And there are plenty of them out there, I suppose.
Seriously, the A-2, or better put, jackets derived from the A-2, have become a widely accepted part of the culture. It doesn't faze me in the least to see someone wearing a flight jacket. The wearing of 'flight jackets' is so widespread that I don't consider it any reliable indication that the wearer is, or is trying to pass for, a pilot. Flight jackets are really very practical pieces of outerware for many purposes other than getting into airplanes with open cockpits.
Carlos hit the nail a good one when he brought up the issue of badges and patches.
I really wouldn't have a problem with someone wearing a bloodchit on the outside of a jacket as a stylish touch. Sixty years later, I really doubt that there will be much of a problem with misinterpretation. The bloodchit is no more specific than an American flag on the shoulder.
I do have a problem with wearing patches and badges that suggest membership in a given unit, etc., when you haven't earned the right to them. I'm not going to be seen wearing an Eighth Air Force insignia, or a patch from a squadron to which I never belonged. You earn such things. The bar bozo that Bob described is a worm.
I don't have any patches on my jackets. They are as sterile as they come.
I wear them not to look like a pilot (well, you could ask Bob about my haircut, I suppose) but because I like them. I wear polo shirts, too, without playing any polo.
And I have a couple of pair of Lucchese boots, just to get Bill going.
Cheers,
OCD
Posted on Nov 24, 2001, 7:17 AM from IP address 64.24.247.203