Pulling the A2 Collar Up

[wop54]

Hi Everybody!
I've seen in the Homepage of the GW site a pic of an actor of the movie Red Tails in his A2, pulling his collar up.
Even though I can imagine that in a windy or rainy day it's something that someone would do, I've never seen a WW2 pic of a flying boy wearing his A2 like that.
Naive question(s): It's something that they never did or something that they rarely did? In this case, they were not allowed to do it or just they did not want to do it?
www.goodwearleather.com

 

[Hamsterbear]

The collar is irrelevant.... Harrison Ford has his turned up in "Hanover Street". I did notice something else:
What's with the facial hair? I don't think that is regulation, especially for a pilot who wears an oxygen mask.:?:
-B

 

[Andrew]

Bill Griffin of the 99thFS seems to have like to wear his collar that way both before and after capture.
Isn't this a cool shot...

I agree, the goatee looks wrong- more like "Training Day"

 

[buzzthetower]

Gents,

Yes, collars were turned up on many jackets in photos I've seen from WWII. I could post them, but they're not my photos, so I probably shouldn't post them here.

The fellow in the photo is Howard Wooten, one of my best friends since high school. He was kind enough to wear some of my jackets for a photo shoot when I was putting together a pitch to make jackets for the movie. I didn't want to ask him to shave just for my photo shoot (haha).

Here are the images I used for the pitch, taken on the old Sand Point Naval Air Station. I used to work in this hangar once a month as a reservist in the early 1990s, so it's ironic that this building was best for the shoot:

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/goodwear_jackets.html

Howard's uncle is Howard A. Wooten, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. His photo is below:

John

 

[Peter Graham]

Cool shot indeed Andrew. I notice that the Crown zipper on his jacket has an Irvin type puller. I wonder if this was standard on Crowns ? Maybe there are none left with the puller intact.

 

[buzzthetower]

One fast example of collars set up:

Peter, that Crown zipper is on his flight suit, and they often had pulls.

J

 

[Anonymous]

Whoa it not very often Mr Good Wear himself post on the forum ,but glad you did .Does your friend Mr Wooten own an A-2 type Jacket and does he have any interest in the Army Air Corp .Also why no Diamond cap for the photo shoot ?.


All the best Jeff .

 

[Andrew]

Gents,



Here are the images I used for the pitch, taken on the old Sand Point Naval Air Station. I used to work in this hangar once a month as a reservist in the early 1990s, so it's ironic that this building was best for the shoot:

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/goodwear_jackets.html



John

What a great bunch of shots John, Howard should be your main model, the jackets look fantastic on him. If he didn't get a job as an extra from this there's something wrong...

 

[Anonymous]

Gents,



Here are the images I used for the pitch, taken on the old Sand Point Naval Air Station. I used to work in this hangar once a month as a reservist in the early 1990s, so it's ironic that this building was best for the shoot:

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/goodwear_jackets.html



John

What a great bunch of shots John, Howard should be your main model, the jackets look fantastic on him. If he didn't get a job as an extra from this there's something wrong...

Amen to that

All the best Jeff

 

[buzzthetower]

Howard has always been fascinated by aviation (more so by astronauts, and in the 80s he called them all up and talked with Apollo astronauts when they were doing post-NASA work). Though he thinks the jackets are cool, he's much more trendy than I am, and as a super busy Microsoft manager, I was lucky to get some photos as it is, and I didn't have a lot of time to put together all the flightline items.

At some point, I hope to hire some local university students for a photo shoot by the old administration building on Sand Point. It has some great art deco architecture and title:

John

 

[Dr H]

Bill Griffin of the 99thFS seems to have like to wear his collar that way both before and after capture.
Isn't this a cool shot...

I agree, the goatee looks wrong- more like "Training Day"

Really enjoyed the images John - very evocative. Minor question - is it just me or is Bill Griffin (and his fellow A2-jacketed airman at his side in both images from the camp) wearing his knitted cuffs hidden within his jacket? Looks warm weather (everyone else is looking more comfortable in shirt sleeve order - albiet perhaps less 'cool'), so is it simply to keep a little cooler or was this his habitual way of wearer his jacket (doesn't look to be tunnelling )

 

[Chandler]

It's something that they never did or something that they rarely did?

Take a scan through all of the Doolittle's Raiders images at Good Wear -- lots of turned up collars there.

Chandler

 

[wop54]

It's something that they never did or something that they rarely did?

Take a scan through all of the Doolittle's Raiders images at Good Wear -- lots of turned up collars there.

Chandler

Chandler and everybody: thanks! I have seen more photos of A2's turned up collars in the last two days than in the rest of my life . I am now sure that I saw a few of these pics before but payed no attention to that detail...