Ashamed of aviation clothing?

[pholooh]

Sorry but this is a long one
After reading a few threads on this site, I have come to a conclusion that pilots, especially in the UK GA community, have a general disdain for aviation apparel. Pilots are willing to sacrifice safety features for an "GA-compliant" image. I thought safety was a pilot's No.1 priority( at least a good pilot)
I am aware that a few wannabes tend to overdo the whole thing. On a domestic flight in the US last year there were about 5 pilots on my flight, that excluding the crew. How did i know? Raybans, leather flight jackets(with gold wings) and aircrew tags on their luggage. In the US, flight suits are quite common. Raybans and flying jackets are a common sight in the aviation community. Airline pilots over there dont seem to be ashamed to wear their uniforms, some wear them on their jackets and raincoats. Believe it or not, but someone on this forum admitted to changing out of his uniform at the airport so he doesn't have to wear his uniform on his way home!!!!!!!.
I know that Britons do not like to celebrate their achievments, but I think every pilot(solo to ATPL) is entitled to wear thier WINGS, i think it's one of those dying aviation traditions (Nowadays first solo traditions are considered old fashioned!!!)
From the public's point of view, airline uniforms, flight suits, helmets,etc have a fashionable and profession image. One of the main reasoned from the "dislike" of aircrew by non-flying service men is that they always steal the show in public, with their flying apparel and "inflated egos". But in GA we seem to think of the pilot image as somewhat goofy. Remember pilots made sunglasses and leather jackets fashionable. Pilots once used to be celebrities, but that's no more cos we are ashamed of wearing our uniforms in public( and we wonder why airlines treat pilots like cr@p).
As for people not wanting to wear epaulettes, i think it's more of a case of low self esteem or some pros trying to "mark their territory". If wearing 4 bars is going to boost the self esteem of some 17 year old NPPL(which it probably will, then let him wear them. The main reason for the abuse of epaulettes is the lack of standards( for example, what are the hour or license requirements for wearing 3 bars or for one to "Capt" b4 their name?)
You can't walk for 5-10 mins in any british city without seeing some youngster in camouflage, even though they have not "earned" it. And nobody slags them off for it, but if i dare to wear a flying suit or a 'bone-dome' to my local flying club, despite their safety features, you all know how i will be viewed(can wait to get into the loving comfort of the adoring public ).
I think every post-solo pilot has the right to wear wings, every PIC has the right to wear 4 bar and call himself "captian" and any pilot or aviation enthusiast has the right to dress up in a pilot's uniform or flight suit.
By the way i do not own any aviation apparel(yet) but i'm currently looking for nomex underwear:D :D :D :D :cool:
i told it's a long one

[Genghis the Engineer]

Grief.

Surely aviation clothing unless it's practical is a waste of time, appearance is a bonus.

I freely admit to wearing a Nomex flying suit regardless of what I'm flying (it would be hard to deny most of this forum have seen me in it) and it seems a shame not to put an appropriate badge or two on it (name, wings, and ETPS in my case). If at my destination it is cold or muddy I leave it on quite happily, if it isn't I don't.

I do own a pair of Pprune wings, or at least I did - I think I've lost them.

Blue jerseys, gold bars, ostentatious wings - why? They are a uniform serving a particular function in a particular workplace. When I worked in a workshop as a very junior trainee engineer I didn't wear my overalls or white labcoat away from work, what's the difference?

I'll make one exception, a leather flying jacket (pick your style) is a pretty good universal garment - but I sure as hell wouldn't put wings on mine. It's as pretentious as wearing the badge of some highbrow society other than at it's meetings or using postnominal letters in any context but a professional one (okay, the latter can also reasonably be used to intimidate head teachers and council officials).

G

[QDMQDMQDM]

Aviation 'apparel' around here at the moment consists of wellington boots, mud-spattered trousers and a woolly jumper.

For heaven's sake this is just self-obsession. Who gives a toss what anyone wears or what the meaning is? Wear what you personally like and feel comfortable in -- wings, wellies, raybans, nomex, shorts, rubber, epaulettes, whatever -- and if the rest of the world doesn't like it, then it can go jump. There's no philosophical question whatsoever in all this -- it's utterly trivial.

QDM

[BRL]

There was a cracking thread all about this aaaaaaaaages ago and I am doing my very best to try and find it. Can anyone out there remember the thread name or indeed find it?
Winner gets a can of Stella-Artois :)

[drauk]

Here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42913)

[bingoboy]

Can anyone suggest a nomex type suit that can be worn over normal day attire with all the obvious benefits ?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Pretty much any if you buy one size too large.

There's a company called Silvermans who do replica USAF suits in several colours at http://www.silvermans.co.uk/ if you're looking for one fairly cheaply.

G

[Evo]

for example, what are the hour or license requirements for wearing 3 bars or for one to "Capt" b4 their name?)


Three bars show you've gone solo with the Transair catalogue.

IIRC the requirement to be able to put "Captain" before your name is to be promoted to the rank of Captain in the Navy. The army rank is too low to count, unless you are Mark Phillips ;) For pilots it is an honourific - other people can call you that out of respect, but anybody who calls themselves captain is a bit of a Rimmer... :)

[VIKKI]

why worry what other people think if u want to wear gold bars why not ?

i practically live in my flying jacket but i do take my raybans off when i get out the plane cus u tend to look like a **** walking round in them if u do it all the time

[rustle]

Possibly the worst example of wearing aviation attire is James Allan(sp?) when he "hosts" the Farnborough Air Show TV progs.

Not only does he insist on wearing a USAF flying suit, but he gets one several sizes too small and looks more like the Michelin Man :D

PS, you need another option on the poll:

"Couldn't give a monkey's" - I'm sure it would win :)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I always thought the level of clothing 'pose' was inverse to the ability of the pilot at most flying clubs. The guy in the old jeans and holy pullover or oil-stained tatty flying suit is probably a highly experienced aeros ace, while the one wearing the navy sweater with gold wings and eppaulettes or immaculate flying suite with squadron badges etc. can just about master his C152 on a good day.

I once knew a guy who flew a Beach Muskateer (if you've never flown one - don't bother) who always wore an ex- military flying suite. One day we flew to Skegness (the old Ingoldmells airfield) and so finely honed were his skills that he flew an enourmouse circuit on arrival and lost sight of the field. By the time he'd located it again he was at about 45 degrees off the runway heading, so went-around. He repeated this feat of airmanship no fewer than 5 times before we actually landed, by which time a small audience had gathered by the clubhouse.

Before getting out of the aeroplane, he got out of his flying suite. "I don't want them all to know who was flying", he said. It was in vain, becuse we were already out and all pointing vigourously at him as we walked away from the Muskateer ;~))

SSD

[distaff_beancounter]

Well, at this time of the year, it is usually jogging bottoms, woolley pully, fleece, thick waterproof jacket, + waterproof shoes or boots.

In summer, if I can remember what that was :( , its usually teeshirt & shorts, or a skirt.

So, if I buy the 4 gold bars, I suppose they will have to go on my nightie, if only I wore one! ;)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

In summer, if I can remember what that was, its usually teeshirt & shorts, or a skirt.

Ah yes!! A hot sunny day, an L4 cub with the whole side open, shorts, T shirt, and sandals.

Seems a long way away right now.....


SSD

[Hairyplane]

I think it was General Patten who used to wear 4 silver stars on his pidgies??

Silly sights -

1. Middle of summer - Enstone - pilot sweats his way into the cockpit of a Grob 109, wearing multi-badged/ winged suit, gloves, Irvin, boots, silk scarf, knife - the full b@ll@cks. His passenger got in - just about - wearing shorts and a tee shirt. Same t@sser drives over to the PFA Rally - same kit - scorchio - and was seen strutting around the flight line engaged in merry pilot banter.
2. PPL - flies exclusively in white airline shirt, 4 bars and wings. See him at Aerofair for sure this year again.

If I am flying open cockpit or chilly non-heated vintage machine I tend to wear a suit(winter only), principally because I hate pulling my shirt out of my trousers as I get in (I am a fat git) and struggling to get everything back in again after I have sat down. When I am display flying I am expected to look like a proper pilot - even though I am a mere mortal hobby weekender. So, I do wear a lightweight nomex suit (and a damn silly hat!)

The only badge I wear has my name on it in case I get p@ssed after the show and forget who I am.

Sorry, but I only look derisively on those who award themselves wings and gold bars. Different if you have earned them and are flying for the 'firm' that awarded them to you at the time.

It is a sad fact that some pilots need to wear 'look I'm a pilot' clothing because they otherwise go through life suffering from lack of recognition and have a self-esteem problem generally. I am convinced also that some people learn to fly for all the wrong reasons. A lot of 'Mitty' pilots learn and then do very little post-PPL except talk about it.

Go to Shuttleworth. All their pilots, with one exception, are ex TP's. None of them wear wings. Look closely and you might see a well-earned oily/ faded ETPS badge.

Sorry guys - get out of your Cessna (or indeed a Musketeer - a truly dreadful aeroplane!) wearing the full b@ll@cks anywhere near me and I promise that I will do my best to stifle my chuckles.

HP

[BRL]

drauk Thats not the one. I did post a reply to yours late last night but it hasn't shown up. Anyway, thats not the one, the other one is longer than that and a lot funnier too. Anyone else remember it? I will throw in 10 Silk Cut if someone gets it soon...... ;)

[t'aint natural]

I left job once where they gave me a flying jacket as a leaving present. They must have wanted rid of me real bad because it was a beauty; oh, the smell of sheepskin. If I'd worn it down the hangar I would have been laughed off the premises. I had to give it to my brother, a non-flying nerd, who can wear it with impunity. Jeans and a shirt for me.

[Circuit Basher]

BRL - I'll negotiate for a packet of Drum!!!

Possible ones you're looking for are:

Flying Clothing Link 1 (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=60623&perpage=15)

or Flying Clothing Link 2 (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57353&perpage=15)

or Flying Clothing Link 3 (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42638&perpage=15)

Any of these??!

[BRL]

Blimey, the things you do for a drink/smoke. :) A can of stella and a packet of drum on its way up to you...... :D

(It was the first one..)

[Hairyplane]

Hi Big Red L,

That was indeed an amusing thread.

Interesting that Piper Warrior Pilot started it yet is a 16 year old non-pilot who used to post frequently on all sorts of subjects and got all sorts of advice.

He seems to have gone quiet now - probably discovered other ways to make his pantz dirty.....

HP

[pholooh]

Shaggy Sheep Driver
I will have to disagree with you. I know quite a few 'aerobatic' aces who like to dress up. I understand that Mr GA , Capt Airlines and Flt Lt Airforce can't stand each others guts, but there are some of pilots who fit into more than one category. For example should G-V capt have to change out of his uniform if he wants to fly his c-152 for an hr after a boring day at work b4 heading home?
Another question. If i were practicing unusual attitudes, engine failures or aerobatics in a C-152, is it unreasonable for me to wear a helmet and a flame retardent outfit?
There are a few experienced "aerobatiNauts" who think that aerobatics without a helmet is irresponsible.
By the way I see a lot of bikers dress up in full gear and nobody slags them off when they walk throug town.(maybe i should give up and become a biker).:(

[AerBabe]

I seem to recall my instructor telling me that once you have a CPL you can call yourself Captain... although no-one does.
Never worn aviator specs, never will. Mainly cos they make me look like a complete prat. I do wear sunglasses for flying though, and driving, and walking etc etc.
The only bit of 'aviation clothing' I own is a blue fabric flying jacket. I bought it because they're warm and fairly light, water repellent, and pack down well. And I don't mind getting it covered in oil and grease. Oh, and it has plenty of pockets for pens, security pass, sandwhiches etc etc. I do have wings on it because our flying group awards a really nice embroidered gold pair at the annual dinner to new PPLs, and I had nowhere else to put them. I also have my BWPA badge on it so if another member sees it they might come over for a chat.
My PPRuNe wings are pinned to the cloth on my bedside table, and only get worn at fly-ins and bashes.
If I get enough money together to do more chipmunk flying I'll invest in cheap flying overall thingies, because oil is a bugga to remove from clothes. And when I'm rich I'll get a leather flying jacket and ditch the cloth one.

[bluskis]

It used to be advisable to wear at least 4 bar epaulettes when flying into a N. African environment. Is this still the case?

I used to have wings with a safety pin backing so they could be used where needed, but they have long since disappeared.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Of course, if you screw up at somebody elses airfield, the first question after landing will be...

"So sir/madam, are you the captain of that aircraft... ?"

G

[Flyin'Dutch']

Only have 3 bars on my jimjams!

:(

Have the shirt and bars for those p@sstaking moments.

But surely no propa PPL is wearing this sort of stuff in earnest. Makes me laugh have these people nothing better to do or did their mums take their dummies away at too young an age.

Flightsuit & helmet practical in Tiger Moth but other than that..................get a life! :eek:

SSD

Thought you were looking for an L4 for your mate. You are not yearning yourself are you?

FD

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

FD

I expect to get my backside into it - if it will still fit ;~)

If so, I might well buy a large share in it (can't run to a whole one just for me! - my mate could just for him, though).

It is high on my list of favorite aeroplanes (behind the Yak and the Chippy), as 'Pilot' readers may remember.

SSD

[TangoZulu]

Not sure about the poll - after all "aviation appareil" does cover quite a wide range of options :D

However, it has to be said that I normally waer cloths which are comfortable - and usually a shirt with at least one pocket for putting the radio plotter, pens and any other c**P that will fit into said pocket rather than on my lap.

I do not normally wear a shirt with epaulettes (PPL) - in fact the only time I do wear one with such an attachment is when there is something to put on said epaulette to which I am actually entitled - namely my other aviation related activities which have nothing to do with Air Traffic Control (clue in the letters)

The only real piece of aviation clothing I possess (apart from some leather flying gloves, free courtesy of RAF Odiham) is a leather jacket - usually referred to by my work colleagues as the "Biggles" jacket. Excellent in cold weather for keeping warm and the wind out and really rather practical I think.

So there it is - only a leather jacket - which was actually a pressie last year from Mrs TZ.

It has to be said, that I have seen a number of pilots with some interesting appareil but in reality at our club, almost everyone is really quite normal, wearing jeans and shirt etc.

TZ

[Hairyplane]

Hi Flying Dutch,

Wot R U going to wear in PM's new SR22?

(I was with him when you phoned this evening - Too much Vino Collapso to think straight - do you know wot a p@ss head he is??

HP

[andrewc]

I have a teddy bear with a very natty pair of goggles and
leather flying jacket...

-- Andrew

[Julian]

I am diving instructor in my spare time but I dont go walking round in my dry suit once I get out of the water!!!!

Apart from safety related gear its a complete loads of b@ll@cks!
Why Ray Bans? Did someone overdose on Top Gun repeats over Xmas?? My sunglasses are Spec Savers are do the same job.

As for the gold bar brigade, think they are have been slaughtered on here before already.... :D

[Dusty_B]

bluskis wrote:
It used to be advisable to wear at least 4 bar epaulettes when flying into a N. African environment. Is this still the case?

They would have their advantages and disadvantages.
The biggest 'against' is that they highlight your worth in terms of ransom.. :(

On the flip side, they emphasise who and what you are, and place you in authority. Polly Vacher wears her four-bars for this very reason, being particularly important for females in Islamic countries.

[Bear 555]

I wear whats practical and comfortable. Warmer stuff in the winter - not so much in the summer. Sunglasses if it's bright - take em off if it ain't.

Sounds easy really!

Bear 555

[Dop]

I have to admit, I look at those catalogues that fall out of the flying mags and think "If I turned up wearing any of that, people would think I was a right tosser".

Ok, you coulc probably get away with some of it if you were in the right aircraft. Nothing wrong with the sheepskin jacket, but you'd look a prat climbing into an AA5 in one. If you were flying something open and/or unheated, a Tiger Moth for example, you might get away with it.

That blue plasticky jacket thing Transair sell is hideous, though.

I'm a jeans and T-shirt man. My sturdiest bit of clothing is going to be my size eleven CATs.

[rotorboater]

I love my sheepskin flying jacket and I don't mind wearing it around town in this weather, it's the warmest thing I have.

Mind you, I would not dream of wearing it anywhere near my helicopter, a, Because I probibly wouldnt fit in and b, because I would look a right prat!

I fancy some of those gold bars though, do you think they would help me get an upgrade on my next transatlantic flight?

[MLS-12D]

Oh for goodness sakes, who cares what clothing other people wear, or what they think of the clothes you wear?

If someone wants to wear a helmet and goggles in a Cessna, that's perfectly all right with me. It may not be my choice, but it doesn't do me any harm. And it may just show that they are young-at-heart, which is a lot better than someone who takes him or herself too seriously.

I have a surplus flying suit that I wear about 2x a year while gliding. I would probably wear it more often, except that it's too warm on most soaring days.

While trying for altitude flights, I wear a medium-weight jacket courtesy of HM the Queen, and some sheepskin boots that I bought in NZ. Better than freezing your toes off (there's no heater in a sailplane!).

I also have a few flying club baseball caps that I sometimes wear around town - not often - I'm not really a ballcap sort of person. I doesn't bother me to give some free advertising to the clubs.

[Final 3 Greens]

Interesting, emotional, word used in the poll....

"Ashamed to wear"???????

I'm not ashamed to wear aviation clothing, I just avoid looking like a prat by making sure it's appropriate for the type of flying I do and by wearing it in the right context.

For instance, I suffer from sweaty hands and use white leather gloves - but only in the plane, not on the journey home :)

On the subject of why a pilot may wish to remove the uniform before travelling home .... a few I know like to stay anonymous, especially when positioning, for some peace and quiet.

Even when working as a consultant for an airline (and having a photo ID with the logo on), I soon learned the common sense of removing this in pax terminals to avoid turning a 2 minute walk to the office into a 15 min one, answering queries from people who thought I was a customer service agent and understandably wanted some assistance.

[Warped Factor]

I wear flying suit and bone dome in the Chipmunk.

Flying suit for practicality, keeps me clean and there's lots of pockets for carrying things. Stowage space is at a minimum in the Chipmunk.

Helmet for safety. If I bang my head and it causes me problems with my annual medical for the day job, I'm stuffed. Never mind the fact that it might well save my life as well.

Do I care what others think? Couldn't give a monkey's.

WF.

[Kolibear]

If we were sensible, logical, careful and conscientious pilots ( that can also spell :) ) we always wear boots, nomex overall and a helmet, whatever we flew, just in case it all goes terrible wrong.

And if we were sensible, logical, careful and conscientious car drivers, we'd do the same.

But we're not, so we are all going to dress according to taste. I shall of course, continue with my 'once-were-white' gloves.

[Rattus]

The only garment I'm really embarrassed to wear is that yellow roadmender's jacket so many small aerodromes seem to insist on these days :D
Rattus

[chipped prop]

funny you should mention that rattus as a couple of years ago i flew to alderney on their annual fly in and so many little yellow jackets were worn that for a while i thought i had stumbled on a dustbinmens uprising .

[niknak]

Rattus/Chipped - see and be seen:rolleyes: :mad: :rolleyes:

Surely it doesn't matter what you wear to protect yourself, but to wear something (gold bars etc) to give others the impression that you're something you aren't is ridiculous.

[Grim Reaper 14]

As regards what aviators are wearing, the ones that I've met through this site tend to wear a slightly confused expression and spit on their chins. That might be because the gold bars they use all serve Stella Artois and Aftershocks ;)

[Rattus]

Niknak
I cannot deny that a manoeuvring area is a potentially dangerous place, but aeroplanes have right of way airside, so surely it's incumbent upon all boot-borne traffic simply to keep to the edges. There is potential here for pedestrians to equate visibility with invulnerability.
Don't mistake me. I am the proud owner of just such a garment, and I wear it too, but I also keep a wary eye over both shoulders, and I certainly don't take it for granted that a busy pilot has seen me simply because I look a prat.:D

[DBChopper]

It was only when I started learning that I found out about the folklore and opinions regarding helicopter clothing...

Apparently, real heli pilots don't wear sunglasses because they distort depth perception. I'm not in a position to argue except to say that I've flown into enough confined spaces now to feel safe in me RBs. Real heli pilots apparently wear baseball caps instead. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather not have the peak of a cap in my field of vision and stick with the shades instead...

I could never work out why so many heli pilots wore gloves, until I started flying circuits and autorotations in the summer in the R22 - my hands seem to spring a leak and the only way to stop them and keep some kind of grip (because you CANNOT take your hand off the cyclic in the '22) was to buy some of those fetching white gloves. OK, I look like a snooker referee, but I don't slide off the stick!

DBChopper (sweaty bloke) :cool:

[Gerund]

Can anyone help me? I am very keen to buy some bars that light up after dark. I found some in a catalogue that flash on and off - but that seems a bit over the top, rather pretentious. I am after some that just light up continuously. I suppose one could cobble something together with a photoelectric cell but I would prefer something more 'professional', preferably slowing increasing to full intensity and then fading away with the dawn.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would be most grateful.

As for those white gloves, has anyone tried just spraying their hand with antiperspirant? Works a treat and you don't look a plonker! ;)

[falcon10]

Unlike other parts of the world, many airline pilots in the US "commute" to work on the airlines. Wearing their uniform is also required by some carriers to jumpseat, even if they end up getting a seat in the cabin. It also makes it much easier to deal with security while in uniform, since employees do not have boarding passes to get through security, but jumpseat forms that are issued at the gate.

However, with that is mind, I know too many idiots who refuse to wear their uniform when in the airport enviroment. This same group is trying to relax the dress code by wanting hats to be optional, polo shirts, etc....

When I was commuting several years ago, I jumpseated on a large regional airline on the west coast and was absolutely shocked to see the pilots wearing hideous polo shirts and baseball caps. Apparently it was managements' idea to keep everyone happy during a union drive that lasted a month or two.

I think it relfects poorly on the profession when one cannot wear a uniform proudly. It commands respect!

[slim_slag]

Gerund,

You should try the place Southwest Airlines pilots get the flashing lights they drape around their hats at Christmas. Nothing like being greeted at the 737 door by a guy wearing four stripes, a red nose, ridiculous false beard and lit up like a christmas tree. All good fun, nobody thinks they cannot fly the plane. Together with bad jokes and off tune sing-songs over the PA, it's all part of the Southwest experience, and only Southwest could get away with it.

[sunday driver]

Have just read the item in this month's Pilot about the French young fliers' rally last summer.

Contrast seems to be that they (the French) seem proud to be Pilots, the tone I pick up from this thread suggests we (Brits) seem half ashamed to admit it.

Maybe this accounts for some of the differences between the health of French and UK GA. (No, I'm Brit through & through; no, I've not had the pleasure of flying in France; yes, I am pig ignorant).

sd

[High Wing Drifter]

From what I have seen, GA guys can have all the fancy pants toys and equipment but have to dress either in the corporate management standard GAP uniform or look like they have personally suffered severe wake turbulence - no inbetweens. I have not quite discovered my avaiation image yet, so for ease of use I have elected for the latter for the time being.

[GeneralMelchet]

I avoid wearing any manmade fibres.I have a rather paranoid attitude to fires in a small plane, but haven't yet started wearing a parachute. Did once meet an ex-RAF instructor who wouldn't fly a light plane without one ( I presume he gave his passenger a parachute also) - do not know what he flew though.

I do own a nomex jacket ( no badges or wings 'cos I dont think I've earned the right to wear any) bought from here -

http://www.flightsuits.com/

If you look at their clearance sale you can get a bargain.They also sell the USAF type nomex leather gloves and the white RAF ones.I tried gloves but other than on the coldest days didn't really like them.

[big pistons forever]

I have to agree with the general tone of the posts. For most GA operations there seems to be a strong inverse relationship between the wearing of aviation specialty clothing and flying ability.:rolleyes:

[astir 8]

There's no colder place than an airfield in winter so personally I use a boiler suit, with a heavy impregnation of winch oil and emulsion paint - and it kept me warm in an unheated glider at 21000 feet.

Which proves that the principle behind the old Sidcot suit still works.

The only time I've ever seen a white shirt with epaulettes worn at a gliding club was when the owner had just come from work (B747 - 400) and he still had the piss taken!

[Holloway]

I think that the full kit like all the jackets ties hats and shining shoes etc should be the uniform of commercial airline pilots or pilots working for a living because I think its important to keep the image of a pilot. I think the BA pilots for example look really smart!!

As far as im concerned as a tyro nearly finished on my PPL, I go to the flyin club in what I am wearing. I think maybe I would buy a jumper with something on it but thats about it. Im only 22 and im proud to be a pilot, but I dont need a full suit to prove that.

Andrew :)

[Northern Highflyer]

I only learned to fly so I could wear the "gear" to attract the girls.

Wearing the helmet and goggles in the nightclub works every time but I find the starched silk scarf can cause some upset when it smacks people round the face.
;) ;) ;)

[FLYING COUNSEL]

Anyone remember the bloke from coronation street who was responsible for Deirdre Rashid going to prison a few years back? Didn't he used to dress up as an airline pilot?

[Pink_aviator]

Golly gum drops

You just wouldn't believe what I fly in.

I know i'm slightly excentric,,and don't always wear,"run of the mill apprell, but from reading this thread I must be a complete laughing stock.

STILL

TO late to change now.

But, can you imagine ,what extras i could wear ,when I qualify ?

PINK-AVIATOR

[Bootlegger]

As long as you enjoy your flying...wear what you want :ok:

[Say again s l o w l y]

PPL's wearing the Transair stuff is laughable, along the lines of alot of students who 'forget' to take their flying text books off the rear parcel shelf!:rolleyes: I would prefer it if they read them personally....

These same cars usually have bumper stickers saying things like "pilots do it inverted" and other such hilarious comments.:rolleyes:

To be honest wear what you like for safety, but nobody likes a show-off.

I made the mistake once of going to a pub for lunch in my uniform with a couple of guy's from work and we were all mistaken for security guards!:* But as others say, who cares........

[Boing_737]

Given the age and state of most of the Warriors that I hire, I reckon one of those long "Arfur Dailey" sheepskin coats, and a felt hat are in order - just to give it that "Dodgy Secondhand Used Car" look :cool:

Just one careful owner sir.... nice lady driver...... engine warmed nicely during PFLs..... Only 200 quid to fill up:uhoh:

[ft]

I will get a flight suit (thanks for the link, Genghis!)...

...only...

...I'll cut the legs and make them "zipoffable". Heavy boots. Always heavy boots. All the time. Busted ankle. But flip-up sunglasses and a fishing hat where the dirt is starting to develop a written language, as immortalized by Col. Henry Blake in M*A*S*H, well... I doubt anyone will get the impression it is for looks as it makes you look (even more) like a right idiot. :D

I've found most regular clothes have two shortcomings when it comes to flying gliders.

a) Impossible to get to the pockets when wearing a parachute and strapped into a glider cockpit. Nothing like a good game of "hunt the sunglasses in the leg pocket"!

b) "Impissible". A good flight suit has a zipper which can be opened from both directions and goes lower than they usually do. :)

Waiting for the official Monthy Python guide on "How to recognize a bunch of glider pilots from quite a distance - and steer well clear". The trailers are a dead giveaway but sometimes, the hints are more subtle!

Besides, you can be nekkid (boxers optional) underneath and just wring off the top half after landing. Very good for messing around on the field before and after. Too bad they're often green. Too hot. Beige is ideal. Not hot in the sun and really shows up all the dirt, for those conscious about showing up an image of not being conscious about their image.

Also good in case you end up coming down in some forest out in nowhere. A bit of protection from both possible effects of landing on something which is not a field and night cold/mosquitoes. When I start straying some distance from the home field, the shorts and t-shirt will be gone. I'll miss them. :(

If you think you've heard it all by now, check out this thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=94776&highlight=helmet).

When I eventually make powered, I'll have a good think about the discomfort of fire protective clothing vs the safety benefit. A student pilot around where I lived died from the burns he received in a fire after overrunning the runway on an aborted takeoff. Long sleeves and legs of cotton would probably have been enough to prevent it.

Cheers,
Fred

[WelshFlyer]

Good god! I am proud to wear my flightsuit (bought for 10 quid at an ex-military surplus shop!)

and I don't exactly look how people expect a pilot to look - what with the long hair and leather jacket as well as said flightsuit.

I think the blue jumpers (nato specification - look in transair catalogue if you don't know what i mean) should be kept for QFIs.

And "Airline uniforms" for airline pilots - seeing some 17year old get out of a c150 having just passed his nppl wearing 4stripes and an airline uniform is ludicrous.

But flightsuits with wings are very comfortable to fly in, and are a bit of a status simbol - I have had some people stop me in the street if iv'e just come down, and ask if i'm a pilot, of coures some just stair as if i'm from the set of star wars:confused:

do you think that you are allowed to wear wings after you're first solo? I thought you were only allowed to wear them when you are issued with a license?

WelshFlyer.

[VFR800]

Dudes,

These posts always make me laugh, thanx for brightening up my day!

I'm sorry, but any PPL saddo who want's to dress up in the full airline monty is one seriously dsyfunctional case ! But please, continue to do so, so I and everyone else can piss ourselves laughing as you strut by!

I reckon Transair could make loads by issuing a separate catlogue, called 'Pilot Fetish Wear' !

However, I confess, I do have a WW2 stylee leather jacket, from Moorlands in Glastonbury, in the winter it's the warmest thing around, wear it in a PA-28, no I really don't think so...

:cool:

[Boing_737]

you can just imagine the range - rubber flying suit, RAF aircrew NBC gas mask.....

[Onan the Clumsy]

I only read the first three pages of this, but I wear the following when hauling freight:

Gloves because my hands'll get dirty or torn up if I don't (and it keeps the sandwiches tasting ok) I take 'em off to fly though.

White shirt and blue pants because I like to try and show a reasonably professional image and because it doesnt' matter if I get oil on them or go crawling around the cabin.

Serengetti sunglasses because they're needed (in Texas) and the lenses filter out the blue or something

Doc Martin shoes because I discovered recently how comfortable they are and how much punishment they'll take.

When flying for fun, I just wear a tee shirt and a skirt. ;)

[RW-1]

I wear all sorts of aviation attire, polos, t-shirts, etc. Flight suit when working, and on some occasions when hanging out at the FBO at the airport as well.

As with Onan, I'll wear my flt suit gloves to pre-flight, etc. (Especially on a hot aircraft) but may or may not when flying.

The leather (and sage green issue) jacket I have from my time in the NAV are of no use to me down here in SoFla alas .... but they are in "storage" for when I travel up to the MI north in winter :)

Randolph's: there is no substitute. :ok:

[ACW 335]

Winter:
Jeans & hoody & scarf

Summer:
Shorts & T-Shirt

I wear whats practical and comfortable. I read on one page about skirts... Who would fly in a skirt?! Its impractical - what if you had to bail out?!

What makes me laugh are people strutting around in grow bags who then jump in their 152 (no offence if anyone does!)

If everyone dressed the same i.e. all in growbags or all in thos funny blue woolly pullies..then maybe wouldn't have this 'ashamed' thread

[Marigold]

Surely this depends on the aircraft and the weather?

Summer, closed cockpit, something cool
Winter, something warmer :)

[lightman]

I'm really torn here.. As a student I'm looking forward to a lifetime of flying and have already bought my first investment in what I'll be doing. 10-60 DC w/ FW & H cords. I know that I'll have this headset a long time so I really didn't mind forking over the cash.
However as far as attire goes I'm really unsure where I want to be. First of all as a biker I'm accustomed to wearing things that may not suit the conditions but suit the saftey of the situation. However I can't see myself wearing a helmet in a R-44 while I'm flying for the company. Nor can I see myself walking out to the 172 wearing nomex. However, the Gentex would save my cocunut if I set the 44 down a little harder than I had planned and the blades came through the canopy. And the Nomex would keep my skin from turning the color of my lunch if my 172 cought fire during runup.
Saftey concerns? Seems like a no brainer to me. Buy, wear, safe(r). But would that inspire confidence in my pax? Probably not.
In the style department I'm torn. I really dig the look of a pair of Gentex'ed, Nomex'ed pilots in a AS350 with a SWAT team in full regalia hanging from the skids. It's imposing and promotes the look of force. No issue there. I can see the capt of a nearjet walking through the FBO in 4 bars and a tie. It happened 2 weeks ago at my local. But 4 bars out of a GA? Nadda..
Wings? Sure! If I was *GIVEN* them as a symbol of accomplishment. I'm all for tradition. Cut my shirt, pin wings on me, whatever. Don't forget that we are a scant few of the general population and there should be respect and those traditions should continue on. As a lighting designer and pyro tech we still hold the backstage traditions as our brethern have. In this business you EARN your respect. If you don't cut it, your gone. No questions asked. Same in avaition, except if you can't cut it, your dead. Same result however.
I'm going to be coughing up mucho bucks in this next year for something I may never earn an income with and I believe that I will have accomplished something and there should be an earned respect which follows along. However, once I recieve an aircraft to be responsable for I'm going to have a plate made with an engraving. "Proverbs 16:18" (Pride goeth before destruction) just to remind me to keep my ego in check. (as well as my anticipated flying confidence)

So, what I will probably end up doing is spending a bunch of money on gear and apparell that I'll use 3 times/year. But thats okay :)

Wade

[Small Rodent Driver]

I've taken to flying naked myself.

Apologies to fellow group members but I always wipe the seats down with TCP afterwards:O

[VP959]

Surely the simple answer is to wear what's appropriate for the weather/conditions, isn't it? I tend to dress for the likely outside conditions (based on years of having this sort of thing pumped into me.....) but wouldn't dream of wearing ex-mil kit covered in badges, or perhaps worse a white shirt with gold bars, when flying something as mundane as a light private A/C. Frankly it's the t*ss*rs who insist on wearing badge covered gro-bags I find the most laughable. I did keep mine as a souvenir, and would quite like a black one (doesn't show the oil/muck....) for the odd occasions when a bit of fire protection might come in handy. I do tend to fly in gloves, even when in enclosed cockpits, for the same reason. The thought of not being able to open the door/hatch to escape on the ground in the event of fire, just because you happen to have burnt fingers fills me with dread.

[High Wing Drifter]

Surely if you fly roundeled Chipmunk then a green flying suit would be required attire!

I have to admit that I fancy one of those nice leather bomber jackets. The ultimate irony is that I would probably never wear within 100yds of an airfield :\

[whatunion]

whatunion says, always wear a clowns outfit, you can get away with the most amazing fxxxk ups

[J.A.F.O.]

Thanks for bringing this back to the top, what a very British topic.

I personally tend to look a bit of a prat no matter what I wear.

[jayteeto]

A mate of mine used to wear a flying suit (RAF) every time he flew a GA aircraft. We used to bait him about it, but he kept on doing it. On the first flight of his new kitfox the prop came off on take off and he crashed and burned badly. He was virtually unmarked but his passenger was seriously burned requiring long term, painful, hospital treatment. I don't laugh at ANY pilot wearing the full kit now, unless he turns up at the airshow in his car............

[whatunion]

JAFO never worry about looking a pratt, there is always a bigger one hanging around in most flying clubs.

What about the guys that wear gloves, whats that all about? (apart from fire)

[Trislander]

When I'm down the flying club or just visiting airports in general I like to look the part so that everyone knows I'm a pilot and they'll be really impressed.

What I normally wear:

- ' I'd rather be flying ' or classic ' Pilots do it inverted ' T-shirt
- Blue plasticy Transair Exclusive jacket with recently sewed on 'PPL' motif and Top Gun embroidered badge
- Mirrored Aviators (to look like Ice Man in Top Gun)
- FliteSlax (TM) 'Pants for Aviators' (Cheap pair of cargo-trousers re-badged for the aviation community and sold by Transair at 4x the price)
- Five stripes (well my mate hasn't even got his PPL yet and he wears four stripes)
- A baseball cap with the word 'Captain' stitched on for posing down at the airport.


I was just joking of course!!!:D

I just wear jeans or shorts and any t-shirt/jumper. The only aviation clothing I own is a jacket with the name of my flying club on. Oh and don't forget the trusty hi-vis.

Tri:ok:

[2Sticks]

Just to answer whatunion's question about flying gloves - don't know much about the rationale for the fixed wing boys & girls but my heli instructor (when I told him I was a bit embarrassed about the fact that someone had bought me a pair of flying gloves for Christmas) said that he actually preferred his students to wear them! It refers to what someone mentioned earlier in the thread, but flying helicopters can lead to very sweaty palms and you don't want slippery hand flying a heli (twist grip throttle and all that). I found out what he means and wear them as a matter of course now - never thought about the fire issue though - rest of the gear is just jeans & t-shirts. My first lesson was a laugh (for the instructor anyway); as a seasoned glider pilot, I turned up in January complete with thermals, lined boots, layers and layers of clothing - felt a complete tw@t when it was pointed out the R22s are fitted with heaters!!

2Sticks

[Pink_aviator]

I was wondering as i am oviously not an exspert on these matters,

,but ,if one is to be laughed at by most of the G/A sector for wishing to wear a " safe " fire resistant flying suit ,

then would wearing boys trousers (not really wanting to dress as a boy ,)
(or a mini skirted BARBIE , either ,come to that )

well would trousers not catch fire the same as a dress or skirt would .

If one needed to evacuate quickly ,then ripping ones skirt ,dress ,or trousers ,jacket ,or jumper , would hardly seem to matter in the scheme of things .

and isn't ONE ment to be able to operate better if one feels comfortable with ones self .

so I say , where what you like ,

It is rude after all to laugh at any body .

the PINKSTER