Independence Brothers is not affiliated with Cockpit USA and the opinions expressed here are my own.

Leather jackets are never out of fashion. They suit every occasion and come in thousands of designs and colors. Since most leather jackets are quite expensive, you must be careful when choosing the right one for you. You need to choose the appropriate color, fit, hide, and design. You also need to understand that leather is a natural product that is very sensitive to moisture and temperature. Most leather colors fade by time so you will need to do your best to keep it looking new and shiny for as long as possible.

Cockpit USA is one of the leading apparel brands both in the US and worldwide. It’s a name familiar to every leather jacket enthusiast. They design and manufacture high-quality leather jackets with stores and outlets all over the world.

Being a pioneer in the US fashion industry, Cockpit USA targets a specific sector of adventure-loving customers with an eye for detail from all over the world.

Cockpit USA was founded by Jeff Clyman in 1975. Jeff Clyman was a military pilot who flew vintage WWII aircraft in air shows. This was an inspiration for the debut of his leather jacket industry. He started by selling his own leather jacket collection. The demand was so high that he realized that it could lead to a prosperous business.

Jeff was committed to reproducing the same quality military jackets that he sold from his own collection. He founded Avirex Ltd. in 1975 and began to experiment with multiple designs, hides, and ideas. After spending a while in a tannery laboratory, he finally succeeded. The first Cockpit catalog came to life in 1978. Soon after, Cockpit started supplying the US Air Force with A-2 leather jackets.

In 2008, they sold the AVIREX label and became Cockpit USA. However, they still produce all the jackets that were originally made under the Avirex label.

Through their journey, Cockpit USA have been leather jacket suppliers for the US Navy and Army, NASA, and armed forces worldwide. Many of the Cockpit leather jackets have been featured in famous movies like the B-3 jacket Sylvester Stallone wore in Rocky III. Several US presidents were also seen wearing jackets off the Cockpit collection. It is a famous brand in Hollywood.

The Cockpit USA website is relatively user-friendly. Although the design is a bit outdated, it is well detailed. Their homepage allows you to choose your preferred store and log into your account. It also features their best seller jackets. From the top bar, you can navigate through the men’s collection, women’s collections, kids’ collection, new arrivals and the items on sale. The men’s collection features all their famous flight and army leather jackets and is considered the highest-selling part of their website.

Cockpit USA offers a very unique feature for its customers. If you like one or two jackets displayed on their website, you can ask them to send you a swatch of the leather for each jacket so you can check it out and compare them before you order.

They also accept old leather jackets in wearable condition in exchange for a $100 voucher that you can use in purchasing a new one through their website. They send these jackets for charity every year.

The ordering process through their website is very simple. You ad the jacket of your choice to your cart. After placing your order, it takes 2-4 days to be processed, excluding public holidays. The Cockpit USA website accepts credit cards, checks, and money orders. You can also checkout using your PayPal or Amazon account.

They also have a payment option called “Affirm”. Affirm is a secure financing payment option that allows you to safely pay for your purchases in installments. You can pay over 3, 6 or 12 months with a fixed interest rate. This is one of the most reliable payment options and they let you know exactly how much you will be paying upfront with no hidden costs or extra charges. When you choose “Affirm” as the payment option, the Cockpit USA website redirects you to the Affirm website where you’re guided with steps on how to create your account or log in.

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You can check out their jacket lineup here.

It is one of the most popular leather jackets collection on the market. The Cockpit USA leather jacket collection rocks the highest quality hides and the most sophisticated designs on the market. You can zoom in the pictures of every jacket to see its finest details. Here’s a review of their best sellers:

U.S.A.F. 21st. Century A-2 Jacket

Price: $460

This jacket is a re-issue of the original A2 jacket from 1987. After many requests made by the Air Force pilots for a modernized A2 Flight Jacket, this jacket came to life. Its design is modern, sleek and contemporary. This jacket is a mixture of the authenticity of the original design and the sleekness of the new one. It is made of goatskin leather with soft cotton lining. It has a lot of comfy practical pockets. The cuffs and the waistband are knit. It comes in black and brown colors.

Mustang A-2 Jacket

Price: $560

This is another elegant remake of the A2 Flight Jacket and my favorite jacket on this list. This jacket is a limited edition. It is a revised and enhanced version of the original A2 and is made of vegetable tanned goatskin leather. It features the original collar stand which makes it authentic and vintage. This jacket is a must-have for every vintage leather jacket enthusiast. It has a knit cuff and waistband, interior pockets and comes only in brown. It comes in sizes suitable for everyone.

B-3 Hooded Sheepskin Bomber Jacket

Price: $1350

Dating back to WWII, this bomber jacket is everyone’s vintage favorite. The original B-3 jacket was designed for open cockpit flying and provides comfy warmth in extreme weather. To enhance the warmth and provide extra protection in harsh weather, Cockpit USA has added a shearling coyote fur hood that looks luxurious and provides outstanding warmth.

Although slightly on the pricey end, this jacket is a masterpiece. The shearling is tanned so that it gives the impression of having high and low spots making the jacket look as vintage as the original B-3 and feels like you’ve been wearing it since WWII. The coyote fur hood is removable which means you can wear the jacket both ways. It is made of sheepskin with a nappa leather exterior finishing. It is only available in brown and comes in a variety of sizes.

Dunkirk RAF Hooded Jacket

Price: $1520

Just like the name suggests, this jacket reeks of the WWII vibes. It is inspired by the jackets worn by the Royal Air Force over the English channel on their trial to rescue the evacuation soldiers. It has a removable coyote fur hood. This jacket is sleek, luxurious and has an air of nostalgia all around it. Although on the expensive side, it is definitely one of the best jackets on this list.

Cockpit USA is one of the few leather jackets brands that have a unique and elegant collection for women. This makes them stand out as a brand for me. Here’s a review of some of the best jacket on their collection:

Women's Top Gun Flight Jacket

Price: $650

It is made of supple lambskin leather with sleek embroidery on the chest pockets. It is lined by the unique Cockpit USA’s escape map design. It comes with a soft and elegant mouton shearling fur collar. This is definitely my favorite jacket in the women’s collection.

Women’s G-1 Jacket

Price: $570

This jacket is the feminine evolution of the original G-1 jacket, the US Navy original. It is made of antique lambskin leather with a mouton shearling collar that gives it its unique and sleek look. This jacket is a great mixture of elegance, warmth and modern fashion.

Cockpit USA offers repair to most of the Cockpit and AVIREX jackets as long as the leather is in an okay condition. They offer to replace linings, waistbands, knit cuffs, etc. You can contact their customer service for more info through their website.

If for any reason you’re not satisfied with your product, you can return it within 30 days given that it’s still in its original packaging with its original tags. You ask for a refund or an exchange.

1. Goatskin: Goatskin is the standard military hide. It is soft, durable, and does not age quickly. However, it is not very strong.
2. Antique lamb: It is very supple and is meant to wear quickly to give a worn-out vintage look.
3. Cowhide: Cowhide is soft and durable. Its color does not fade away but it becomes softer by time.
4. Horsehide: It was widely used in WWII. It is soft, durable and tough. It becomes softer by age.
5. Sheepskin: It is soft, supple, warm and highly durable.

On the Cockpit USA website, it is advised not to use any chemicals on your leather jacket. Chemicals cause wrinkles, fading of color, and degrades the overall quality of your leather jacket over time. You can use natural products to rehydrate your leather jacket if you spill a considerable amount of liquid on it to avoid its dehydration. You need to know, however, that even natural products will cause the color to wear off. Therefore, you will want to be very cautious when using any. If you must get your leather jacket cleaned, we suggest you send it to a professional.

Leather is a natural material that is very sensitive to water and liquids in general. Most of the damage to leather products is mainly caused by getting them wet. You should keep your leather jacket dry at all times.

In case it rains, try to keep your leather jacket as dry as possible. Let it dry in the air.

Store your leather jacket on a padded hanger in a well-aerated area. Avoid storing it in places that are exposed to sunlight or to any source of heat.

To preserve the color of your leather jacket, avoid using any chemicals on it.

Pros

• They’re relatively affordable
• They’ve been in the business for a very long time and Cockpit USA was established by leather enthusiasts so they have been improving by the day.
• High-quality leather
• They have a wide variety of jackets available to choose from with collections for men, women, and kids.
• Contemporary designs for famous vintage army leather jackets.

Cons

• Their website is relatively outdated.
• Their designs do not suit every taste.

Cockpit USA is one of the most well-known leather jacket brands on the market. Their leather is of great quality and their aftersales customer support is outstanding. Leather jackets are a valuable addition to your wardrobe which suits every occasion. Leather jackets are an investment and, hence, you must take very good care of your leather products by following the leather maintenance instructions closely.