Aircrew gloves

[Waddo Plumber]

Are aircrew gloves neccessary for others than those who might have to eject? I don't remember Ryanair pilots wearing them.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

....depends what your chances are of a cockpit fire.
I carried on wearing mine at a civvy flight school when my Chief Pilot (ex-RAF also) pointed out that fires were statistically more common in puddlejumpers than fast jets. We all had flight suits for the same reason - comfier than ties and trousers too.
..and if you have ever seen the effects of a cockpit fire on someone without full protective clothing (and I have)....

[TheWizard]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a355/merlinmagic28/fisherman_boat.gif

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I got sent for "a long weight" once. And I went.

[Pontius Navigator]

They're aircrew gloves. Without aircrew they are just gloves. Without gloves they are not aircrew. Simples.

You might also ask why plumbers have dirty hands.

[charliegolf]

You might also ask why plumbers have dirty hands.

Because the SAC in stores refused to issue 'the last' pair on the shelf?

CG

[Willard Whyte]

Always keep a pair of 'aircrew' gloves with me, just in case I get a flat tyre or some-such.

[Wensleydale]

My first flying instructor (ex-military who taught me on an air cadet flying scholarship) told me that he used to fly with the bottom of his flying suit sleeves rolled up and the cuffs on his flying gloves rolled down. He had badly scarring around his wrists where he had been burned by a flash fire in the cockpit (Canberra I believe). He used his past injuries to explain why it was not a good idea to fly a Cessna 150 while wearing a short sleeved T-shirt. After that I always flew with gloves whenever practical - even as mission crew in the back of large aircraft.

[Alber Ratman]

Ryan Air flight crew have gloves in the cockpit.. So do all other AOC operated aircraft. Mandatory equipment. All the trolley dolleys have a set too. They are fire proof and fairly meatly. Flight decks also have smoke hoods, escape ropes, fire extinguishers, oxygen masks (fixed & portable), torches, plus the axe!

There is your answer..:E

[Pontius Navigator]

Oh Alber, couldn't you smell the fish?

[Duchess_Driver]

The hands are apparently very difficult to graft with any degree of sucess. Far easier to protect them to start off with.

Plus they keep yer 'ands warm during the winter when the 'eater don't work! ;)

DD

[Tankertrashnav]

When doing my PPL I used to cringe watching people flying in shorts, short-sleeved shirts etc. Having spent my professional flying career in a flying suit, gloves, the lot (and not sitting in a bang seat, btw) it just seemed wrong.

Further to Wensleydale's post I remember in Singapore a very senior USAF officer came and gave a chat on the importance of wearing gloves correctly. He had crash landed, the aircraft had burned and although he had been wearing gloves he very nearly lost both hands because of the very serious burns around his wrists because he had his sleeves partially rolled up.

I've never been that quick at picking up hidden meanings in posts so I'm not quite sure whats going on with all the fishing references, but if nothing else the original question has prompted some very good flight safety advice, so I'm quite happy to treat it as a serious question!

[Alber Ratman]

Question is from an Armourer..:E

[Courtney Mil]

If anyone would like a genuine pair of aircrew gloves, worn in combat with a slighly fishy smell, please PM me for the best, top deal, before they go on eBay or Antiques Roadshow for a small fortune.

Good for driving, gardening, barbecuing, car maintenance and avoiding unnecessary chaffing during vigorous excercise.

One quite careful owner. Cash only. No returns.

[Lone Kestrel]

Courtney,
Black or white?

[OafOrfUxAche]

Black or white?


..or green? With or without the rubber seal? Come on man, this sh!t matters!

[Airborne Aircrew]

.or green? With or without the rubber seal? Come on man, this sh!t matters!

As does the "slightly fishy smell" and "combat" bit...

Fess up CM... :E

[oldmansquipper]

From my experience (extensive in these matters, I might add) Aircrew Gloves (White & real Cape leather in my day) were the finest bartering material an `Orficer` can possibly have. Much to the horror of Squadron Flying Clothing Inventory holders:ugh:.

As an Engineering authority for them from 85 to 01 I was often amazed at the innovative reasons other (than aircrew) braches & trades would push forward in support of adding them to their particular ensemble....

Perhaps the plumber :( was one of the unfortunates who had their request turned down? After all, plumbers often had difficulty in obtaining reading glasses and pens, as no one would actually believe they could read and write!

"A- I`m an armourer...B - I`m an armourer ...C - I`m an armourer...." ;)

[Eminence Gris]

In view of the importance of the proper gear in case of fire or need to escape, I was rather surprised to see Philip Hammond on film recently flying in a Sentry in a suit and tie (day of the Olympic security exercise). Or was there a message there somewhere? :ooh:

EG

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

...that everyone on base would be happy to see him immolated?

[AllTrimDoubt]

Once successfully bartered a spare flying helmet for a USN leather flying jacket. Pusser was the FDO when we returned-worth it just to see his face!

(GW [classic] dit btw)...apologies for thread creep

[dctyke]

As an Engineering authority for them from 85 to 01 I was often amazed at the innovative reasons other (than aircrew) braches & trades would push forward in support of adding them to their particular ensemble....

Perhaps the plumber http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/sowee.gif was one of the unfortunates who had their request turned down? After all, plumbers often had difficulty in obtaining reading glasses and pens, as no one would actually believe they could read and write!

...............

Well, well Squip. You may wish to know that Aircrew willingly gave flying gloves to plumbers to enable them to arm ac at ungodly times in the middle of winter. The old green muffs were completely useless to wear. Of course I will bow to your better knowledge being in charge of 'Gloves' for six years, a most important job! I bet you used to open that STC office window 15 mins a day in winter to test their cold weather capabilities :O

[BEagle]

Unfortunately, some aircrew were greedier than others when it came to flying gloves....

'Lord Percy of the Nav Bags' would change a pair every 2 weeks. He used 3 different sets per flight - one to carry out his astonishingly heavy nav bags, another for flying and a third if there was any prodding involved.....:\

Back at the end of the 1980s, the rumour was that someone had decided that 'Gloves, Cape Leather' were an import from the apartheid-ridden South Africa and were therefore contrary to some regulation. An alternative light grey version was produced, made from inferior material such as recycled Etruscan goat scrotum or somesuch. Usless damn things which ripped too easily.

Fortunately the Seth Efrikans let Mandela out in 1990, so, whether or not it was a coincidence, the proper cape leather flying gloves soon reappeared. Probably an urban myth though.

[Pontius Navigator]

The best white Cape leather gloves, sweat resistant, (BEagle was quite right) were not new but lightly used ones. Supremely comfortable and flexible. It didn't take long however for them to become a grimey black, especially when used on delicates tasks like crawling round a bomb bay, handling hot soup tins and the unenviable pee tube :}.

After a hot flight they would be carefully scrunched up into a ball and stuffed in a flying suit pocket. The next trip the hard packed leather ball could be unpacked, stretched, and was soon as good as new for flexibility but otherwise ready for scrap.

At one time we were told they were washable. I don't know anyone that ever successfully washed a pair.

[airpolice]

Oldmansquipper wrote As an Engineering authority for them from 85 to 01 I

Which dctyke made into: Of course I will bow to your better knowledge being in charge of 'Gloves' for six years, a most important job!


So is counting not high up on the Armourer competency list either?

[Lightning Mate]

I used to have to change mine more often than might have been the case.

The right hand thumb part would wear out quickly due to constantly operating the trim switch.

When I asked for just a replacement right hand glove I was told that "we only supply them in pairs". It seemed such a waste.

[Pontius Navigator]

LM, whereas the old leather flying gaunlets were contracted in lefts and rights.

They used to come in two different shades of brown leather. The gauntlet used to go well up the wrist and they were highly prized by MT drivers.

Unlike civilian gloves the wool liner was stitched to the outer leather. It looked a bit odd but did stop it pulling out.

The newer cold/wet gloves promised much and delivered little but they were Army sponsored.

[oldmansquipper]

Good spot Airpolice...:)

As for it being a "very important job" - You would think that "gloves" were a minor issue in things engineering... indeed they were...but they took up a disproportionate amount of staffing time --- often because of levels of consumption requiring annual budget financing to about the same levels as a squadron or two.

As for the "Cape" story - You may think that - I couldn`t possibly comment ....any more than I could about the belief that the tanning process at one stage used whale oil,and this was upsetting the `greens`.

C/L gloves were (are) a good peice of kit and thats why they are so popular... I saw a pair being worn out on the golf course only the other day. Don`t think it was an armourer wearing them though because he was
marking his own card....;)

Happy days..

PS for dctyke... I always had the armourer working for me open the window for the necessary checks..He would stick his hands out and feel for the OAT and then advise the budget administrators on site whether they needed to put their C/L gloves on to venture outside. Great chaps, plumbers...:ok:

[diginagain]

18 years after last using them for their designed purpose, I had to replace a pair. The old green ones were very nice; I'm sure I'll get used to the black ones, and they go very well with the car's interior.

[Basil]

Continued to wear mine in civil airline. I think the Hamble types thought it pretentious. Inadvertently left them on the flight deck and, when I went back, they'd gone forever.
The moral of this little homily is that I now discovered that it wasn't the gloves which had made my flying crap for all those years :}

[Pontius Navigator]

My immersion gloves are still going strong. Used them for their intended purpose one in 1970, brilliant as my the function in my fingers lasted a good 20 minutes longer than all the rest. About 10 years ago the adhesive for the rubber seals disintegrated (shoddy :)?) but the leather remains beautifully supple and waterproof now they have been worn in.

[27mm]

When I started on the Chippy, many moons ago, we weren't issued with gloves, as stores didn't have any in stock; my thoughtful GF bought me a snazzy pair of Jackie Stewart racing gloves (in black) and I thought I was the bees-knees in them. My first trip in them was after a heavy night in the mess at White Waltham. It was a hazy summer's day, with no real horizon and after a spin or two I inevitably needed to chunder; dash it, forgot to bring a honk-bag. In desperation I yanked off a glove and just in time, hurled into it. Unfortunately, Jackie Stewart racing gloves came with natty ventilation holes on the back and while the diced carrots and tomato skins were caught, the liquid contents weren't and sprayed all over the cockpit......I flew about learning from that:O

[Waddo Plumber]

Don't put too much weight on my forum name, Alber, do you catch rats for a living, or just red herrings:)

I found the gloves not bad for golf, and useful as an emergency chamois for car windscreens.

My original question came to me whilst soaking up the luxury of a Ryanair flight, when the gloveless pilot came out to ease springs (there you are Alber). So do big RAF aircraft have similar kit to that in the Ryanair 737s?

[Pontius Navigator]

My original question came to me whilst soaking up the luxury of a Ryanair flight, when the gloveless pilot came out to ease springs (there you are Alber). So do big RAF aircraft have similar kit to that in the Ryanair 737s?

1. Do RAF pilots wear gloves while easing springs?

2. Yes.

[bobward]

They are fire proof and fairly meatly
Alber,
Surely a gentleman would not describe cabin crew in such non-pc terms?

:hmm::8

[cornish-stormrider]

I thought they were described as Balancing trim, Portable, Pretty weighty?

And that their special skill was precision crotch bombing with molten lava temp coffee substitute.......

Or was that just how us peons and pond life was treated?
I bet the old fart Beags got bloody caviar and champers from cut crystal -

[Alber Ratman]

Bobward, have you ever flown with Ryan Air? I see a lot of their cabin crew wandering around my home town, seeing it's the nearest to STN... Quite a few are fire proof..:E

[Party Animal]

Went flying with a Kiwi P3 crew back in the 80's. The hairy old pilot captain was surprised that I was wearing cape leather gloves and the RAF still issued them. He told me about one of his tours in a trial department (not sure where), and the team he was part of did extensive trials with aircrew gloves. Apparently, the C/L gloves melted at a fairly low temperature, welded themselves to the flesh underneath (pigs trotters in this case) and then set on fire. Even when extinguished in short time, the damage was done and hands would never be useable again. Based on those trials, the Kiwi's switched from C/L to nomex (the USAF ones), which won hands down (pun intended) at every level.

Not sure how true that is but I often thought about his comments over the last 20 years of wearing the same designed gloves but in a variety of colours.

[P6 Driver]

I'm surprised that no-one has yet stamped on the idea that PPL's and civil crews wear gloves just to be pretentious in the same way the idea of them wearing flying jackets or suits has been in previous threads.

[Tashengurt]

I never quite understood the obsession lineys had with getting flying gloves. Mind you, we even experimented with a fingerless version for packing Phantom brake 'chutes. They soaked up the fuel and were utterly hopeless.
I did have occassion to carry out a local mod on a Navigators pair. It involved attaching them to a length of string which we passed through his LSJ to stop him forgetting them. Again.

[Milo Minderbinder]

"At one time we were told they were washable. I don't know anyone that ever successfully washed a pair."


The secret of washing chamois / cape leather gloves is to use a lot of soap - not detergent - and not to rinse the soap out. Let the gloves dry naturally (no heat) with the soap still in them
The soap replaces the oils which are washed out of the leather during the cleaning process. Without the soap. the leather shrinks and cracks. The soap keeps it supple.

As to the reasons why they vanished for a while, I suspect it was economic conditions in the 1970's and 1980's. There were a number of small factories in the villages to the west of Yeovil who specialised in military leather gloves (mainly officers, but also pilots) and they all closed in that 20 year period
The problem appeared to be overseas competition, but also I suspect that the availability of suitable quality animal skins may have become tighter. Most of the leather came from Pittards, who themselves had real financial problems around then - and had to be rescued. Hit by a multiple whammy of foreign competition, financial issues and health and safety (anthrax, brucellosis, foot & mouth and other disease controls which blocked a lot of sources of skins) the UK gloving industry was wiped out

And if you've ever wondered, thats why Yeovil Town FC are "The Glovers"


PS - need to clarify a couple of things
1) after washing turn them inside out so the wool liners get a chance to dry. However its better if you only wash the outsides! Wash them as if you're washing your hands - i.e. while ON your hands
2) by soap I mean good oldfashioned unperfumed simple soap, probably from animal fat. Lux flakes for instance, or possibly better, those big blocks of yellow-white stuff whose name I forget

[Pontius Navigator]

You live and learn. Thanks for that MM shame we were never told how to wash them.

Drying of course was the issue. Typically one 24hr period of QRA and one flight per week gave barely enough time for a wash and dry and of course no gloves if something happened while they were still wet.

I think most aircrew used to acquire a spare set :)

[xray one]

In the early 80s a U/T AEop was caught doing an unmentionable act whilst wearing his newly acquired flying gloves...the gloves were still tied together with the string from stores.

[Geehovah]

Best item of flying clothing ever produced in the UK IMHO:ok:

I did produce a size 1 pair after a serious session in the washing machine when they were left in a flying suit pocket.

[Pontius Navigator]

In the early 80s a U/T AEop was caught doing an unmentionable act whilst wearing his newly acquired flying gloves...the gloves were still tied together with the string from stores.

Lest anyone uses the phrase "Do tell" please don't.

I think Cassanova springs to mind.

[dctyke]

So is counting not high up on the Armourer competency list either?

..................................


You got me there Airpolice, my brain didn't register that someone could be at STC on the same desk for 16 years (sqipper, please tell me you were a civvy) I did 4 and it was enough for me.

[Milo Minderbinder]

"I did produce a size 1 pair after a serious session in the washing machine when they were left in a flying suit pocket."
try - gently - massaging vegetable oil into them. Don't overdo it or you'll end up with them wet oily and smeary, but small amounts may well soften the leather and let you stretch it out. Dunno what it would do with the colour though. Works OK with army officers gloves, but they are brown so the oil doesn't show

[Fareastdriver]

those big blocks of yellow-white stuff whose name I forget

Good old Sunlight. You can still get it.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/Sunlight.jpg

[Wensleydale]

In the early 80s a U/T AEop was caught doing an unmentionable act whilst wearing his newly acquired flying gloves...the gloves were still tied together with the string from stores.


Thread drift. A friend of mine walked in on a baby nav and his girlfriend in the Filton Block in the 1970s. He was involved in an unsavoury act, wearing nothing but his flying helmet. (Not sure if it was visor down).:eek:

[taxydual]

If she was from Donny, it would be safer with visor down!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

...and the visor cover on

[oldmansquipper]

dctyke -- Not a civvy - A blue suited engineer - two tours (split by a `relax` at glider command) and then a 2.5 final LTD. Great fun - even when the annual assumptions needed costing, where political dynamite was churned out year after year.(E.G. Chop the Reds, use cotton gloves, exit Scotland etc etc)

Good thing was that some good stuff got done despite the efforts of the bean counters...(Vis - Gulf 1...PE and industry stating "you cant drop CLE containers from Grimrod cos they are not AEC Cleared --- only good from Lancastrian & Shackleton.......Erm, Sorry, tooooo late.

and circa 2000 " You cant use 3c helmets in Chipmunk - they ae not cleared":eek:

FLOB!.

Washing gloves?..Yes, you could. BUT...any attempt to force dry (on radiator) resulted in serious shrinkage - Wonderful results of about 3" length looking like a claw....:E

Don`t even ask about the Harrier mates(prima donnas?) cutting the gortex liners out of Gortex lined C/W trial flying boots.."because they were too hot in summer"

[DeepestSouth]

Cape leather gloves! Such memories! At a certain Northern Chipmunk base in the early 70's, we studes had great problems getting replacements as a certain civvy storeman with a very exotic Northern name (D**** L********) regarded it as his personal responsibility to frustrate us at every turn. On being 'advised' to get mine replaced, I toddled off to Stores to be greeted with the expected and much used phrase 'You're not entitled'. I responded 'But Sqn Ldr B***** (CO) said they had to be replaced'. Response 'You'll need a chit'. Off I went, found a Flt Lt QFI, got a chit and back I went. 'Not entitled', I was told 'Need a Sqn Ldr or above'. So back I went, got the Sqn Ldrs signature and back to Stores to be told .... 'We're closed - come back on Monday'. :ugh::ugh::ugh:Later found out that this was his standard procedure and even said Sqn Ldr had to have a chit...!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

aah Stores, bless 'em.

Shortly after Kuwait was invaded

"xx NBC suits, please"
"Sorry Sir, no can do, they're war stocks"
"Where the f#ck do you think we're going?"
"Ah, but they are central front war stocks!"
"If we don't get them, then we probably won't be back to use them on the central front, will we?"

Still didn't work. Got a tame Rock Ape to pull the stocks for "safety checks", which took until mid 1991 to complete, funnily enough.

[Ancient Squipper]

Once had an aircrew guy who tried to exchange a pair of aircrew flying gloves that had been used as sick bags. 10/10 for resourcefulness at least he had swilled them out :(

[MightyGem]

"xx NBC suits, please"
"Sorry Sir, no can do, they're war stocks"
"Where the f#ck do you think we're going?"
"Ah, but they are central front war stocks!"
"If we don't get them, then we probably won't be back to use them on the central front, will we?"


Similar.
Me. Hello, map store? I ordered some range safety maps for Hohne ranges. You haven't sent them.
Map Store. That's right. All we have left is war issue.
Me. If there's a war, the whole of Germany will be a range!
:ugh: :ugh:

[Pontius Navigator]

At Waddo in the '60s you could not get a nav bag for love nor money:war stocks only.

I had about 80.

Whenever anyone went to Stores for a nav bag they were told to come and see me. I would swap out a nav bag in good condition for a bit of canvas and cardboard. When I had half a dozen or so I would get 6 new ones from stores. Eventually I got my bags upgraded and the condition of the swaps improved.

I had to do the same trick on nav kit too.

It was when the new computers wee being installed so the stocks held forward on stations were being HELD centrally in Stafford or Carlisle.

[Captain Sensible]

Stories about Stores! My first brush with authority - I was a young "creamie" QFI at Oakington, really wet behind the ears. My gloves fell apart and needed replacing, so off to Stores, but they only had 1 pair left, far too big for me, and the prospect apparently of no further deliveries for weeks I was told. So, for better or for worse, I took them, briefed Bloggs, fired up the 2 Hercules 264's, and off we went. After T/O, bringing my left hand back from behind the throttles ("lollipops"), to raise the U/C, the excess of cape leather from my massive glove caught the right hand Fuel Cock, brought it back with ensuing silence from the Starboard Engine, and Oakington Church looming up. "I have Control!", sort it out, gulp a bit, then resume departure to Black Bank and the Twin Canals for Steep Turns. On return, I recounted my tale to the SFSO, who helped me fill out the Incident Report, and charged off muttering that he was "going to sort this lot out". Next thing, I'm whistled up before the Stn. Cdr., he of the gimlet blue eyes, and given the 1st dressing down of a few in my career - not really required before my taking my "B" exam that afternoon - and had my single-striped arse kicked out of his office. However, good came from bad as the Incident appeared in the next "Air Clues", and caused such a kerfuffle that, I like to think, changed the way Stores conducted their business. Who Knows? After 47 years of flying, now coming to an end as I begin to draw my OAP this month, I still have my last pair of Aircrew Gloves to remind me of amazing days and wonderful people.

[Milo Minderbinder]

Just found that one of the Somerset glove factories is still in business - and is one of two suppliers of these to the MOD.

Selling the gloves and the silk liners for them
When I was a kid this company was always known as one of the "better" factories, with regular fashion orders for Harrods and such like.
Southcombe Brothers (http://www.southcombe.co.uk/products/aircrew-glove/67/)
Southcombe Brothers (http://www.southcombe.co.uk/products/double-silk-liner-for-aircrew-glove/166/)

[jindabyne]

Much cheaper on that other place --

[Dengue_Dude]

I retired from RAF in 1994, still got two pairs of washed gloves. Used to wash them regularly - just keep them away from radiators etc whilst they're drying.

Great for working on the car . . . in case of breakdown.

[Courtney Mil]

...or the famous,

'I need to exchange my flying gloves, size 8.'

'Sorry, Sir, I've only got one pair left and somebody might want them.'

'Yes, I want them.'

'Sorry, Sir.'


I went to stores at Linton for leg restraint garters to find they only had one. How did they end up with one? Not many one-legged JP pilots around at that time. Apparently, they came in boxes of seven! Why????

[BEagle]

I think it was boxes of 5 actually?

I'd have been more worried if they'd only had 2 left....

Eventually, after the third consecutive Spec Rec, I was finally the grateful recipient of a blue letter. So off to stores to obtain some Sqn Ldr rank braid...

"Sorry Sir, we haven't got any."
:uhoh:
I then heard that this was because the stackers' version of eBay had been pongoed and there was therefore 'no demand' for Sqn Ldr rank braid. No-one had notice this until they tried to replace their dwindling stock and found that 'Bicester' didn't have any.

After being exhorted to find some, they eventually managed to do so. Thus I was able to turn up for work with correct rank braid on the relevant date!

[Fareastdriver]

Why didn't you ask for some Plt Off rank braid. I am sure your Flt Lt's braids would have had space in the middle.

They all did when I was in the V Force.

[ukcds]

In my limited experience of aircrew flying gloves I have found out one interesting fact. After wearing them for a period of time I noticed that the white gloves go black, but the black gloves don't go white.. a design floor in the black gloves perhaps?

[Exascot]

They all did when I was in the V Force

Or on 241 OCU when a training captain had left the shiny 10 :E

No incentive to get a 'B' cat in those days if I remember rightly

So as not to get away from the thread a single smudge on your white gloves when on Royal or VVIP flights and they had to be changed. I lost count of how many pairs I went through.

[Xercules]

When I did my 4 months on 1312 (1986 Stanley and Mt Pleasant) the deployment kit list said 6 pairs of flying gloves as there were none available in theatre. My 6 were then written off by a friendly (old retainer) storeman at Upavon along with the rest of my flying clothing (“All time expired now, Sir”) some time later. I am now down to about 3 pairs after some top ups from friendly natives.

However, whilst we were at MPA the Chinook crashed and the Stn Cdr (Capt Beakie) decided we should all be wearing full winter flying clothing at all times. Being truckies, albeit thinly disguised as tanker w******, we had only our normal flying suits with CW jackets and some bunny suits (but again only because the kit list said so). We did try to fly in the bunny suits but they made it impossible for either the pilots or engineer to reach the Upper Panel when strapped in.

Off to stores (a Portacabin only at that time):

1312 Aircrew – “We need some CW flying suits”
Storeman – “Sorry, we only have x in stock and somebody might want them”.

I had always thought that line was mythical although after an argument we did get at least some of what was needed. To be slightly fair, the main Supply Squadron had yet to be handed over. There were 450 ISO containers on the island, all fully manifested but the manifests did not match the containers. The only way to find out what was in each was to unpack them but there was then nowhere to put the result.

CB also wanted to know what we would do if we had to abandon the aircraft. I explained that our parachutes (yes we had them for tanking) and dry immersion suits were lashed to a stretcher in the freight bay. In any kind of dramatic situation we would probably not be able to get out of the aircraft even if we were already wearing it all. He then wanted to know what we would do if we were ordered to give all our fuel to the F4s. I explained that we would not do that (shock horror) and had to explain that the Herc used the dump pumps to dispense fuel and these cut off with 6,000lbs remaining. I reckoned I could make this amount of fuel last me for upwards of 2 hours providing plenty of time to don the clothing and chutes, position over MPA and jump out.

[Willard Whyte]

Ain't PO braid for flossing?

[Mal Drop]

Aircrew gloves = no incriminating fingerprints on the controls or switches.

[SunderlandMatt]

Big fan of the a/c gloves. I'm always amazed that it's one piece of kit that the Tri-Services haven't changed the design of every 5 years like they do for almost every other bit off kit.

A pair of black gloves always go in my Go-Bag. Keep your hands and feet in good order and you'll survive anywhere (clearly the gloves are for your hands...not your feet).

[taxydual]

(clearly the gloves are for your hands...not your feet)

Was that on the label for gloves that were issued to navigators?



I know, hat, coat etc


Well, my baiting worked.
I posted the above to ginger up an old nav mate, who, I know lurks on here.

Within 20 mins the phone rang.

Within 2 hours we were drinking beer.

Within 5 hours, our wives were not speaking to us.

Within 7 hours, we realised we were no longer young, daft and capable of anything.

All being well, within 24 hours, our joint hangovers' will be a thing of the past.

Lifetime mates, (and PPRuNE), don't you just love 'em.

[Exascot]

Was that on the label for gloves that were issued to navigators?

You started this Taxyduel :E

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/32684975/Gloves.jpg

[Milo Minderbinder]

"Aircrew gloves = no incriminating fingerprints on the controls or switches. "

Common misconception
Every leather glove leaves a print as distinctive as a fingerprint Of course, you can throw the gloves away after the crime. Its not so easy to throw away your fingers

[sisemen]

Issued with one pair of C/L gloves. After a while take one of the pair to stores and ask for replacement pair.

After while take the other one of the original pair to stores and ask for a replacement pair.

Personal stock now 2 pairs of C/L gloves.

After a while........etc until lust for extra pairs of gloves is satiated.

(I'm still working through my stock!)