The History of the Aviator Jacket

The aviator jacket's history is the history of the sheepskin flying jacket. Leslie Irvin, an American parachute maker, designed one in the 1920s to protect pilots from the cold, set up a factory in England by 1926, and saw the British Air Ministry approve it in 1932. The U.S. B-3 followed the same idea. After the war the shearling look moved into everyday wardrobes, and "aviator jacket" now usually means a short jacket with a big fur or sheepskin collar.

This page is part of our bomber and flight jackets guide. The leather-to-nylon bomber story is told separately in the history of the bomber jacket.

Key takeaways- The classic sheepskin flying jacket was designed by Leslie Irvin, who supplied most of the RAF's flying jackets in World War II.- RAF fighter pilots wore it in the 1940 Battle of Britain because their cockpits had no heating.- By 1943 cost and supply limits kept it for bomber crews.- Sources disagree on when the U.S. B-3 appeared: 1934 or during World War II.

Aviator jacket history at a glance

A parachute maker designs a jacket

Leslie Irvin was not a tailor. Born in Los Angeles in 1895, he was a film stuntman who made the first premeditated free-fall jump with a modern parachute in 1919, and his parachute company was founded that year.

The jacket came from the same problem as the parachute: flying higher. In the 1920s, open cockpits and higher-flying aircraft exposed pilots to dangerous cold, so Irvin designed a sheepskin jacket. By 1926 he had a factory in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

One maker tells it differently. Aero Leather calls Irvin a British pilot and says the jacket was designed during World War II. The Imperial War Museums and Wikipedia both describe an American stuntman and a 1920s design.

Why sheepskin?

Sheepskin keeps the wool on. Shearling is the skin of a recently shorn sheep or lamb tanned with the wool left in place, with a suede side and a fur side.

Warmth was the whole point. In World War II, some heavy bombing raids flew at 25,000 ft (7,600 m) or higher, where the air could reach −58 °F (−50 °C), in uninsulated cabins. Shearling flight jackets are counted among the warmest ever made.

The RAF Irvin jacket

The Imperial War Museums describe the design in detail:

War changed how it was made. Early jackets used large single sheepskin panels, later called the "Battle of Britain pattern"; as the war went on, makers sewed smaller panels together, giving a patchwork look.

Closed cockpits did not end the need. Hurricane and Spitfire cockpits had no heating, so fighter pilots wore the jacket in the 1940 Battle of Britain. By 1943, cost and supply limits restricted it to bomber crews.

The American side: the B-3

The U.S. built its own sheepskin jacket. Wikipedia names the Air Force B-3 "bomber jacket" and the Navy M-445 among the shearling flight jackets. Aero Leather says the B-3 was designed to keep aircrew warm at high altitude in unpressurized aircraft.

When it appeared is unsettled. Aero Leather dates its design to World War II, while Miolook says the B-3 appeared in 1934. We show both until a museum or specification source settles it.

Menswear reviewer Carl Murawski gives a short overview of U.S. leather flight jackets; the B-3 and later sheepskin models come from about 3:20, and he recommends jackets to buy along the way. Some of his dates differ from our sources: he puts the Navy G-1 at 1938, while Wikipedia dates its first specification, the M-422, to 1940.

For each model's features, see types of bomber jackets.

Aviator, bomber or flight jacket: why the names blur

The names were never fixed. Aero Leather calls "bomber jacket" a loosely defined umbrella term, and says the leather A-2 is technically a misnomer as a bomber jacket because it was mostly worn by fighter pilots. Wikipedia calls the nylon MA-1 both a bomber and a flight jacket.

"Aviator jacket" sits on top of both. Today it most often means the sheepskin style, described by Miolook as a short jacket with a wide fur or sheepskin collar and buckled straps. Our page on what an aviator jacket is explains the current meaning. For World War I flying coats and the Sidcot suit, see the history of the flight jacket.

From cockpit to closet

Sheepskin found its own street following. In 1970s Britain, the suedehead subculture adopted the sheepskin coat as an identifying fashion.

Film added fur collars of a different kind. Top Gun (1986) put Tom Cruise in a G-1, which has a mouton collar, and boosted G-1 sales. Afterward, shopping-mall leather stores carried many G-1 variants.

Today the style is sold under the aviator name. Leather Collection, for example, groups "flight and aviator jackets" from A-2 flight jackets to B-3 shearling styles.

Wearing the aviator jacket today

A real sheepskin aviator is a cold-weather jacket. A B-3 style shearling jacket has fur on the inside, which traps body heat on cold days.

Leather Collection men's leather bomber jackets include aviator shearling and B-3 shearling styles, hand-stitched and offered in a custom size.

Related guides

• Choosing a shade? Read bomber jacket colors and how to choose one.

FAQ

Who makes the original bomber jacket?

For the sheepskin aviator, the original designer was Leslie Irvin, whose company was the main supplier of flying jackets to the RAF for most of World War II. The nylon MA-1 has a different origin story, covered in our bomber jacket history linked above.

What is the difference between a bomber jacket and an aviator jacket?

In current fashion use, a bomber is a waist-length jacket with ribbed cuffs and waistband, often nylon, while an aviator has a wide fur or sheepskin collar and buckled straps. Historically the line was blurrier: the sheepskin B-3 was itself called a "bomber jacket".

Is an aviator jacket good for winter?

Yes, a sheepskin one is. Shearling flight jackets are counted among the warmest flight jackets.

Are aviator jackets still fashionable?

Vogue wrote in February 2026 that bombers have become a coveted wardrobe staple, with shearling among the materials. We found no source that tracks the aviator style on its own.