hein Gericke Harley Davidson bomber jacket from
The local Harley shop prairie Harley Davidson in Regina Saskatchewan
His very first self purchased jacket.
And patches for the flying tigers from a magazine advertisement as the internet was
Not a thing just yet.

these are pics from the net

 

[B-Man2]

None of the above, I'm afraid. I'm boring.

I *was* profiled once while my friend and I were working on his car in the dorm parking lot. Kampus Kop told us he *had* to check us out because of "the guy in the black leather jacket."

Of course I indignantly informed Johnny Law Jr. it was brown.

Sell it !!

 

[Chandler]

Highly influenced by the television show tales of the gold monkey...

I once went as Jake Cutter for a Halloween party -- I think I wore the above Schott with a homemade blood chit lightly taped to the back.

I guess that's a memory, Burt. My first wife was at that party, but we weren't dating yet -- and note I said first. Yeah, gonna sell it.

 

[B-Man2]

I once went as Jake Cutter for a Halloween party -- I think I wore the above Schott with a homemade blood chit lightly taped to the back.

I guess that's a memory, Burt. My first wife was at that party, but we weren't dating yet -- and note I said first. Yeah, gonna sell it.

Yeah....theres a fine line between a 'memory' and a "bad experience".......Sell that sucker!

 

[Smithy]

I only got properly interested in flying jackets around 2000 and it was born out of my love of aviation history.

Although I've always liked jackets, I got my first leather jacket around 1988, a perfecto thing as I was going through a teenage punk/gothy phase, no idea what happened to it, although it was probably a biohazard by the end as I'd worn the shit out of it partying up in the student union bars at uni, going to gigs in it, and basically lots and lots of wine, women and song.

Got a very nice, high quality and built like a brick shithouse Highway type of thing in the mid 90s, loved it but gave it to a mate, still want it back.

First really high end flying jacket was my ELC Irvin, I'd wanted one since 2000 but never had the spare cash until 2007. Since then, it's been A-2s, B-10s, and the infamous "B-15C Incident" which was not popular with my wife and still elicits very rude language from her if mentioned.

 

[B-Man2]

Oh you have to tell us about that one, did I miss it ?

 

[Smithy]

Oh you have to tell us about that one, did I miss it ?

What? The B-15C Incident Burt?

 

[Chandler]

...it was born out of my love of aviation history.

I imagine this is a foundation for all of our enthusiasm for flight jackets -- certainly mine, along with my deep interest in WW2.

I was probably more into the ground war first, thus my Tanker, M-41, and M-43, but I believe reading The Right Stuff drew me into aviation history (yeah, not really WW2, but Yeager made the connection).

 

[Chandler]

Yeah....theres a fine line between a 'memory' and a "bad experience".......Sell that sucker!

Just gotta wonder if anyone would really want it. If only it still fit.

 

[B-Man2]

What? The B-15C Incident Burt?

Yes.. unless it digs up things better left alone .

 

[Smithy]

Yes

I tend to be a little obsessive if I get interested in something and go hammer and tongs about it.

Back in 2013 I was going through a big Korean War thing, I was going nuts, buying signed books by vets for a pretty penny and of course then I hit jackets. I bought 6 B-15Cs in the space of 3 months, needless to say quite a large sum of money.

Long story short, missus hit the roof (and in all fairness, rightly so, she was pregnant with our second, we were moving to Norway the following year and I'd been a first class pillock and splashed out a lot of dough). I slept on the sofa for a couple of months because of that.

Another keen lesson that a happy wife is a happy life ;-)

 

[B-Man2]

Yep .... I can see where that memory is better off left in the rear view mirror

 

[mulceber]

Yep, my lesson from this has been to restrain myself and always seek @Nnatalie's advice in this hobby. Because I'm not sure my back could take the couch for that long.

 

[Smithy]

Yep, my lesson from this has been to restrain myself and always seek @Nnatalie's advice in this hobby. Because I'm not sure my back could take the couch for that long.

Very, very wise. My wife is a true Viking and very Scandinavian, she's very loving and yet very happy for me to do my own thing but by God that 1,000 year old berserker gene came out with the B-15c Incident.

And you're right, my back was rooted after the sofa ordeal. Took another two months to sort itself out!

 

[B-Man2]

Yep, my lesson from this has been to restrain myself and always seek @Nnatalie's advice in this hobby. Because I'm not sure my back could take the couch for that long.

Very, very wise. My wife is a true Viking and very Scandinavian, she's very loving and yet very happy for me to do my own thing but by God that 1,000 year old berserker gene came out with the B-15c Incident.

And you're right, my back was rooted after the sofa ordeal. Took another two months to sort itself out!

Once you two newly weds gain a little “man wisdom” , you’ll know that the next house you buy, should always have one more bedroom than you need ....... camouflage it by telling the wife you need a guest bedroom for when her mother comes to visit and bingo .... sofa problem solved !!

 

[Chandler]

I got the spending jag out of the way between wives.

Current wife was a financial counselor when we met -- I can only imagine how she would have reacted to my monetary habits in those reckless days.

But if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be retired now.

 

[Micawber]

Once you two newly weds gain a little “man wisdom” , you’ll know that the next house you buy, should always have one more bedroom than you need ....... camouflage it by telling the wife you need a guest bedroom for when her mother comes to visit and bingo .... sofa problem solved !!

Very wise words Burt but perhaps add the rider that at all costs you must not start looking at all that spare bedroom space with an eye to it being ideal overflow storage for our spending weaknesses