Royal Air Force · The Irvin Jacket · Z2109
Cockpit USA R.A.F. Sheepskin
Irvin-Pattern Shearling Bomber Jacket
$1,606.99
The sheepskin jacket adopted by the RAF in 1938 and worn by the Few over the Battle of Britain — rebuilt on the 1938 Irvin Air Chute Co. pattern, short-sheared the way fighter pilots trimmed theirs to fit a Spitfire's cockpit. Made in the USA.
Fit — Regular Fit
A regular fit cut for layering — the short shearing leaves room for a sweater underneath without the bulk of a full B-3.
Royal Air Force · The Irvin Jacket
Cockpit USA R.A.F. Sheepskin
$1,606.99
The Irvin pattern.
Adopted by the RAF in 1938; worn by the Few in the Battle of Britain. Rebuilt to the 1938 Irvin Air Chute Co. pattern.
Trimmed for the cockpit.
Short-sheared sheepskin — the field modification fighter pilots made when the B-3's bulk fought the Spitfire's cockpit.
Made in America.
Cut, welted in goatskin, and finished in Cockpit USA's workshop — the shearling antiques as you wear it.
Short-sheared sheepskin · goatskin-welted seams
Warmth without the bulk.
Short-sheared pelts keep the Irvin's warmth while leaving room to move — and to layer. The shearling antiques with wear.
The Workshop · Since 1975
A wartime pattern, kept honest.
Goatskin-welted seams, buckle throat latch, brass hardware — built in the USA the way the 1938 originals were built in Britain.
The Irvin jacket in wartime service
Fit
Regular fit. Room to layer.
The short shearing leaves room for a sweater underneath — order your normal chest size.
Measurements
The Sheepskin Family
Choose your shearling.
R.A.F. Sheepskin
The Battle of Britain jacket
$1,606.99
You’re looking at it
I had an original Irvin in high school. Getting this was a special experience for me. Well worth the investment — this will last a lifetime with proper care.
I bought this jacket in the mid-eighties from your retail store in NYC, and it has been absolutely wonderful. Perfect for the coldest days.
This is the warmest and most comfortable jacket I've ever owned.
I looked at quite a few bomber jackets before making this purchase and none were this quality. You get what you pay for.
5.0 from 14 verified Legendary USA reviews · 4.98 from 191 verified reviews at Cockpit USA
Before you fly.
Is this historically accurate?
It follows the 1938 Irvin Air Chute Co. pattern — the jacket the Imperial War Museums documents as adopted by the RAF in 1938 and worn through the Battle of Britain — with the short-sheared, field-modified silhouette fighter pilots preferred.
R.A.F. or B-3 — which one?
The B-3 is the American bomber-crew jacket: maximum shearling, maximum warmth. The R.A.F. is short-sheared for mobility and layering — the fighter pilot's cut.
Why does the color vary?
The shearling is tanned to antique as you wear it — highs and lows develop like a jacket kept since the war. Pelts vary between productions.
How does the sizing run?
Regular fit with room to layer — order your normal chest size.
Made in USA?
Yes — cut and sewn in the USA by Cockpit USA.
More sheepskin.
Royal Air Force · Adopted 1938
The jacket of the Few.
Leslie Irvin — a former Hollywood stuntman turned parachute pioneer — designed a sheepskin flying jacket the Royal Air Force adopted in 1938: heavyweight shearling under a leather exterior, a large collar that turned up against the cold, a brass zip, buckled straps at cuffs and waist, and a deliberately short-waisted cut for sitting in a cockpit. The Few wore it through the Battle of Britain; by 1943 its cost restricted new issue to bomber crews. Fighter pilots found even the original too bulky in a Spitfire and had theirs trimmed — the short-sheared silhouette Cockpit USA rebuilds here, in the USA.
Short-sheared sheepskin — the fighter pilot's trim
The Material
Warmth without
the bulk.
Full-thickness shearling kept bomber crews alive — and fought fighter pilots inside a Spitfire's cockpit. The R.A.F. uses short-sheared sheepskin: the Irvin's warmth, with the mobility the original pilots trimmed their own jackets to get.
The shearling is tanned to antique as it wears, developing highs and lows like a jacket kept since the war. Pelts vary between productions; no two jackets match.
Construction
The 1938 pattern, welted and buckled.
Goatskin-welted seams
Every seam welted in goatskin leather — strength where shearling alone would stretch.
Buckle throat latch
Seals the big collar against the wind, with a back collar strap beneath the RAF patch.
Underarm vent grommets
Ventilation where shearling runs hot — straight off the wartime pattern.
Leather waist belt
A half-belt with antique-brass Cockpit buckle cinches the short-waisted cut.
Zippered cuffs
Heavy-duty zip cuffs seal the sleeve — or open it over gloves.
Handwarmers + interior pockets
Side-entry canvas handwarmer pockets and two interior pockets.
“Adopted by the RAF in 1938. Worn by the Few over the Battle of Britain.”
Imperial War Museums · the Irvin flying jacket
The Workshop · Since 1975
A wartime pattern,
kept honest.
Cockpit USA builds the R.A.F. on the 1938 Irvin Air Chute Co. pattern — goatskin-welted seams, buckled throat latch, brass hardware — and finishes the shearling to antique with wear, the way originals aged on operations.
Cut and sewn in the USA. One verified buyer has worn his since the mid-1980s.
Inside the R.A.F. — Cockpit USA labels
The Irvin jacket in wartime service
The Details
Brass, leather, wool. Nothing else needed.
Buckle throat latch — back collar strap beneath the RAF patch
Goatskin welts and antique-brass hardware
Fit
Regular fit.
Room to layer.
The short shearing does what the original pilots wanted: warmth that doesn't fight your shoulders. A sweater or mid-layer fits underneath without the jacket becoming unwearable.
Fit — Regular Fit
Order your normal chest size — the R.A.F. layers where the full B-3 cannot.
Full chart with all eleven sizes (36–56) in the Size Guide. Measurements taken flat; chest is armpit to armpit.
The Sheepskin Family
Three shearlings. Two air forces.
What Customers Say
5.0 from 14 verified reviews.
Legendary USA customers rate this jacket 5.0 across 14 verified purchases. On Cockpit USA's own store, the Z2109 carries 4.98 from 191 verified reviews — the highest-rated jacket in this lineup — with themes of exceptional warmth, decades-long durability, and buyers who owned original Irvins choosing this as their second.
Based on 14 verified Legendary USA reviews and 191 verified reviews at Cockpit USA.
I waited years
I love this jacket! The quality is amazing. The jacket is beyond warm so the colder the better. I had an original Irvin in high school — getting this was a special experience for me. Well worth the investment, this will last a lifetime with proper care.
Since the mid-eighties
I bought this jacket in the mid-eighties from your retail store in NYC, and it has been absolutely wonderful. It's perfect for the coldest days on my motorcycle and I get lots of comments and compliments on it.
Stunning
Well made! Incredible looking. I looked at quite a few bomber jackets before making this purchase and none were this quality. You get what you pay for.
Questions
Before you fly.
Is this historically accurate?
It follows the 1938 Irvin Air Chute Co. pattern — the sheepskin jacket the Imperial War Museums documents as adopted by the RAF in 1938, worn by the Few through the Battle of Britain — in the short-sheared silhouette fighter pilots field-modified their own jackets to achieve.
R.A.F. or B-3 — which should I choose?
The B-3 is the American bomber-crew jacket: full-thickness shearling, maximum warmth, built for gunners standing in the slipstream. The R.A.F. is the fighter pilot's answer — short-sheared for mobility in a cramped cockpit, and far easier to layer and wear daily.
Who designed the original?
Leslie Irvin — a former Hollywood stuntman and parachute pioneer whose Irvin Air Chute Co. gave the jacket its pattern and its name.
Why does the color vary between jackets?
The shearling is tanned to antique as you wear it, developing highs and lows like a jacket kept since the war. Pelts also vary between productions — each jacket is unique.
How does the sizing run?
Regular fit with room to layer — order your normal chest size. Full chart in the Size Guide.
Made in USA?
Yes — cut and sewn in the USA by Cockpit USA.
