U.S. Army Air Corps type A-2 flight jacket manufactured by Perry Sportswear Inc. The left side of the jacket has a round patch with the decal insignia of the South East Training Command. This A-2 flight jacket belonged to Lt. William Otto who was a pilot instructor with the South East Training Command during WWII. The goat skin jacket is size 38 and has a Conmar zipper. Otto trained pilots in the North American AT-6 Texan at various fields throughout the American South and finished the war at Tinker Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His bother flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning with top scoring American Ace Major Richard Bong's group in the Pacific. South East Training Command was assigned to Craig Field, Selma, Alabama, where advanced single engine training occurred. Craig was also selected to give Curtiss P-40 Warhawk transition training to the French. The name tag and rank insignia have been removed from the jacket but the name tag is included. Accompanying the jacket is an olive drab shirt produced by Elbeco. The shirt has lieutenant bar and officer AAF lapel insignia with his name tag ("A/C Otto, W.A. 44-B/Sqdn. D-1 13115691") on the left chest above a pin back pilot wing. Other Otto effects included in this lot are the following: two clutch back pilot wings (one is sterling marked), two lieutenant bars, five AAF officer insignia, American legion emblem, AAF emblem with screw back, Otto's instrument flying card issued on April 14, 1944 , photographs of Otto and AT-6s from Otto's training flight and High Pitch 44-A and 44-B class books from Shaw Field, Sumter, South Carolina. In the 44-B class book Otto is pictured as a graduate of Flight 13 (page 12) and listed in the roster under the state of Pennsylvania (39). Note that the class of 44-B is marked on Otto's name tag featured on the shirt. Instructors like Otto enabled the United States to launch large air fleets in the Pacific and Europe and this grouping of South East Training Command related items is apart of an often neglected chapter in American aviation history.

The A-2 jacket is in very good condition with original wool cuffs and waist band. There are some tears the lining near the collar. The leather showing minor wear. 80% of the decal remains. The shirt is very good with a large hole under the right sleeve and a couple moth holes.