A Brief History of the Bomber Flight Jacket

The original skyex suits was born of necessity, during the First World War, when fighter pilots had to fly in open planes at high altitudes. Their mission was, of course, to bomb the enemy.

The first pilots in the world to be issued with so-called bomber jackets were those who were in the Royal Marine Corps, serving in parts of Europe during 1915. The earliest jackets were long and made of leather.

It didn't take other countries long to follow suit, particularly the US military, that established its Aviation Clothing Board in 1917 and soon began making its own version of the leather bomber flight jacket. If you look at the typical A-2 (Air Force)or G-1 (Navy) bomber-type designs on sale in fashion houses today, you will see what these early designs looked like. Highly practical, and made to keep out the cold high up in the sky, they had high wraparound collars, zippers down the front with wind flaps, and they fitted snugly around both wrists and waist.

By the time war broke out again in 1939, the original style jackets had changed somewhat and many were lined with fur. These were then largely replaced by shearling jackets that were lined with sheepskin. These styles ranged from the B-3 bomber flight jacket to the M-455, another Navy jacket.

As synthetic materials became more reliable - including being beautifully warm and long lasting - military and naval jackets were manufactured using these materials. For example, the MA-1 US military jacket, mostly manufactured from a sage green material and lined with bright orange, was made from nylon and lined. This design had slanted flap pockets in front, as well as inner pockets and a zipped compartment on the left sleeve to hold a pen. 

Today US military flight jackets are made from Nomex, which is similar to nylon, but also flame resistant and a lot more rigid and durable than nylon.