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LOST WORLDS FLIGHT JACKET COLLECTION A-2 FLIGHT JACKET 30th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, WWII |
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| Here's a terrific, unusual A-2 from Poughkeepsie Leather, 30th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, WWII. Unusual because the very Dark Russet (virtually Chestnut) is a remarkably supple, unfaded Horsehide of an intense, almost Goatskin pebbled grain. At first we thought it was Goatskin and we still argue about it, believe it or not. And we know hides! But it's Horsehide.The printed leather squadron patch is a vibrant, brilliant design and also shows virtually no wear. Routinely, Poughkeepsie examples are virtually identical to those of nearby (family related?) Aero Leather, Beacon N.Y. This one is very different in hide, pigment and definition but the exception proves the rule and one can't make definitive, wide-ranging conclusions about a particular contractor, contract, etc. -- well, some do, but ignorance is bliss. Further, original A-2s did not come with markedly contrasting thread. Cotton thread, including ours, and as on this example, fades rapidly and disproportionately with use and exposure. Some components of the brown fade more quickly and intensely than others, leaving a faded thread color that could be khaki, tan, even yellow sometimes. The proof? Examine areas of an original A-2 that have been more or less protected from ultraviolet light: stitching under the collar, stitching inside pockets. Same color thread as exterior of jacket? We've examined, for example, LW black horsehide motorcycle jackets after just a couple of years of use in which what started as black thread was now light charcoal! The fading occurs more rapidly and markedly in climates with a lot of salt in the air -- just like in WWII, for every theater, ETO, MTO or Pacific. Moreover, we suspect that salt in body perspiration and ultraviolet light fades the Tobacco Brown liner to the very common (as above) yellowish, mustard colors because scraps of the lighter brown lining are always much darker on the reverse. | |
