Vintage 1990s Schott B-3 Sheepskin Flying Jacket, USAAF Pattern Label

Twenty-five thousand feet over Europe, 1943. It’s forty below outside the aircraft and not much warmer inside, and the waist gunner’s window is open to the sky. The only heating anyone has is what they’re wearing. This is what they wore.

Fifty years later, Schott built it again. This one was made in the 1990s from the original wartime drawing. The number is woven into the label at the back of the neck, along with U.S.A.A.F. and the old New York address. Schott has been making leather jackets in New York since 1913, and here it went for heavy sheepskin, cross-pieced across the back the way the 1940s jackets were, with every seam bound in leather. Even the buckles carry the Schott name.

Every part of a B-3 is there for a reason, and Schott kept all of them. The big shearling collar turns up and closes across the throat with a double leather strap, so the fleece seals round the face against the wind. The leather binding on every seam protects the cut edges of the sheepskin and stops them splitting under strain. The hand-warmer pockets are set at an angle so a gloved hand drops straight in, and they’re lined in soft suede. Buckled straps at each side of the waist draw the hem in tight to stop the cold getting underneath. None of it is decoration.

Thirty years have done the rest. The hide has faded to a dry, dusty brown that’s paler across the shoulders and darker where the arms have moved. It’s exactly the look people try to buy new and never quite get. Inside, the cream fleece fills the whole jacket, body, sleeves and collar, and turns out again at the cuffs and hem. It’s still thick, and it still does the job the B-3 was designed for.

It has now been cleaned and conditioned, so the sheepskin is nourished and the fleece is fresh, but all that character has been left exactly as it was. It’s ready for another thirty winters.

Condition & Restoration

Very good vintage condition. The sheepskin is strong and supple, with a natural grain and a beautifully aged finish. Beneath the collar on the right shoulder there is some light distressed wear and slight grazing to the surface. It’s minor, sits under the collar, and is shown in the images. The fleece is dense and full throughout, the leather binding and stitching are sound, and the zip, strap buckles and waist adjusters all work as they should.

Professionally dry cleaned and conditioned.

Key Features

• 1990s Schott B-3 sheepskin flying jacket
• Black woven label in the wartime USAAF style: Type B-3, DWG 44H2486, Schott Bros. Inc., New York
• Sheepskin with the fleece and hide as one piece
• Faded, aged brown finish with natural grain
• Dense cream fleece throughout the body, sleeves and collar
• Dark brown leather-bound seams
• Traditional cross-panel back
• Double throat strap with Schott-stamped buckles
• Buckled waist adjusters with Schott-stamped buckles
• Heavy brass zip with leather pull
• Slanted hand-warmer pockets lined in brown suede
• Turned-out shearling cuffs and hem

Size & Fit

Measurements, laid flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 26" / 66 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 23" / 58.4 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 26.5" / 67.3 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 17" / 43.2 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 26" / 66 cm

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

Fit: A classic B-3 cut, broad through the shoulders and short in the body, with the thick fleece taking up room inside. The buckled waist adjusters draw it in for a closer fit. Please go by the measurements above, and compare them with a jacket you already own.