Editing Flight jacket (section)

=== Early history ===
====World War I====
[[File:Richard Byrd in flight jacket, 1920s (exbt-iceberg-47).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Richard E. Byrd|Richard Byrd]] in flight jacket, 1920s]]

In [[World War&nbsp;I]], most airplanes did not have an enclosed [[cockpit]], so pilots had to wear something that would keep them sufficiently warm. The [[United States Army|U.S.&nbsp;Army]] officially established the Aviation Clothing Board in September&nbsp;1917 and began distributing heavy-duty leather flight jackets; with high wraparound collars, [[zipper]] closures with wind flaps, snug cuffs and waists, and some fringed and [[lining (sewing)|lined]] with fur.

====World War II====

[[Leslie Irvin (parachutist)|Leslie Irvin]] first designed and manufactured the classic [[sheepskin]] flying jacket. In 1926 he set up a manufacturing company in the [[United Kingdom]], and became the main supplier of flying jackets to the [[Royal Air Force]] during most of [[World War&nbsp;II]]. However, the demand during the early years of the war was so great that the Irvin company engaged subcontractors, which explains the slight variations of design and colour that can be seen in early production Irvin flying jackets.

As aerospace technology improved, the altitudes at which aircraft operated increased. Some [[Carpet bombing|heavy bombing raid]]s in Europe during World War&nbsp;II took place from altitudes of at least {{cvt|25,000|ft|m}}, where ambient temperatures could reach as cold as −50&nbsp;°C (−58&nbsp;°F). The cabins of these aircraft were uninsulated, so a warm, thick flight jacket was an essential piece of equipment for every member of the crew.