Flight Suits: Top Quality Flight Jacket Leathers

Many customers are surprised we make jackets from so many different types of leather. Each type of leather has its own unique characteristics. Some leathers are tougher and more resilient, while others are softer, richer, and suppler. The leather you choose should be based on how your jacket will be worn. When you give your jacket hard wear at work, you need a strong leather like goatskin, cowhide, or horsehide. They are naturally tough enough to stand up to the punishment. But if you want a jacket for casual or dressy wear, goatskin, or lambskin will give you a rich look and a supple, luxurious feeling.

Leather is graded by quality and given a rating from A to D. We buy only top quality leather even though it can cost twice as much as lower quality. As a result, our jackets have a more consistent, beautiful look, and they feel as though they are part of you. The better quality hides also cut better because they are larger, and we can use less pigment in finishing. In fact, the leather in our jackets costs more than the selling price of jackets made by some manufacturers who use low quality leather and then cover it with enough pigment to hide the flaws.

The tanning process affects the look and feel of leather. First, the tannery dyes the leather in a large rotating drum until it is completely penetrated by natural, fatty dyes. The dyed leather is toggled and pigmented to exactly the right shade of color. After pigmenting, leather is tumbled in a heated drum for up to 10 hours to give it the right softness. Last, the leather is pressed, polished, or buffed for a beautiful look and feel

Goatskin

Goatskin is a good choice for high quality leather jackets. Both the Navy and the Army Air Force originally specified goatskin for their flight jackets. Goat has a subtle pebble grain, it is strong and durable, but it is also supple and comfortable to wear. And it doesn't get stiff if you're caught out in the rain. We've seen goatskin jackets that look even better after 50 years of wear than when new.

Cowhide

Cowhide is the most popular jacket leather because it is strong, durable, and economical. The hides are very large so they are efficient to cut. Cowhide can be smooth, but we specify a subtle pebble grain similar to goatskin. Police and motorcycle jackets are usually made from cowhide.

Lambskin

Lambskin is a luxurious leather popular in high fashion jackets, where its suppleness and versatility are prized. We finish our brown and black lambskin to a warm, pleasing luster. Our vintage lambskin is buffed after finishing so it has the rich patina of a jacket with a few years of wear. And as you wear a lambskin jacket, it will gradually conform to your body and almost become part of you.

Horsehide

Millions of horses were used as draft animals on farms until tractors replaced them after World War II. And the ruggedness of horsehide made it popular for jackets including the Army Air Corps A-2. Today, horsehide is scarce and expensive, but its rugged qualities are not forgotten. Our horsehide is dyed and tanned to the same color and weight used by the Army Air Force from 1931 to 1942. As you wear your horsehide jacket, it will gradually take on the warm, rich, glow of a vintage jacket.