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The Great Flight Jacket Thread (wearing/buying Leather, NOMEX, WEP jackets/patches)

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Are you talking about the G-8 jacket?

g8wep.jpg


If so, pretty much any good tailor shop in a Naval Air town (i.e., used to working with Nomex and knows where to get the correct stuff, so P'cola, VB, San Diego, etc) should be able to fix you up. Otherwise, you're probably looking at buying a new one. www.flightsuits.com has them for about $125.

For leather jacket restoration, Pop's Leather. Their shop is in Turkey (outside Incirlik), so shipping isn't cheap and it takes a while, but the guys I know who've had their modifications done say they do super work.

US Wings has them on sale for about $100. This "jacket" has been misnamed more than any other. Unless you were flying "in the day", you wouldn't know that it was never intended to be a jacket per se, especially to be worn with a uniform. It was the top half of a winter flying suit, with matching pants, to be worn over a "poopie suit". The PRs could get you one when they were in the supply system, which leads it to be misnamed as the WEP jacket. Before NAVAIR, there was BuAer, BuOrd, BuNav, etc. (BuOrd was merged with BuAer = BuWep for a short period before Bureau organization was changed to Systems Command and NAVAIRSYSCOM was born). These Bureaus let contracts for everything from beans to bullets, aircraft and flight jackets. The labels on the flight jackets had the contract from which they were bought. In this case, it said WEP for BuWep (Bureau of Weapons). Over the years, the popularity of this "jacket" grew (especially with Marines in 80/90s), but only way to get them was through commercial vendors who didn't know what to call it so "WEP" came the popular name. G-8 was also used by some companies, but haven't seen that in official Navy documents.
 

eurotrash

USMC SNA
G-1 Jacket Patch regs

I've been looking around on the uniform board websites and here and haven't found anything concrete, so figured I'd ask in this thread. What is the correct method for affixing your unit patch and leather nametag on the leather jacket for the USMC (I'm assuming Navy is the same)? Do you have a velcro backing affixed like with everything else, or sew it directly on? Also, any specific velcro color or measurements of velcro/ patch placement. I guess we just never got this class in API, thanks.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
I'd go "slick" on the leather until you get wings, then get a good leather nametag and have it sewed on.

Velcro is for Nomex.
 

MrsPickle

MIT- Manatee In Training
Contributor
I'd go "slick" on the leather until you get wings, then get a good leather nametag and have it sewed on.

Velcro is for Nomex.
Agreed. Also, don't put your rank on your leather jacket. You'll have to change it every 2 years for the first couple of ranks. Everytime you have to change the patch, you run the risk of someone f'in it up and your jacket coming out looking like ass. If you're still at NASP (or near there), then just go to Wings, and have them do it. Those chicks have been doing it for years.
 

PropAddict

Now with even more awesome!
pilot
Contributor
If you put your nametag order in with Tipsy Gypsy now, he might have it ready by the time you wing!
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Wings & Things does the embossed leather nametags now. I've got one on my leather. Looks nice, holds up well.

+1 on what they said...leave the leather slick until you get your wings. Then get a nice one made up w/o rank, so you'll never have to change it, and have it sewn on. Velcro on leather just looks cheesy.

I knew a guy who had his Velcro'd so that he could "sanitize" it for civilian wear. Which...yeah, okay, that's marginally better than hitting the bars all Mavericked-up, but you just look like a douche who bought his leather at the local Army-Navy store.
 

PropAddict

Now with even more awesome!
pilot
Contributor
He's a bit slow, but really good.

No argument there. Next to the AviationLeather.com ones, you can really see the difference in craftsmanship and attention to detail. Price is within a buck or two, too.

I just wish it hadn't taken 5 months from order to arrival.


civilian wear of leather jacket

I worked for a CDR who's leather was decked out w/nametag, flag, Top Hatter sqdrn patch, and a TOPGUN patch. All done in leather. He wore that thing everywhere. Until the day he took his son to the theater to see King Kong and drew an "excessive" amount of attention when the rest of the audience realized his jacket matched the logos on the planes in the movie. Said he stopped wearing it on civvie street after that.
 

a2b2c3

Mmmm Poundcake
pilot
Contributor
Or just leave it slick. If its good enough for the commodore its good enough for me.
 

sfdistance

New Member
I just hate the horrible quality of my issued leather jacket. Especially the fake collar. Has anyone else decided to buy a better version of the G-1? If so can you recommend any specific brand? The posts on this thread from a few years ago mention pops leather and flightsuits.com. Has anybody seen or had experience with their products?
 

loadtoad

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
I just hate the horrible quality of my issued leather jacket. Especially the fake collar. Has anyone else decided to buy a better version of the G-1? If so can you recommend any specific brand? The posts on this thread from a few years ago mention pops leather and flightsuits.com. Has anybody seen or had experience with their products?

a few people have gone through www.flightjacket.com for the G-1 and love them
 

MerchantMiddie

New Member
pilot
I just hate the horrible quality of my issued leather jacket. Especially the fake collar. Has anyone else decided to buy a better version of the G-1? If so can you recommend any specific brand? The posts on this thread from a few years ago mention pops leather and flightsuits.com. Has anybody seen or had experience with their products?


I've got a great jacket from U.S. Wings, that my pops got me a few years back, sheepskin with real mouton collar. I've heard great things about the Oxford Leather shop jackets http://www.oxfordleathershop.com/. Supposedly great quality for a meager price.

On another note, I've read the regs regarding wearing the leather jacket, but was wondering if anybody wears them slick in uniform?
 
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