Flight Suits: A-2: A.V.G."Flying Tigers" Leather Flight Jacket

The American Volunteer Group, popularly known as the Flying Tigers, were U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots who volunteered to fly in China and Burma during 1941 and 1942. Flying P-40 Warhawks in primitive conditions, they shot down over 300 planes while losing only 12 P-40's in combat. The first American fliers in combat in the Pacific, they were formally known as the First American Volunteer Group, often shortened to A.V.G. The name Flying Tigers was first used on March 24, 1942, when an American correspondent quoted a Chinese newspaper story saying the American fliers were virtually "fei-hu" (flying tigers). The name stuck, and the A.V.G. has been known as the Flying Tigers ever since.

AVG A-2 Flight Jacket shown in russet brown horsehide.

When the Flying Tiger pilots joined the 14th Air Force in 1942, they kept their leather jackets. Original Flying Tiger jackets with hand-made leather patches, nametags, and insignia are collector's items and sell for thousands of dollars. Our A.V.G. jacket is typical of those worn by 23rd Fighter Group pilots flying in the 14th Air Force.
A genuine russet brown horsehide A-2, it has a cotton lining and a nickel zipper with bell pull. (See USAAF WWII Historical A-2 for more information on our WWII horsehide A-2 jacket.) We've added precisely reproduced leather patches including the famous 23rd Fighter Group, China-Burma-India (CBI), Army Air Force, AVG Blood Chit, and a hand-stamped leather nametag with your name.

Technical Specifications:

Drum-dyed horsehide

Pure cotton lining

Worsted wool cuffs and waistband

Black oxide collar and pocket snaps

Nickel hook-and-eye at neck

Nickel zipper with bell pull

Army Air Force contract label

Army Air Force and AN inspection stamp

Underarm eyelets for ventilation

Leather hangar sewn through the jacket back

Regulation shoulder epaulets sewn in a box stitch

Back and sleeve front cut in one piece

Gracefully curved pocket flaps

Precisely sewn seams 1/8 inch from edge at 8-9 stitches per inch

Leather 23rd Fighter Group patch

Leather CBI patch

Leather & embroidered USAAF patch

Leather AVG Blood Chit

Leather nametag with your name

Standard Sizes:

Sizes - Men's sizes 36 to 48, regular & tall.
Other sizes are made-to-measure.

Item LFAH1	AVG A-2 Jacket Horsehide, Russet brown.	$928
Item LFBH1	Flying Tiger A-2 Jacket Horsehide, Russet brown.	$728