Preserving a Pilot’s Legacy: Conservation of Bud Anderson’s Flight Jacket

Capt. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, a World War II Triple Ace with the 363rd Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group, flew 116 combat missions in his P-51 Mustang, Old Crow, achieving 16 ¼ air-to-air kills while escorting bombers over Nazi-occupied Europe. His brown leather A-2 flight jacket, worn during his first combat tour, is on loan to the National Air and Space Museum. In my role as an Engen Conservation Fellow, I conserved the jacket in preparation for display in the upcoming Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air exhibition.

The Jacket’s Historical Context

Leather flight jackets were standard issue for Mustang pilots like Anderson, who flew in unpressurized cockpits at 25,000 feet, where temperatures could drop below freezing. The jacket’s thick leather and knit cuffs provided essential warmth. Notably, Anderson’s jacket lacks squadron or group insignia, a precaution to protect his unit’s identity if captured, reflecting the risks of his missions. It features a replica rectangular patch stamped “C.E. Anderson” on the left breast, identifying its owner. The jacket connects to the 357th Fighter Group’s role in protecting bombers and destroying the Luftwaffe during missions over Europe.

Condition and Conservation

Upon arriving at at the Museum, the jacket showed signs of wartime use: minor abrasions on the leather and  a sweat-stained cotton lining. Its rib-knit wool cuffs were severely damaged with holes and tears—damage likely from postwar wear, natural deterioration, or other factors. In collaboration with the Anderson family, the Museum’s curators and conservators, I opted for minimal, reversible repairs to stabilize the jacket for display while preserving its authenticity. The cuffs posed the biggest challenge—they needed to endure handling for mounting on a bespoke mannequin but retain their historical character. I chose Swiss darning, or duplicate stitching, a technique that recreates the original knit structure stitch by stitch, to repair them.

To perfect this approach, I tested Swiss darning on replica rib-knit samples, cutting holes to match the jacket’s damage and practicing with contrasting yarn. For Anderson’s jacket, I selected a slightly thinner yarn in a subtle color variation to keep repairs discreet and avoid bulk. Since the cuffs are a single knit folded in half, I worked meticulously to avoid snagging the inner layer, anchoring each stitch to existing loops and tucking loose threads away. These repairs can be undone, returning the jacket’s state before treatment, if needed.

I left the leather’s abrasions untouched to preserve its history, while stabilizing the  corrosion on the zipper and addressing holes in the lining. The aim was not a pristine appearance but a tribute to its lived experience.

After conservation, Bud Anderson’s flight jacket will go on display along with his flight helmet and goggles in the Museum’s Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air exhibition on a custom mannequin near the Museum’s North American P-51D Mustang. This work preserves a piece of World War II history and reflects the service of Anderson and his fellow pilots to the United States.