Although the A-2 was the official jacket of U.S.A.F. aviators (United States Air Force) for just twelve years, it remained the aviator’s leather garment par excellence.
The original A-2 featured specific features: a one-piece back, leather collar and center front zipper. The shoulder pads were used to attach the parachute harness.
Despite its functionality, the vest had other peculiarities. For example, the pockets were designed to discourage pilots from walking with their hands in their pockets, behavior frowned upon in the military.
Thus, while Air Force pilots began to wear equipment destined to become fashionable, those of the U.S. Navy were no different. Their version, the G-1, was used continuously for forty years, from the 1930s to the 1980s.
The G-1 vest differs from the A-2 in several ways. The U.S. Navy chose goatskin, which is more resistant to abrasion. The G-1 was equipped with a retractable “double fold” on the back of the shoulders for greater freedom of movement in the cabin. It also featured a warm sheepskin collar, a leather windproof flap on the center closure, and two internal pockets for documents and flight maps.
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