Moments In Time – The Barnstormer Jacket

Shining the spotlight on the Barnstormer jacket, a piece synonymous with post-war daredevil stunt pilots.

James Smith  |  September 15

Where would the human race be without aviation? Well, whilst that was a rhetorical question, I can say with confidence that both World Wars would have unfolded very differently, we’d all be a lot less cultured, and Snakes on a Plane wouldn’t be a thing. Worst of all? We wouldn’t have been given the sartorial gift that is the Flight Jacket.When we discuss flight jackets, we’re typically looking at the archetypal styles from WWII and beyond. But in this installment of Moments In Time, we’ll be taking a look at the jacket that came to be known as ‘The Barnstormer’, a non-military-issued style born in the early days of aviation that’s synonymous with daredevil pilots in post-war America. 

What is a Barnstormer Jacket?

Modern Barnstormers made by Himel Bros. (left) and Aero Leathers (right)

The jacket known as a Barnstormer is a mid-to-long length leather jacket with four external pockets, a belt at the waist, adjustable cuffs, and a large shawl collar that sometimes has a shearling covering.Traditionally made from horsehide, Barnstormers feature two angled slash pockets at the chest, two large flap pockets at the hip, and often a double-button closure for a customizable fit. 

History of the Barnstormer Jacket

The Early Years of Aviation

The American DH-4 Liberty plane via Disciples of Flight

While the golden age of aviation was between 1920-1939, World War I (1914-1918) saw the first significant military use of airplanes, just 11 years after the airplane had been invented by the Wright Brothers in 1903.

Planes such as the American DH-4 Liberty plane and British Sopwith Camel and Bristol F-2 took to the skies and played a major part in the war and taking part in the first dogfights and major bombings.

An mid-1910s RFC Flight Jacket via The Historic Flying Clothing CompanySimilar to open cart travel on the ground, Pilots in WWI needed a longer jacket to protect their bodies from the frigid temperatures in the sky. This led to earlier flight jackets, such as the British RFC Jacket, being a full-length leather coat, fitted with an asymmetric button placket to make room for a large map pocket, as well as a belted waist and large collar to protect the neck.With the American Aviation Clothing Board not being founded until 1917 (one year before the end of WWI), the British RFC Coat became the iconic flight jacket of the WWI allied forces. 

Birth of Barnstorming

Barnstormers playing tennis whilst wing walking, via Redbull

More importantly, WWI bred a population of pilots that were highly skilled in something that civilians could only dream of doing — flying. These young men had endured an intense and exciting initiation to the aviation world and were looking for ways they could make a living off of their skills back home in the States.

Craving the rush of flight once more, some of these pilots purchased leftover stock of the iconic USAF training airplane — the 

Curtiss ‘Jenny’ JN4

 — and began the daring, aerobatic practice that would go on to be named ‘Barnstorming’.

The Curtiss ‘Jenny’ JN4 Airplane, via Aeropedia

Barnstormers via via Hartzell Propeller (left) and Wall Street Journal (right)

Adopting a nomadic lifestyle, the Barnstorming pilots set up flying circuses in the Early 1920s, landing their planes in the fields of small towns and setting up spontaneous airshows. Spectators would marvel as the pilots performed incredible and dangerous aerobatic stunts like loops, rolls, dives, and even wing-walking.

The aerialists would also attempt to fly through barn doors and burst out of the back (not always successfully), a highlight of the circus show that birthed the moniker “Barnstormer”.

Neta Snook Southern in what looks to be a WWI RFC Flight jacket, 1921. Image via Aero Leathers (left), and another image of Snook via HiLobrow (right)

Not all of the Barnstormers were former Air Force Pilots, though. It would disrespectful to not mention one of the first female aviators and iconic Barnstormer, Neta Snook Southern.

After training with the Curtis-Wright Aviation School, Snook defied the patriarchy to obtain her pilot’s license in 1920, after purchasing and rebuilding a wrecked Canuck (the Canadian version of the aforementioned Curtiss ‘Jenny’ JN4). Snook used her Canuck to Barnstorm throughout the Midwest and eventually California.

Katherine Cheung (1904-2003) was the first woman of Chinese descent to earn a pilot’s license. Although she became active in flying after the Banrstorming era, she was a key figure in the golden era of aviation and an icon amongst female pilots. She is pictured here in a Barntstormer-style jacket in the 1930s.

Barnstorming continued until the late-1920s to early-1930s, whereby newly passed safety restrictions made the spectacle too difficult to carry out profitably, causing it to fade away.

The Jacket

Stunt Pilot Mildred Kauffman in a Barnstormer-style leather jacket circa 1930, via Aero Leathers

While there isn’t a specific jacket worn by all of the Barnstormers, early Barnstormers bought double-breasted leather sportswear Mackinaw/car coats that were long enough to protect them from the cold temperatures in the air.It is generally accepted that these styles were an Americanized adaptation of the aforementioned full-length RFC Flight Jacket. Aero Leathers reflects on this:

Clippings from Sears Catalogs circa mid-to-late 1930s, via Aero Leathers

Aero Leathers has played an instrumental part in the barnstormer story, as they were the first maker to produce a leather jacket in this style and actually 

name 

it 

The Barnstormer

 in their 1986 collection.

Prior to that, it would have just been referred to as a car coat or early flight jacket. Aero Leathers remains one of the most prominent makers of the iconic Barnstormer style to this day.

An Aero Leathers Barnstormer from 1989, made from Alaskan Steerhide. Via Aero Leathers

How Much Will An Original Set You Back?

An allegedly circa-1920s leather Barnstormer-esque coat with detachable sheepskin shawl listed at $525 on EtsyFinding an original jacket that scratches the Barnstormer itch isn’t as hard as other relics that we have featured in the Moments In time series. As there aren’t really specific models or makers that command a specific price tag, prices vary a fair bit and seem to be subjective to the seller/dealer.A look on eBay and Etsy produces a selection of Barnstormer style jackets that range from around $250-600 for a fairly used article that is still wearable, but I would imagine a 1920s horsehide Barnstormer style jacket in really good condition with legible/intact labels and trimmings would easily fetch over $1000 to the right buyer. 

A vintage Barnstormer-style Jacket made by Goodyear Rubber Company, via Vintage Leather Jackets forum

Worthwhile Reproductions

Aero Leathers Barnstormer

  Himel Bros. Chinook

Available for $2650 (left) and $2850 for the Freenote Cloth collab edition (right) from Himel Bros. 

Attractions Shawl Collar Horsehide Half Coat

Available for ¥231,000 (~$1620USD) from Mushmans 

Gallery

Image via Penbay Pilot

Pilots in long belted leather jackets in the 1920s, via Headwind Mfg.

A Vintage ‘Monarch’s’ Barnstormer Jacket via Vintage Leather Jackets

A circa-1950s Barnstormer via The Fedora Lounge

A circa 1930s Barnstormer via Vintage Engineer Boots

Image via Wall Street Journal

A special thank you goes to Ken Calder of Aero Leathers who shared his knowledge of this style in support of this article. 

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