frequently asked questions

 
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1. Shipping
Stock Items are normally shipped the same day or within 1-2 days of your order. Custom orders normally shipped within 1 week. We offer shipping by UPS Ground, 2 day air, or overnight. Shipping price will show during checkout.
 
1.1 What is the difference between goatskin and Horsehide?
Horsehide (The original hide for the A-2) is very smooth in appearance and stiff in its drape. Goatskin is grainy in its appearance and very supple. Please note; the Horsehide will "break in" with in a few weeks for a wonderful drape, and the under color will start to show-up, creating the famous distress look, which the A-2 Jacket is known for. The Goatskin will not change its appearance much.
 
2. And what about lambskin?

Lambskin is a very soft skin, its drape very "soft" (some will say "flimsy"). Many times you can see lambskin in women's leather skirts or men's leather blazers. It is much softer than goatskin, but with the suppleness comes the price of durability. The fiber of lambskin is not as dense as goatskin or horsehide, and therefore it is susceptible for much more for rips and cuts. Wear and tear is much more evident. if you want to get a jacket that looks like you just walked out of the temple of doom, you should consider Vintage Goatskin.

 
3. What is the difference between Russet color and Seal Brown?

Russet is a medium color with a red tint in it (this is the original color of the A-2). Seal Brown is very dark brown. In our catalog, the front page image of A-2 is a Horsehide Russet. The A-2 goatskin is made of medium brown color and the G-1 Jacket is made of Seal Brown (darker than medium brown) goatskin. The Russet story: In the early 30’s when the original A-2 spec was created by the Army, the spec called for the color to be “Seal Brown”. In the tanning process with early day technology, the color dye process got oxidized and the result was a reddish color brown known as “Russet”, which is the color of all early day A-2 Horsehide jackets. In late 30’s technologies improved and the tanneries were able to stop the oxidization process, which result in a truer “Seal Brown” color (much darker, and not as reddish color). By the time that WWII arrived and the demand for A-2 jackets was extremely high, and the horsehide supply diminished (the end of the horse and buggy era, and machinery introduced in farming) the Army spec was revised to goatskin, and the color spec to “Seal Brown” which is known today as Medium Brown.

 
4. What does "Vintage" in the leather selection mean?

We offer vintage variation in horsehide and in goatskin. It is a leather process where the coloring finish process in the tannery was done mostly in the drum, in contrast to the standard skins that also had dye applied by sprayers (in order to achieve one uniform color and look). This process is also known as "naked finish", or a full Aniline process. As result, the hide has a wonderful character and depth in colors. Take a look at the Indy Leather Jacket as well as Barnstormer Leather Jacket

 
5. Is the back panel made from one piece?

Yes. One of the most distinct characteristics of an authentic A-2 Jacket is the one piece back panel.

 
6. Is the sleeve made from only two pieces?

Yes. Any additional cuts in the sleeve panels will make it less expensive, but not authentic.

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7. Does the jacket have single or double entry pockets?

As an Army spec, a soldier shouldn't stand with his hands in his pockets. Therefore, for authentic look, the front pockets are single entry pockets. For the A-2 jacket, we offer double entry (hand warmer) pockets as a custom option. Our G-1 jacket is available with Single or Double entry pockets (two separate pocket bags, so you don't put something from the top to be dropped from the side :)

 
8. Are there inside pockets?

For the Army A-2 spec Jacket, there are no inside pockets (pockets and more are available as custom-made work). Visit the Custom-Work Page. For the Navy G-1 Jacket, there is one inside pocket on the left side Front Facing.

 
9. How is the Hanger loop attached to the jacket?

The Hanger loop is stitched through and through the lining to the back panel with an X box stitch for enforcement.

 
10. What is the shape of the pocket flaps?

The pocket flap on the A-2 Jacket is curved graciously to a round tip. The pocket flap of the G-1 Navy Jacket isn't as curvy, but isn't a straight line.

 
11. What is the size of the A-2 epaulets?

Our stock A-2 jacket for horsehide or goatskin will have one size epaulets, 1 7/8" wide in the sleeve-end tapered to 1 3/8" in the neck-end. During WWII, many jackets had to be made in a rush by many different manufactures, therefore variations can be found and we will be happy to custom make it the way you like it.

 
12. What kind of zipper do you use?

For the A-2 Jacket, we use #6 Talon or Scovill. For the G-1 Jacket, we use #8 Heavy Duty zipper with a ring loop slider.

 
13. What is the lining made of?

The authentic A-2 spec calls for 100% cotton lining, and just like the original it is in the russet color. Don't compromise if the authentic details are required. The G-1 Jacket lining is 100% Bemberg Rayon. (We offer optional Bemberg lining in A-2 Jackets at no extra charge.)

 
14. What is the knit rib made of?

As an authentic spec, it calls for 100% wool.

 
15. Is the knit rib BI directional?

The knit rib for the G-1 jacket is Rib Rack (BI directional). The A-2 Jacket is one direction knit rib with flare in the cuffs.

 
16. What is the fur in the G-1 jacket made of?

Mouton Collar colors

The fur is Mutton (sheepskin). The stock jacket is Seal brown and as custom work it is available in Medium brown (like the Maverick top gun jacket, for example) or Russet..

 
17. What are the Army-Navy authenticity marks?

The G-1 Navy Jacket has a perforated USN mark on the wing placket under the zipper and a USN stamp in white paint on the under collar. The A-2 Jacket will have AN inspection stamp on the lining.

 
18. What size should I get?

We make the True Army-Navy spec, and therefore our jackets will fit like a uniform, fitted and trim. With that in mind, if you would like the uniform look, you should use the same size as your dress-suit, or if you like a fuller cut you should use one size larger. The G-1 jacket is fuller than the A-2 because of the BI-swing in the back. For further help visit the Size Page. read more on our blog Bomber Jackets, Classic vs Modern

 
19. What if my jacket doesn't fit?

We will exchange the jacket within 3 days of receiving the 1st jacket back. Also we can custom make jackets especially for your size. In any case, our policy is 30 days money back guaranteed.

 
20. What about custom made jackets?

We have a custom made department with a speedy turnaround time. Some of the custom made features are: double entry pockets, inside pockets, Thinsulate lining, and different types of leather like lamb skin, etc. We also offer jackets like MJ-3, G-8, Indy jacket, Kids jackets, and many more. You name it, we will make it. For custom work visit the Custom Work Page. Custom orders are not returnable. Please Contact Us for more info.

 
21. Can I get Nose Art painted on my jacket?

Yes. Our Art department will work with you to accommodate any art work required. We paint Squadron patches, insignia, and full back Nose Art. We can paint only on jackets made by us as a matter of guarantee. We have special formulated paint made especially to the leather we tanned so the painting will not “chip” and “break”. Also, our artist paints on a leather panel before the jacket has been assembled, so she can use it as canvas and provide the high quality work that you expect from us.

 
22. Is it safe to use my credit card?

Safe and Secure. Our website is secure. We use the Secure Socket Layer Protocol to ensure that ordering information is sent directly to U. S. Authentic, and that only U. S. Authentic can decode it.

 
23. What about my privacy?

Our Web server automatically recognizes the IP address and action of each visitor. We use individual information for error tracking only. The aggregate information on what pages are visited is used to improve the content of our Web page. In the course of using flightjacket.com web site, we may ask you for your email address or postal address. We may use your email address for order confirmation and follow up, and from time to let you know about special promotion, and addition to our web site. You can be assure that we will not provide any information that you provide us to out side sources. We will only use a telephone number you supply us with to contact you regarding an order that you have placed with US Authentic. We will not call you regarding promotions and we will not share your phone number with anyone.

 
24. Do you ship outside the US?

Yes we do. We ship world wide.

 
25. What is flightjacket.com a US Authentic Co. guarantee?

Our Guarantee. You have 30 days money back guarantee. You have life time guarantee on the leather. We will support you with any future work that you will need. Custom orders: We fully stand behind our product for any modification required, but we will not provide credit or cash refund.

 
26. How can I care for my Leather Jacket?

Our selection of hides and skins are from the best available worldwide. We treat our leather for protection, at the Tannery level. If your jacket is getting wet in the rain, just let it dry in a room temperature. If your jacket got dirty, just wipe clean it with a damp cloth. We do not recommend any conditioners, soaps etc. There is no need for that with our jackets. Remember, an aging jacket, is adding to the famous patina and beauty of the Leather Jackets.

A note about leather:

Man has used animal skin to insulate him from nature’s vagaries since the beginning of recorded time. Cows, sheep, horse, goat, deer and a host of others that roam this earth are subject to the same cuts, scrapes, bits, and bruises as man. That's why leather varies so much in appearance. Tanneries have the choice, depending upon their expertise and the desired result, to either mask all of these defects by what amounts to essentially a painting process, or to accentuate the natural texture through minimal interference in the character of the skin by the use of non-chemical approaches. If each skin is individual, and it usually takes more than one skin to make leather clothing, then it follows that there will be variations in the way that garment looks, even after all man's efforts to match and mask the skins differences. The tanning process and than the Finishing process further complicate the Quality determination procedure by stretching, shrinking and distressing leather. We can only remember that we are dealing with all natural phenomena so there will be variations no matter how much man interferes and tries to make it perfect.
 
27. What is the difference between The patches styles? Painted vs Imprint vs Embossed vs Embroidery

In General we can paint the patch in any color scheme you wish, you can provide instructions or picture and we will follow for your order. When we doing it our way, Subdued will show more leather surface compare to painted surface. We usually paint using the specific squadron colors.

  Hand Painted on Leather Imprint on Leather Enbossed leather Embroidery
Sample Picture         
Design Look 2D   2D 3D   2D
 Era association WWII  current   WWII/Current  WWII/Current
Minimum Order existing artwork 1 1 1 1
Minimum order NEW artwork 1 20 1 50
Can I change colors for existing design? yes no yes no
Can I change the layout design for existing artwork? yes no no no
One time art work cost for NEW artwork (less than qty of 20) none $125 $250 $125
One time art work cost for NEW artwork (Qty of 20 or more) none none none none
 Avarege Price  $95 $20 $75  $10 
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