100% goatskin leather with a real mouton fur collar
An absolutely incredible leather flying jacket with immense character and historical significance. This jacket was worn by Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Sam Doran who served with VRF-31 "Storkliners" (left shoulder patch). His extensive career started in World War 2, and extended through the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and beyond. Doran attained 6,000 flight hours during his career.
The patch on the right shoulder identifies that Doran served at the US Naval Air Missile Test Centre, Point Mugu. He was a 'Remote Airplane Pilot' who operated TD2C, F6F, F9F, F4U, F-84, T-33, TB4Y, QF-86 Sabrejet, QF-4 Phantom Drones. He was at the time only one of three drone pilots in the entire US Navy. I found an entire newspaper article about him and his compadre Jim Paterson in a digital copy of "Naval Aviation News, Jan 1981". Starting page 14, the article is titled "Droning on with Sam and Pat". It describes his duties and past military career; "Both are in their middle 50s and each has about 6,000 flight hours. Sam hung up his uniform after 25 years of service, including early years as an aircraft mechanic in WWII".
During the Korean War, Sam's counterpart 'Pat' "launched unmanned F6Fs loaded with 2,000-pound bombs and ran them into enemy tunnels", although it is unclear whether or not Sam was also involved with these operations. The article is a great read and worth some attention: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1980/pdf/jan81.pdf
A paper copy of this article will be included with the sale of the jacket.
The leather patch on the chest pertains to US Navy Utility Squadron 10 "Challengers" (VU-10), stationed at Guantanamo Bay. The Challengers trace their roots back to World War II, and during the dawn of the Cold War the squadron operated a slew of different aircraft - from flying boat patrol aircraft to jet fighters. Officially, the unit’s permanent tenure at Guantanamo Bay began in 1945 under the designation Utility Squadron 10, or VU-10. Their mission began to morph drastically following the overthrow of the Cuban government by Castro’s communist forces in 1959. Suddenly the unit was on the front lines of the Cold War, and its menagerie of target towing, cargo hauling and sea patrol aircraft was consolidated into a more potent force of F-8 Crusaders and S-2 Trackers. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, VU-10 was the closest American air combat force to what could have been the spark that set off a nuclear inferno. Leather patches are very seldom seen on jackets of this era and are much more akin to flying jackets of the World War 2 era.
With this assortment of insignia, particularly with the presence of the Drone operator patch on the right shoulder, it is highly probable that this jacket is a one-of-a-kind piece. It has an immensely rich history and displays almost the entirety of one highly skilled and diversely talented man's career. Further to the actual jacket, the provenance linked to this piece is what really sets it apart.
The final photo shows Sam Doran sitting at a control console while operating a QF-9 target drone at NAS Point Mugu circa 1981 (from the Naval Aviation News article).
The contract under which this jacket was made (N383-39321A) was awarded to Cagleco Sportswear in fiscal year, 1957.
The jacket is in excellent condition and displays light wear. Please study the photos carefully.
