FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket
| | Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket |
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I've always had a weak spot for the classic A2 leather "bomber" jacket. It's hard to beat it for plain old great looks and you can get by wearing one in just about any situation short of a formal occasion. My problem was that I never could get one with the combination of features I wanted. Well, "never say never," my grandfather used to say.
I'm proud to introduce the Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket, a practical and functional, great looking upgraded leather bomber jacket with all the features I want and a jacket that could save your life™ as well. (No, that's not a typo, that the way the trademark FlameGaurd™ is spelled)
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket goes to support the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation.
When I first read about Perrone Leather Company's new FlameGaurd™ A2 Leather Jacket I was quite excited. The combination of Perrone's fire resistant FAA-approved goatskin leather, a Nomex lining and Nomex knit cuffs and waist band significantly upped the protection for a pilot or driver in an accident. When I received a sample, I loved the high Perrone quality (my first leather bomber jacket many years ago was Perrone and they still are the best in my opinion), but the interior pocket arrangement just didn't do much for me. I expect a jacket to be capable of carrying my stuff--lots of stuff if necessary--and securely so it doesn't disappear. I wanted more and better pockets. It was time to take this technologically advanced interpretation of a classic concept up another notch.
The standard FlameGaurd™ A2 jacket from Perrone comes with a single interior leather trimmed wallet pocket and a pair of traditional side facing all-leather handgun/pistol pockets at the waist. The wallet pocket trim was too bulky for my taste and there was no way to secure it whatsoever. The pistol pockets are of limited practical use, designed originally for a small frame revolver. They won't hold a large frame revolver or any full frame semi-auto like my daily carry .40 Glock 22, the current issue 9mm Beretta M9/92FS, a .45 1911 variant, or the like. (Besides, I want my Glock on my waist in a holster of some sort or much higher for easier access when sitting, or for better concealment and out of the way, underarm.) Being side facing with only a snap for closure, they also don't work very well to securely hold much of anything else.
My Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket has four useful interior pockets. We turned around those gun pockets so they open at the top and have a brass snap closure for security. While still trimmed in leather, the interior of the pocket is Nomex for less bulk.
We redesigned the wallet pocket to make the entry less bulky and added a zipper for security. Then we added a matching pocket on the other side as well.
Now, there's plenty of secure storage with four interior pockets and the two outside snap flap patch pockets over the hand warmer pockets, eight pockets total.
Those hand warmer pockets are great in inclement weather. Anyone who has worn the typical current mil-spec Nomex jacket or an original WWII design A2 knows what a pain it is not to have those hand warmer pockets. The hell with that! These are practical and large enough to use even wearing pilot's Nomex gloves.
I also added a brass snap at the waistband so that it's quick and easy just to close the jacket down there for a little more warmth or to keep it from flapping open without having to hook up and start zipping up the zipper.
The lining of the Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is black Nomex. My original sample came with the bright orange lining and I loved it, but most of my friends and associates who saw it weren't nearly so excited about the orange. I can take a hint, so we decided to stick with black.
The dark brown knit Nomex cuffs and waist bad are designed to provide added protection in case of fire, just as with current issue mil-spec Nomex flight jackets. They ensure that there's no chance that flames will get under the protective barrier of the FlameGaurd™ leather and Nomex as could happen with open cuffs or waist band.
These Nomex features are a huge safety upgrade over the normal poly-cotton and nylon you'll find in less technologically advanced versions of the A2, or the silk or cotton equipped versions of the WW II original.
The supple dark brown goatskin FlameGaurd™ leather is treated to be water and stain resistant and will age beautifully. Goatskin is also a tough leather, despite the luxurious hand and feel. It's all sewn with Nomex thread.
Beyond the FlameGaurd™ leather, Nomex features and these special added touches, the jacket incorporates the excellent feature set from the classic A2 jacket. There's a snap-down leather collar and a leather wind flap over the solid brass zipper (with Nomex zipper tape). The epaulets aren't there to hold a pair of pilot's boards (though they could). They are securely cross sewn at both ends so that in an emergency where someone had to pull you out of or away from a flaming crash or wreck "right now," they can grab hold of those epaulets without them tearing loose.
Each Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is hand crafted to order by Perrone here in the U.S.A. The FlameGaurd™ leather is tested to comply with FAA-FAR 25.853(aii) and it comes with four Flammability Certificates of Authenticity. It's available is sizes 36 - 56 Regular and Long. Custom sizing is available for an extra charge, contact Aeromedix.com for details.
Whether you are driving or flying, the Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket provides you an extra measure of protection in an emergency, a jacket that could save your life™, while looking great at the same time! If you like to wear a leather flight jacket, why wouldn't you want the safety advantages this technologically advanced jacket offers? Even with all the practical detail changes we've made to make it even better, you'll only pay a $25 premium over the cost of the standard Perrone FlameGaurd™ A2.
The Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is available exclusively from Aeromedix.com and the introductory price is only $475.
Nomex is a trademark for DuPont's brand of fire resistant aramid fiber.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket goes to support the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation.
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| A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Doug Ritter Gear supports the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation. |
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First Published on: November 8, 2006
Revision: 01 November 30, 2006
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