Jacket, aviation, leather 37JI (various)

The 37JI jacket, made of capeskin leather, was issued by the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in July 1927 almost in parallel with the US Army Air Corps' adoption of the TYPE A-1 leather jacket and stayed in service for a short 3 years. The specification was either a bit vague or perhaps loosely followed by the manufacturers of the era which is why we see period photos of the jackets with various constructional differences. It could be also that there have been a few test jackets in circulation before the specification was standardized. Either that, or the Navy aviators were allowed to wear private purchase jackets of a similar design. Whatever the case may be we can now offer for the acute collector accurate reproductions of several of those designs.

Later, in the early thirties, the US Navy replaced the 37JI leather jacket for a similar garment made of "jungle cloth" which was used until the introduction of the cotton M-421 jacket and later in 1940, the M-422 jacket which was made in goatskin leather. 

Despite that you are being called to buy based on simple line drawing, you can rest assured that we will always deliver a product of Bill Kelso Mfg quality at its highest.