The early flight jackets were made of nylon fabrics which were found to melt onto the pilot when he was subjected to flames encountered during an aircraft fire. As the technology of materials and fabrics improved, there was a need for a new jacket that would be fire-retardant. This gave rise to the CWU (Cold Weather Uniform) 36/P and 45/P in the 1972. The jacket, made of a NOMEX fabric featured high patch pockets, knit waistband and cuffs, zippered utility/pencil pocket and fire-resistant threads, drawstrings and zipper tapes. NOMEX is a Dupont product that is known for its excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance. The bi-swing back of early jackets was done away with once it was determined that it interfered with safety equipment. Today Air Force pilots are still issued the CWU 36/P and 45/P. Alpha started producing the jackets for the military in 1995 and went on to make them for more than five years. We made a nylon version of the CWU45/P for the commercial market in 1988 and introduced a leather version in the late 1990s.