Vintage 1980s American Type B-3 Sheepskin Flight Jacket USAAF

Seven in the morning, late February. There’s frost on the windscreen and wind coming in off the moor, and you’ve forty minutes to wait on a station platform with no shelter.

Most men would be counting the minutes. The man in this jacket has his collar up and both throat straps buckled, and he’s reading the paper.

The B-3 was never meant to be stylish. It was made for American aircrew flying high in unheated bombers, where the cold could take a man’s fingers. Style came later, and on its own. It always does with things built honestly.

This one was made in America in the late 1980s. In the years since, it has done what good sheepskin does. The chocolate brown has warmed to chestnut across the shoulders, the grain has opened and creased, and the leather binding along every seam has softened at the edges. Each panel was cut from a different skin and has aged in its own way. Turn it round and the back reads like a map.

Those who know B-3s check under the collar first. The original label is still there.

The details: mid-weight sheepskin, where the fleece and the hide are the same thing, so nothing is sewn in to slip or flatten. Cream wool at the collar, cuffs and hem, still thick and clean. Twin leather throat straps with buckles. A heavy brass-toned zip, serviced and waxed. Angled hand-warmer pockets with soft leather welts. Side straps to draw in the waist.

Forty years in the making. All you have to do is wear it.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition.

The sheepskin is supple and structurally sound throughout. It has a rich natural patina, with grain, creasing, gentle rubbing and tonal variation across the panels, sleeves and seams. The cream fleece is particularly well preserved, with excellent density through the body, sleeves, cuffs and collar and only gentle tonal variation from age and the individual hides. The collar is full and well shaped. Both throat straps and their buckles are present, along with the waist straps.

The jacket has been specialist cleaned in-house and hand-conditioned with our own workshop-blended sheepskin conditioner. This nourishes the hide while keeping its grain, colour and patina. The fleece has been cleaned and refreshed. The main zip has been serviced, waxed and polished and runs smoothly. The buckles and hardware have been cleaned while keeping their naturally aged finish.

All photographs show the actual jacket for sale and are part of the condition description.

Key Features

• Late 1980s American-made Type B-3 flight jacket
• Mid-weight sheepskin, with fleece and hide as one material
• Deep chocolate-brown exterior, warming to chestnut with age
• Dense natural cream fleece
• Multi-panel construction with leather-bound seams
• Pronounced grain and tonal variation from hide to hide
• Large shearling collar with twin leather throat straps and buckles
• Heavy brass-toned main zip, serviced and waxed
• Two angled hand-warmer pockets with leather welts
• Adjustable leather waist straps
• Exposed fleece collar, cuffs and hem
• Original Type B-3 label
• Specialist cleaned and hand-conditioned in our workshop

Size & Fit

Measurements, laid flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 27" / 67.3 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 24" / 61 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 27" / 68.6 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 19" / 50.8 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 27.5" / 69.9 cm

Best suited to: 46" chest, regular / Size XL

Fit: A classic B-3 cut, generous through the body to leave room for the thick fleece, with the turned-out shearling hem sitting at the waist. Side straps draw it in for a closer fit. Please go by the measurements above rather than the label, and compare them with a jacket you already own.