Original Korean War U. Airforce Navy Blue B-15C Flight Jacket Mens Size 40. Incredible — Rare in this condition. Zippers and tags intact. No stains or tears to the nylon. Mouton collar in excellent condition. Pit to pit 25 (flares out at the pits like all flight jackets). Shoulder to shoulder 19. Shoulder to cuff 25.5. Shoulder to bottom 26. Excellent historical information from Buzz Rickson website. Air Force Type B-15C Intermediate Flight Jacket replaced the earlier Olive Drab B-15B Flight Jacket beginning in 1950. The most easily recognized difference between the B-15C Flight Jacket and B-15B Flight Jacket is color. By 1950, the USAF began changing the color of most of its flying clothing from Olive Drab to Air Force Blue as part of an overall plan to forge a separate identity from the other branches of service, especially the army. The B-15C Flight Jacket was initially produced for a very short period from surplus Olive Drab nylon left over from the superseded B-15B Flight Jackets, but the overwhelming majority of B-15C Flight Jackets were manufactured in a gorgeous dark blue nylon. Though a B-15C Flight Jacket is scarce, a B-15C mod. Flight Jacket is truly a very special and rare garment. The designation of mod. Stands for modified, meaning the B-15 Flight Jacket has been modified by a USAF Materiel Command Depot in accordance with a USAF directive of 1954. The directive called for all of the types of B-15 Flight Jackets on issue or in stock to be modified, whereupon the factory-installed fur collar was to be removed and a wool knit collar installed in its place. This modification was intended to reduce the flying jackets flammability that was considered greater with a fur collar in place. B-15 Flight Jackets so modified were to have a new label indicating this new modified status sewn either directly over the original factory label or located somewhere under the original label. The label information could be printed, typed, hand written or applied with a stencil or ink stamp on any available fabric. Since the modification was performed after the jacket was originally made, it is typical to find the thread color around the collar area not matching the thread that assembled the B-15 Flight Jacket, and it is also common to find the new knit collar color to be in a shade that doesnt quite match the knit on the rest of the jacket. In all other ways, the flight jacket remained a B-15 of whatever spec. It was originally – B-15A, B-15B, B-15C or B-15D. Flight Jackets lightweight construction, comfortable non-bulky warmth, fabulous blue color and natural good looks made this style an instant success with jet jockeys at bases around the world, as well as anyone who could beg, borrow or steal one of these coveted gems. It was intended for wear in climates between 22 degrees and 52 degrees Fahrenheit, thus ideally suited for early spring, late fall and winter. The famous USAF MA-1 Flight Jacket was directly derived from the modified B-15s in 1957. Although superseded by the MA-1, it was not uncommon to find an old veteran still wearing some of the B-15 series flying jackets in their modified configurations into the 1960s. The popularity of B-15 Flight Jacket series produced one of the longest continued service careers of any flying jacket in the history of the USAF. The item “Vintage Korean War U. S. Airforce Navy Blue B-15C Military Flight Jacket Men’s 40″ is in sale since Wednesday, August 7, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\Korea (1950-53)\Original Period Items”. The seller is “chrischadw5pke” and is located in Alexandria, Virginia. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States