MA-1 flight jacket

[Marv]

Not having much experience with nylon flight jackets I have recently been looking at the L-2A, L-2B and MA-1 style and as with all new jackets a fair amount of research, trial and error must take place before finding your jacket etc.

So saying that, I took the plunge and purchased a cheap MA-1 (USA made) as a starter jacket and have attached a couple of photos of it.

If anybody has any info on the manufacturer eg. yes i have heard of them before or no, never seen this brand before it would be much appreciated.

 

[johnwayne]

I'm not particularly into MA1's (even though I've 2!) so can't offer any comment re maker but it looks a nice starter! As recently posted I managed to pick up a 60's Skyline Corp MA1 for just £85 and its noticeably thicker/heavier than my Alpha and was certainly please to hear from another member that it could be worth considerably more, especially if the 2 patches are genuine which I'm sure they are!! Hope yours was a good find too.
Cheers
Wayne
Ps my Alpha is about 10 years old at least and has pocket flaps which the Skyline doesn't and it appears neither does yours, is that a clue to its true age?

 

[Rutger]

Never heard of them. It's blue and I think an original blue MA-1 has yet to be found. Found one review at the Hatplace and that review is from someone who's also a member at this forum. It's not a favourable review as far as accuracy is concerned, and I consider that member quite knowledgable.
If the jacket fits you well and you enjoy wearing it than that's perfectly ok, and it may be a good start to see how its measurements compare with more accurate or Original MA-1's.

 

[Peter Graham]

That's more of a copy of a B-15C (Mod) than an MA-1. MA-1's were never made in blue. The B-15C was blue, followed by the B-15D which reverted back to green, followed by the first model MA-1, again in green. Hold out for a nice original. It won't be pennies but it won't break the bank. The 64 Alpha's with Crown zippers are particularly nice and not too hard to find. Early models with black labels and green lining are getting quite expensive.

 

[FtrPlt]

I'd be curious as to what brand the zips are? The jacket looks like it was produced by Alpha. There were several makers back in the 1990s/early 2000s that piggybacked on Alpha production runs. Curious if this jacket has Alpha zips

 

[Marv]

thanks chaps, appreciate the input, ideally I would like to get hold of a blue L-2A but i'm guessing 1950's originals in a re large are going to be pretty rare and expensive.

i did have the opportunity a month or so back to pick up a Buzz L-2A in a size 46 but the measurements seemed rather oversized but since doing more reasearch on this type of jacket fit, it seems that this is the norm.

also had a look at the Alpha MA-1 in rep blue ( i am not a fan of the Sage green colour which i know is the correct shade for this jacket) as i like the studded pocket flaps rather than just the slash pockets.

as i said, the nylon jacket style is new to me so still finding my way around the different styles, contracts but most of all trying to find the correct size/fit for my body size so still on the learning curve.

 

[Marv]

I'd be curious as to what brand the zips are? The jacket looks like it was produced by Alpha. There were several makers back in the 1990s/early 2000s that piggybacked on Alpha production runs. Curious if this jacket has Alpha zips

The zippers are made by IDEAL

 

[Marv]

Question - does anybody own an Alpha L-2A jacket (blue) and if so how is the sizing, are the jacket sizes pretty accurate or is the jacket oversized some what so down sizing from your usual size recommended.

My chest size now is pretty much a 44" reg or 112cm so would that equate to a Large or an XLarge in the Alpha L-2A as sizing seems to be all over the place when searching on the web.

Is the L-2A a slimmer fit jacket than the MA-1 or roughly the same, any help much appreciated.

 

[Marv]

Not having much experience with nylon flight jackets I have recently been looking at the L-2A, L-2B and MA-1 style and as with all new jackets a fair amount of research, trial and error must take place before finding your jacket etc.

So saying that, I took the plunge and purchased a cheap MA-1 (USA made) as a starter jacket and have attached a couple of photos of it.

If anybody has any info on the manufacturer eg. yes i have heard of them before or no, never seen this brand before it would be much appreciated.

I have now received the above jacket and it seems pretty decent quality however feels a tad large on myself especially on the sleeve length with major tunnelling on the cuffs so may start looking at a size Large rather than XLarge for future reference.

 

[Marv]

That's more of a copy of a B-15C (Mod) than an MA-1. MA-1's were never made in blue. The B-15C was blue, followed by the B-15D which reverted back to green, followed by the first model MA-1, again in green. Hold out for a nice original. It won't be pennies but it won't break the bank. The 64 Alpha's with Crown zippers are particularly nice and not too hard to find. Early models with black labels and green lining are getting quite expensive.

Your definately correct about the jacket looking more like a B-15c (Mod) than a MA-1, googled the B-15c after you mentioned it and had good look at the photos and it's pretty much the same as the B-15c with the paperclip style zipper puller, apart from a few missing details (oxygen tube/headset wire tabs under the armpits) and the different Label spec.

Downside is that it now stands out amongst my other leather flight jackets so it's only a matter of time before the wife see's it and starts the usual spanish inquesition as to why i need yet another flying jacket

 

[colekwok]

Your definately correct about the jacket looking more like a B-15c (Mod) than a MA-1, googled the B-15c after you mentioned it and had good look at the photos and it's pretty much the same as the B-15c with the paperclip style zipper puller, apart from a few missing details (oxygen tube/headset wire tabs under the armpits) and the different Label spec.

Downside is that it now stands out amongst my other leather flight jackets so it's only a matter of time before the wife see's it and starts the usual spanish inquesition as to why i need yet another flying jacket

True, since it is blue, it looks more like the B-15C with modification in this case. The other difference is that the B-15C/D sizes are in chest measurements.

And yes, Nylons are as addictive as the leathers... Just tell your wife that you bought it from Uniqlo!

 

[asiamiles]

Even Uniqlo are doing MA-1's now, making the jacket very much a high street fashion item.

 

[Marv]

On further inspection, I would now definitely agree with Peter that this is a B-15c (mod) with just the MA-1 spec label.

The jacket seems to have all the noticeable features of the B-15c including the paperclip zipper, the oxygen tube clip and the radio headset wire clips next to each armpit also, slash pockets instead of flaps and matching blue lining instead of the reversible Indian orange.

As mentioned in a previous post, could be an Alpha run off as it looks very similar.

 

[Greg Gale]

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I wanted to show this. I had this cheap modern Alpha MA-1, the earlier "VF59" version without the pocket flaps. I always found it very comfy, liked the way it fits, but hated the thick, non-tubular, light green knits. So I purchased a set of knits from Larry and voila, I have an MA-1 I love. The seamstress made the knit cuffs as long as the stock one, and now they feel weirdly long, but oh well. Maybe not the most accurate, but it's mine, it's comfortable, it's not torn or dirty. I also put a velcro on the chest so I can change the patches. This one is an original Vietnam War era patch of the 4th Avn. Bn.

 

[B-Man2]

Great fit!
Can’t see any issue with the cuffs.

 

[Flightengineer]

Good jacket, Greg! Looks very nice.
And still... one day you will buy the original MA-1 from 60's and then you will understand that this is the best choice.

 

[Greg Gale]

Good jacket, Greg! Looks very nice.
And still... one day you will buy the original MA-1 from 60's and then you will understand that this is the best choice.

Problem is ,they probably need a lot of work, and I have zero idea about what size would fit me. Where can one find a good original MA-1?

 

[Flightengineer]

[QUOTE = "Greg Gale, post: 210767, участник: 6344"] Проблема в том, что они, вероятно, нуждаются в большой работе, и у меня есть нулевое представление о том, какой размер подойдет мне. Где можно найти хороший оригинал MA-1? [/ QUOTE]

Sometimes on eBay. I think you need MEDIUM size.

 

[johnwayne]

Patience is a virtue Greg, they do turn up from time to time like I said earlier in the thread, mine was silly cheap yet its gen 60's and the quality is obvious compared to modern Alpha's and the like, maybe I just got lucky but it's patched too so I had to go for it. Yours looks good though and fits perfect from what I can see.

 

[Rutger]

They show up on ebay (ir)regularly in various conditions, including quite wearable MA-1's from the sixties; when the shell and liner are undamaged you can always have the cuffs and waist and neck replaced.
I got an Alpha (government issue that is) from I think 1973, and is as good as new, and it's strong, heavy and warm. Quality all the way.
It's also a bit shorter in the back than todays interpretations of the MA-1, which may feel somewhat uncomfy when wearing the average jeans.
The MA-1 is an excellent allround jacket, I wear it all the time when temps start going down in autumn.