American Volunteer Group · Flying Tigers · Z21V60
Cockpit USA Flying Tigers A-2
Horsehide Tribute Flight Jacket
$34,996.00
A tribute to the American Volunteer Group — civilian pilots who fought over China and Burma before America entered the war. Front-quarter horsehide, a genuine leather blood chit on the back, and the 23rd Fighter Group's patch on the chest. Made in the USA.
Fit — Trim Fit
Cut trim to the WWII pattern. Between sizes or layering? Take the next size up.
American Volunteer Group · Flying Tigers
Cockpit USA Flying Tigers A-2
$34,996.00
The blood chit.
A genuine leather blood chit on the back — the survival document AVG pilots carried, asking Chinese soldiers and civilians to rescue and protect downed American airmen.
The patches of the Tigers.
Multi-piece leather 23rd Fighter Group patch on the chest; 14th Air Force and C.B.I. bullion patches on the arms.
WWII construction.
Front-quarter horsehide, two-piece WWII sleeves, collar stand with hook-and-eye, no side pockets. Made in the USA.
The leather blood chit — back panel
A pass to safety, in leather.
AVG pilots flew with blood chits asking Chinese soldiers and civilians to rescue, protect, and care for downed American airmen.
The Workshop · Since 1975
Patches with provenance.
14th Air Force and C.B.I. bullion on the arms, the 23rd Fighter Group in multi-piece leather on the chest — the AVG's lineage, worn as the veterans wore it.
The Flying Tigers A-2 on the flight line
Fit
Trim fit, WWII pattern.
Sizes 38–52. Between sizes or layering? Take the next size up.
Horsehide A-2s
Choose your tribute.
Flying Tigers A-2
The AVG tribute
$34,996.00
You’re looking at it
Before you fly.
Who were the Flying Tigers?
The American Volunteer Group — civilian American pilots who fought for China against Japan in 1941–42, before the U.S. formally entered the war, under Claire Chennault. Their lineage carried into the 23rd Fighter Group and 14th Air Force.
What does the blood chit say?
Per the National Museum of the USAF, AVG chits identified the wearer as an American helping China and asked soldiers and civilians to rescue, protect, and provide medical care.
Why no handwarmer pockets?
True WWII spec — the wartime A-2 never had them.
How does the sizing run?
Trim fit, sizes 38–52. Between sizes or layering? Take the next size up.
Made in USA?
Yes — made in the USA by Cockpit USA.
More horsehide.
American Volunteer Group · China-Burma, 1941–42
They fought before
America entered the war.
The American Volunteer Group — the Flying Tigers — were civilian American pilots flying for China against Japan in 1941 and 1942, under Claire Chennault, before the United States formally joined the fight. Their lineage carried into the 23rd Fighter Group and the 14th Air Force. This A-2 wears that story: front-quarter horsehide, a genuine leather blood chit across the back, the 23rd's multi-piece leather patch on the chest, and bullion patches on the arms — over strict WWII construction, down to the two-piece sleeves. Made in the USA.
The leather blood chit — a pass to safety, sewn on
The Material
Horsehide, patched
with provenance.
Russet-brown front-quarter horsehide — the A-2's original material, from the densest cut of the hide. On the back, a genuine leather blood chit: the survival document AVG pilots flew with over China and Burma.
Per the National Museum of the USAF, the chit asked Chinese soldiers and civilians, one and all, to rescue, protect, and provide medical care to the American wearing it.
Construction
Every patch earned its place.
Leather blood chit
Large genuine leather chit across the back — historically grounded, per NMUSAF's record of the AVG originals.
23rd Fighter Group patch
Multi-piece leather patch on the left chest — the AVG's successor unit.
Bullion arm patches
14th Air Force Flying Tiger on the left arm, C.B.I. on the right.
Two-piece WWII sleeves
Original wartime sleeve construction — a detail most reproductions skip.
Collar stand + hook-and-eye
The rare collar-stand design with hook-and-eye closure.
No side pockets
True WWII spec — with an embroidered Flying Tigers lining inside.
“Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue, protect, and provide him medical care.”
The blood chit · American Volunteer Group, 1941 · per the National Museum of the USAF
The Workshop · Since 1975
A tribute built
like the original.
The Flying Tigers A-2 isn't a costume — it's WWII construction carrying verified history: two-piece sleeves, collar stand, no side pockets, and patches whose lineage runs from the AVG through the 23rd Fighter Group to the 14th Air Force.
Front-quarter horsehide, cut and sewn in the USA.
14th AF and C.B.I. bullion — sleeve detail
The Flying Tigers A-2, beside the warbird
The Details
Leather on leather.
The blood chit — genuine leather, sewn to the back
23rd Fighter Group — multi-piece leather chest patch
Fit
Trim fit.
WWII pattern.
Cut trim like the wartime A-2, in sizes 38–52. Full garment measurements are in the Size Guide chart.
Fit — Trim Fit
Between sizes, layering, or broad through the shoulders? Take the next size up.
Measurements taken with the garment laying flat.
Horsehide A-2s
Three horsehides. Two tributes.
What Customers Say
Questions
Before you fly.
Who were the Flying Tigers?
The American Volunteer Group — civilian American pilots who fought for China against Japan in 1941–42 under Claire Chennault, before the United States formally entered the war. Their lineage carried into the 23rd Fighter Group and the 14th Air Force, whose patches this jacket wears.
What is the blood chit?
A survival document. Per the National Museum of the USAF, AVG chits bore the Chinese Nationalist flag and text identifying the wearer as an American helping China, asking soldiers and civilians to rescue, protect, and provide him medical care. This jacket carries a genuine leather rendition across the back.
Is the construction accurate?
Yes — original WWII two-piece sleeve construction, collar stand with hook-and-eye, box-stitched epaulets, and no side-entry pockets, per the wartime spec.
How does the sizing run?
Trim fit, sizes 38–52. Between sizes or layering? Take the next size up.
Flying Tigers or Tokyo Raiders?
Two different stories on the same horsehide canvas: the Tigers honor the AVG over China; the Raiders honor the Doolittle Raid. Collectors often end up with both.
Made in USA?
Yes — made in the USA by Cockpit USA.
