Top Gun - The Jacket for mavericks

What comes to your mind when you hear or read about the bomber, leather, and most importantly, G-1 Jackets. No one would have known about aviators and leather jackets if they weren’t for 1986 released Top Gun. Legends have stated that regular attires and uniforms become a symbol of fashion when celebrities, characters, and idols adorn them through their personalities and persona. And, when you watch Top Gun’s Pete Mitchell in action, you’ll know what we’re talking about. 

Meanwhile, to begin with, G-1s were introduced in the late 1930s as official flight jackets for the U.S. Marine and Navy aviators. However, the one worn by Cruise’s character is one of the most famous leather jackets in cinema history. It would be fair to say that Top Gun’s jacket is right up there with the iconic leather jacket worn by Marlon Brando in The Wild One. 

Besides, when you move closer to understand what allowed its popularity to spread through the fashion industry, it was the true rendition of the USN anchor pin and a total of 17 naval patches. Not only is the jacket an actual representation of the gear issued to US navy pilots since 1938, but it also portrays individual battles and war heroics. Want to know more about what has elevated the jacket’s sales and popularity figures? Keep reading.

Top Gun’s Leather Jacket’s Significance

The TOP GUN G-1 Navy flight leather jacket was tailored to match the specifications of the early 1960s, coupled with a dark-toned brown fur-lined collar. Consequently, original Navy jackets comprised underarm gussets, single entry button-down pockets, and bi-swing backs for seamless mobility. These features allowed Navy flyers to notoriously fit into the cockpit and swim if they had to enable an emergency ejection. Furthermore, the jacket has a matching merino lamb mouton collar with a white USN stamp and closure flap. 

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The Navy regulations allow for one nametag on the left chest and a squadron patch on the right chest. That’s it.

As aviators moving around squadron units and assignments during their military career, the collect squadron and designation patches along the way.

Although there is only patch allowed on the jacket, it has become a rabel tradition (just like wearing the jacket outside the base) to add their earned patches to the jacket. Some will layered the patches on top of the other/s and only the “rocker” show, others will spread patches all over the jacket. 

Patches Used On Maverick’s Jacket

There are various ways to enhance the appearance of leather jackets, but this does not apply to US Navy flyers. They like to add embossed leather patches, which are typically logos that may depict anything. Although patches were not meant to represent personal achievements, many flyers added them to provide a personal touch to their gear.

However, in Top Gun’s case, Tom’s jacket comprised unique patches that narrate a different story. Here is a rundown of all 17 patches. 

CAG-19 Patch
Carrier Air Wing Nineteen Made The Most West-Pac Cruises Aboard CVA-31. Until 1966 When The Ship Enter Long Beach Naval Shipyard For Overhaul.
From 1958 to 1965 CVW-19 And Bon Homme Richard Were A Great Team. The VAW-13 Det. Was Not Aboard For The Complete Cruise, But Cross-Decked Between Carriers During Line Periods. Additional Note VF-193 Made It's Last Cruise As Part Of Air Wing Nineteen In 1963, In October Of That Year It Was Re-Designated VF-142, And Began Transitioning From The F-3H Demon To The F-4B Phantom. Source.
It Would Be Replaced By VF-194 On The Next Two Cruises. From historical prospective it is must liley that it was chosen by wordrobe for the movie without any realistic timelime with Pete Maverick career. 

CVW-2 Top Ten Patch 

This is the old version of the Carrier Airwing Two (CVW-2) award patch for being one of the top 10 carrier pilots while aboard the USS Ranger. They are given grades for each landing, and at the end of each "period" (typically 3-4 per cruise), they award the best flyers.

Naval Air Station Jacksonville  
is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States.
It is one of the facilities for pilot training. source 

Tom Cat Patch

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was central to the 1986 film  Top Gun . The aviation-themed film was such a success in creating interest in naval aviation that the US Navy, which assisted with the film, set up recruitment desks outside some theaters. Producers paid the US Navy $886,000 (equivalent to $2,131,938 in 2020) as reimbursement for flight time of aircraft in the film with an F-14 billed at $7,600 (equivalent to $18,288 in 2020) per flight hour. Source 

P. Mitchell US Naval Patch

This patch qualifies P. Mitchell to be a part of the US Navy. 

Comcrudes-9 Patch
The logo represents a naval or flotilla Destoyer squadron 9.

In 1978 Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5 consisted of  Destroyer Squadron 9 ,  Destroyer Squadron 21 ,  Destroyer Squadron 31 , and  Destroyer Squadron 37  ( Naval Reserve Force ). The headquarters and the three active squadrons were at San Diego while Destroyer Squadron 37 was at Seattle, WA. source. 

7th Fleet Patch
The Seventh Fleet  is a  numbered fleet  of the  United States Navy . It is headquartered at  U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka , in  Yokosuka ,  Kanagawa Prefecture , Japan.
It is part of the  United States Pacific Fleet . At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with 60 to 70 ships, 300 aircraft and 40,000 Navy, Marine Corps personnel, and Coast Guard support personnel. ^[1]  Its principal responsibilities are to provide joint command in  natural disaster or military operations and operational command of all US naval forces in the region. source 

Vigilance Patch
It represented advanced guided-missile destroyers and the cruisers that carried nuclear power. 

 CLG-31963 Far East Cruise

It is a Cleveland-class cruiser that was changed to a Galveston rocket cruiser.

USS  Oriskany  (CV/CVA-34)  

Nicknamed Mighty O , ^[1]  and occasionally referred to as  the O-boat  – was one of the few  Essex -class   aircraft carriers  completed after  World War II  for the  United States Navy . The ship was named for the  Battle of Oriskany  during the  Revolutionary War . Following 25 years of service,  Oriskany  was decommissioned on 30 September 1976, and laid up for long-term storage in  Bremerton, Washington so refence to Lt. Pete Mitchell career is not clear or realistic. source

3rd Marine Amphibious Patch

III MEF was reactivated 6 May 1965 in  Da Nang ,  Republic of Vietnam  under Major General  William R. Collins . 7 May 1965, III MEF was re-designated as  III Marine Amphibious Force  (III MAF) and consisted of the  1st Marine Division ,  3rd Marine Division  and the  1st Marine Aircraft Wing . The III MAF's area of operations was in the northern  I Corps Tactical Zone . III MAF participated in the  Vietnam War  from May 1965 – April 1971 operating from  Quang Tri ,  Thua Thien ,  Quang Nam ,  Quang Tin , and  Quang Ngai . III MAF deployed to Camp Courtney, Okinawa in April 1971. source

DLG-32 USS William H. Standley.

was a  Belknap -class destroyer leader / cruiser . She was named for Admiral  William Harrison Standley , former  Chief of Naval Operations  and ambassador to the  Soviet Union . She was launched as  DLG-32 , a frigate, and  reclassified Cruiser on 30 June 1975. source 

Texas Dallas Patch

 I guess Lt. Pete Mitchell was a proud texan. 

VF-1 Squadron

The patch refers to a fifth Naval force squadron, the “Wolf pack.”

3rd Marine Wing

The  3rd Marine Aircraft Wing  (abbreviated as  3rd MAW ) is the major  west coast  aviation unit of the  United States Marine Corps . It is headquartered at  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , in  San Diego ,  California  and provides the  aviation combat element  for  I Marine Expeditionary Force . The wing is made up of a headquarters squadron, four flying  groups , an aviation  command and control group and an aviation engineering group. Source .

USN Seabees

Seabees are US Naval force individuals from the Development battalions. Moreover, Top Gun paid tribute to Seabees since they assisted in building the film’s set. 

Embossed Leather Patches Have A Rich History

Embossed leather patches may be in fashion, but they aren’t a new fashion trend. In fact, such a trend dates back to the 2nd World War when military aviators found creative ways to enhance the appearance of their flight jackets or uniforms. Since then, many pilots have embossed handmade patches produced by local artisans. 

If you look back to the beginning of the war, many teenage flyers demonstrated their rugged individuality. They had their jacket’s backs painted with pane’s nicknames, images, little bombs, and the number of missions their crew flew. While some had scantily clad babes gleefully riding phallic bombs, others would have cuddly cartoon characters charging forward with bombs, driven by the determination to execute. 

Are You Up For Top Gun Fashion?

Remember, the Top Gun fashion trend is for everyone. You do not necessarily have to be Tom Cruise to pose in a bomber or G-1 leather jacket, showcased in Top Gun. One can find tons of perfect replicas of the iconic brown jackets with lamb moutan collars. However, if you want to go full-on Maverick and look dap in all those patches, check out the G-1 Leather Top Gun Jacket by Flight Jacket. Several manufacturers are crafting various dies to produce near-perfect patches used in the 1986 blockbuster. 

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To make the jacket and patches color-perfect, artists use hand paint multi-color designs, airbrush leather stains, and outline the indented areas. Not only does this give the 1980s feel, but it also makes the jacket durable and long-lasting. 

The Bottom Line

If you are a die heart Cruise fan and want to pose as the Top Gun Maverick with aviators and a leather jacket, consider having a custom-made jacket. Look for a store that offers exclusive and extended sizes if you find it hard to find an ideal fit. In the end, you wouldn’t want to leave yourself out when the sequel to Top Gun releases in a few days. 

The Sequel for the 1986 Topgun Movie is just about to hit theaters world wide, and not with controversy about the top gun jacket. But for that stay tune to our next blog about the upcoming top gun movie.