What about this jacket?

[blackrain]

What's the big deal if the A-2 is brown or black?  If the AF says we don't wear brown, black looks just as good and keeps you warm just as well.

While black does look just as good, I think the AF said "stay away from brown, CAP" because in my mind the brown A-2 invokes images of the  Air Force, WWII bomber crews, B-17s, etc.
In other words, the brown A-2 is too Air Force for CAP.*

*not my opinion, but what I think the Air Force thinks

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

[titanII]

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

I never said it was right

[blackrain]

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

I never said it was right

Point taken.


Again my apologies

[titanII]

Again my apologies

No worries, we're all on the same team here 

[Short Field]

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

Only flight crews can wear the A2 in the USAF.  It takes a set of orders.  By your logic, we ought to rant against all the servicemen who have died or been wounded but are not allowed to wear the CIB.  What next?  Green Berets?

My original point is that it was NOT A BROWN A2 but a look-alike the member wore with his corporate whties.  It just looked like an brown A2 until you looked closer.

[blackrain]

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

Only flight crews can wear the A2 in the USAF.  It takes a set of orders.  By your logic, we ought to rant against all the servicemen who have died or been wounded but are not allowed to wear the CIB.  What next?  Green Berets?

My original point is that it was NOT A BROWN A2 but a look-alike the member wore with his corporate whties.  It just looked like an brown A2 until you looked closer.

Definitely not trying to throw spears at anyone here.

Aircrew have wings, Infantry has the CIB, Airborne has jump wings, CAB for everyone else etc. They just wear them on the same duty uniform as everyone else in their particular service. I just think it's a little over the top to need an extra type of (expensive) outerwear to distinguish one group from another on a regular duty uniform. The Army recently decided (thankfully) to limit the Beret to the ASU (new dress uniform) and go back to the patrol cap on a day to day basis. Put another way, save any extras other than skill badges for the respective services dress uniforms. IMHO

By the way I took my Mangesil this morning to so I'm all better now

[Eclipse]

What's the big deal if the A-2 is brown or black?  If the AF says we don't wear brown, black looks just as good and keeps you warm just as well.

While black does look just as good, I think the AF said "stay away from brown, CAP" because in my mind the brown A-2 invokes images of the  Air Force, WWII bomber crews, B-17s, etc.
In other words, the brown A-2 is too Air Force for CAP.*

*not my opinion, but what I think the Air Force thinks

Heaven forbid we offend AF aircrews. When they go back to engaging FW-190s from a ball turret then I might feel they have a legit case. Last month I walked past 12 pictures at the reserve center of young troops in OIF/OEF who gave their lives and not one of them was wearing an A-2 at the time they died. Apologies for the rant and nothing against you guys but this touched a nerve.

Just a little tip - these "aircrews" in many cases make up a lot of the cadre of CAP-RAPs and SD's.  You know, the people who administer all of our
resources, approve our missions and related expenses, and audit our wings' ES programs and major cadet activities.  We don't have the cool points or BTDT chops to be offending them just to make a fashion statement.

Leave the brown one at one, and get something else.

[Buzz]

...not that anyone cares, but a new, definitive, cut-and-dried "do wear this, don't wear that" 39-1 is SORELY needed, because there are some Texas-sized holes in the current one.

And this is news, how exactly?

Because the earlier version only had holes the size of New Mexico . . ?

[Buzz]

On another note I have to ask why the Air Force sees fit to spend taxpayer money in this day and time on leather jackets for their aircrew. Not much in the overall scheme but still wonder why

Leather provides the best protection against wind, liquids (especially flammable and solvents) and sharp edges of any fire-protective material.