A Better Leather Flight Jacket from D.R.

Just in time for the holidays, I am pleased to announce the Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket. 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. (no, that's not a typo, that the way the trademark FlameGaurd™ is spelled)

The Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is 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. The combination of fire resistant FAA-approved goatskin leather, a Nomex lining and Nomex knit cuffs and waist band significantly up the protection for a pilot (or driver) in an accident.



Compared to the standard A2, my Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket has four practical and secure interior pockets along with the two outside snap flap patch pockets over the hand warmer pockets, eight pockets total.

For those wanting even more storage, you can add an optional sunglasses and pen pocket to either, or both, sleeve(s).

The Nomex lining of the Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is available in your choice of black or our exclusive orange Nomex (no extra charge). 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 the next one we did in black (pictured here). It's your choice; just depends if you are enamored of safety orange or prefer a more fashionable and less attention grabbing 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.

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.

Give a gift or buy yourself a gift of great looks, functionality and safety this holiday season. Price of my Doug Ritter FlameGaurd™ Leather Flight Jacket is $475 and it's available exclusively from Aeromedix.com

For additonal details and photos, please see: http://www.dougritter.com/dr_flamegaurd_jacket.htm

Looks sharp!

Wish I had the dough! The price is a bundle, but it sounds like you get what you pay for. This jacket covers all the possibilities, even Nomex thread. After you survive the fire, you won't have your jacket coming apart at the seams!

Let's see, now. If I save a dollar a day . . . . . 1 year & 4 months?

Nomex + signal liner + pocket for the PSP + pocket for a AMK Pocket Medic + more usable pockets.

Add a silk scarf (white or cream, of course) that is long enough to wind aroudn your head, and a pair of gloves, and you not only look sharp, but are equipped in a socially invisable manner. Only thing missing is a blood chit.

How are the inside pockets configured? Could they possibly be used, or modified, to work with a small handgun, something like the 511 Tactical BBS holsters???

They have been specifically changed from the original design so that they are NOT handgun pockets. If you want to have handgun pockets, get the original. Those pockets accept small frame or short barreled revolvers and semis, but they are just a pocket, no holster or provision for one.

That's about it. You get it! <g>

Thanks...

It's about the price of a The North Face Gore Tex jacket... I don't know if I could buy one because I live in Canada and I would also want to try it on. But it's instructive to read the features and I was just wondering about leather jackets, about what's the best leather... I think the most common is lambskin...

François

Will a paperback novel fit in one of the interior pockets? That's one of my criteria for jackets since I always have a book with me and cargo pants are not always socially acceptable.

Yes, no problem. Just slipped a 450 page paperback in the lower inside pockets with room to spare for a even a bit thicker one. Won't snap closed, but the book fits *IN* the pocket.

Lambskin is certainly not the most common for flight jackets, or probably any leather considering it's lots more expensive. Traditionally, they are either horsehide or goatskin, mostly the latter in recent history, but cheap versions today are often made of cowhide. What's best is subject to lots of factors including quality and thickness, and the use to which it is to be put and how it is treated. Goatskin in these jackets has stood the test of time. It's durable and becomes very supple with use. I was given a lambskin A2 many years ago as a gift (also a Perrone jacket, but it was stolen) and it was more 'luxurious" feeling, but didn't seem as robust. <shrug>

What's your thought on maintaining the leather. I like to go over my leather jacket about once a year with Kiwi shoe polish.

Perrone makes both cleaners and a conditioner. Obviously, it's what they recommend for their products. I've used them before and they work well. http://www.allleathermaintenance.com/consumer_product.htm

From what you typed, it almost sound like you said "Ooops. Somebody could fit a pistol in there. We had better fix that..." when you were deisgning it.

Thanks for the info and picture. Now I have to convince the wife on the cost...

Not sure how to read that into what I wrote, but perhaps taken out of context. I just wanted them to be practical and secure to carry stuff. See http://www.dougritter.com/dr_flamegaurd_jacket.htm for the full explanation.

Actually, the only thing you need to answer about the pockets is "will the AMK psk and fak fit into the pockets"? <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Does a bear.....

Like that question needs to be asked!!
Looks nice. Wish I had the green.

Any chance to see a picyure of orghange liners?