What to wear
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On Track,
A Kiwi mate told me that the name 'Jandals' came about in the late 1950s as a contraction of 'Japanese Sandals'.
Others might have a different idea, perhaps.
A Kiwi mate told me that the name 'Jandals' came about in the late 1950s as a contraction of 'Japanese Sandals'.
Others might have a different idea, perhaps.
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Thanks guys, you made my working weekend!
No idea how long it'll take to get the pictures off my brain ... have to go flying now.
To add some more to it, what about this:
or the version for the younger generation pilots:
?
No idea how long it'll take to get the pictures off my brain ... have to go flying now.
To add some more to it, what about this:
or the version for the younger generation pilots:
?
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It reminds me of a joke I heard years ago. A country guy made good called up the garage to complain that his new Bentley motorcar would not get above a crawling speed. The mechanic asked him what gear he was in. The owner replied " just the usual, double breasted wellies and a crape soled cap"
How odd, I don't dress in a car to "make the job of a rescue crew easier", why would I in an airplane.
Maybe when racing a car, yes, but not in a normal car, and not when flying a "normal" plane.
Maybe when racing a car, yes, but not in a normal car, and not when flying a "normal" plane.
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When learning to fly in the RAF the message we were always given was "Dress to Survive".
Jeans and a T-Shirt are no good if you happen to have to force land on say, the top of the Yorkshire Moors/Pennines. Even in summer you won't last long and rescue could take longer than you think.
The same goes even for even a short hop over water, even just crossing the Solent.
Again in the RAF we were always taught the benefit of multiple layers of natural fibre clothing was better than one thick one against burns.
Personally, I just don't feel comfortable flying with more bare skin exposed than I have to and prefer to wear long sleeves and long trousers at all times.
MB
Jeans and a T-Shirt are no good if you happen to have to force land on say, the top of the Yorkshire Moors/Pennines. Even in summer you won't last long and rescue could take longer than you think.
The same goes even for even a short hop over water, even just crossing the Solent.
Again in the RAF we were always taught the benefit of multiple layers of natural fibre clothing was better than one thick one against burns.
Personally, I just don't feel comfortable flying with more bare skin exposed than I have to and prefer to wear long sleeves and long trousers at all times.
MB
Maybe I am alone here - but I have never really seen any fashionable, decent quality clothing that was designed with light aircraft pilots in mind...or maybe you think it is not needed...love to get views!
This is your Captain speaking. Have I got your attention now?
double breasted wellies
I didn't even bother to begin wondering about the crape soled cap, suspecting negligent typing on top of the, errm, popular vocabulary.
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Hi ANCO,
What you wear for flying depends on how much flying you do, what you fly, where you fly (eg, arctic? tropics?) and what kind of flying you do.
For the average UK PPL, flying two hours a fortnight in a Pa 28, street clothing is all you need. Just make sure you wear shoes with a definite sole and heel, not a through-sole so that if you have to step onto a stirrup-style foot hold, when entering or leaving the aircraft, you don't slip and injure yourself.
Open cockpits are cold and draughty and the draught sometimes blows up your trouser leg so dress accordingly. An expensive sheepskin Battle of Britain style jacket is all very well as a pose, but little use when there is an icy blast blowing up your leg and freezing your family jewels.
If you do a lot of flying, especially say over open country in Scotland in the winter or over water, then the RAF advice 'dress to survive' (on the ground or in the drink) makes good sense. Heed it.
Similarly for the high annual hours fraternity, a lot of nonsense is talked about fabrics. Natural fibres aren't just natural fibres when it comes to fire. Silk and wool are animal products and will shrivel when burned, but cotton and linen are derived from plants and will BURN LIKE A BL**DY TORCH and are thus best avoided.
In regard to man-made fibres, again there are good and bad. Most, such as polyester (and polycotton), will melt onto your skin and then burn (as the Royal Navy discovered in the Falklands). While Nomex II and Aramid fibre will not burn. However, don't fall into the trap of thinking that Nomex II or Aramid will render you fireproof. They don't; their only advantage is that they don't burn (or melt and burn), but neither does a flying suit made from a single layer of these fabrics protect you from being burned when wearing them.
BP.
What you wear for flying depends on how much flying you do, what you fly, where you fly (eg, arctic? tropics?) and what kind of flying you do.
For the average UK PPL, flying two hours a fortnight in a Pa 28, street clothing is all you need. Just make sure you wear shoes with a definite sole and heel, not a through-sole so that if you have to step onto a stirrup-style foot hold, when entering or leaving the aircraft, you don't slip and injure yourself.
Open cockpits are cold and draughty and the draught sometimes blows up your trouser leg so dress accordingly. An expensive sheepskin Battle of Britain style jacket is all very well as a pose, but little use when there is an icy blast blowing up your leg and freezing your family jewels.
If you do a lot of flying, especially say over open country in Scotland in the winter or over water, then the RAF advice 'dress to survive' (on the ground or in the drink) makes good sense. Heed it.
Similarly for the high annual hours fraternity, a lot of nonsense is talked about fabrics. Natural fibres aren't just natural fibres when it comes to fire. Silk and wool are animal products and will shrivel when burned, but cotton and linen are derived from plants and will BURN LIKE A BL**DY TORCH and are thus best avoided.
In regard to man-made fibres, again there are good and bad. Most, such as polyester (and polycotton), will melt onto your skin and then burn (as the Royal Navy discovered in the Falklands). While Nomex II and Aramid fibre will not burn. However, don't fall into the trap of thinking that Nomex II or Aramid will render you fireproof. They don't; their only advantage is that they don't burn (or melt and burn), but neither does a flying suit made from a single layer of these fabrics protect you from being burned when wearing them.
BP.
Moderator
I choose natural fabrics as much as I can for all of my general wear. I consider the risk of being involved in a fire while flying to be slightly greater than other things in life, but not so much so that I don't bother to consider the risk for many other activities too. Many thinks in life can put you at risk of fire, so I like to dress with that in consideration.
With the exception of specialized flame proof fabrics, most any of the rest will burn to some extent. For me the important factors are: Will it melt and stick to me while burning, and become fuel I cannot remove while burning? And if it is burning, will "stop drop and roll" likely extinguish or at least subdue it?
In a cockpit, stop drop and roll has limited potential as a fire management tactic, so that leaves me with "can I remove it while burning?", which takes me back to natural fabrics - which I wear all the time, for that very reason.
With the exception of specialized flame proof fabrics, most any of the rest will burn to some extent. For me the important factors are: Will it melt and stick to me while burning, and become fuel I cannot remove while burning? And if it is burning, will "stop drop and roll" likely extinguish or at least subdue it?
In a cockpit, stop drop and roll has limited potential as a fire management tactic, so that leaves me with "can I remove it while burning?", which takes me back to natural fabrics - which I wear all the time, for that very reason.
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Re Aramid/Nomex flying jackets...
There was at least one batch of Aramid jackets issued to us in the ADF where the fabric was Aramid bit the stitching wasn't.
We tested an example and it very quickly came apart.
There was at least one batch of Aramid jackets issued to us in the ADF where the fabric was Aramid bit the stitching wasn't.
We tested an example and it very quickly came apart.
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The way the RAF maintain aircraft these days dressing for the inevitable crash seems a prudent move. When even gliders are messed about with to the point they have to be grounded, dressing to survive might include a magazine around the posterior?
My first somewhat colourful CFI asked me early to have a look at my important flying documents. I handed over log book and medical and he said - "no dear boy, this is the one I meant", whilst picking up my cheque book!
So a decent jacket, good shoes and my wallet and phone!
My first somewhat colourful CFI asked me early to have a look at my important flying documents. I handed over log book and medical and he said - "no dear boy, this is the one I meant", whilst picking up my cheque book!
So a decent jacket, good shoes and my wallet and phone!
Last edited by gasax; 18th May 2016 at 16:13.
KGHJFG wrote:
But flying a 'normal' plane is about as dangerous as driving a racing car, isn't it?
(100 F1 drivers each driving what, 500 hours a year? One death every 2 years over the last decade. 1 death per 100,000 hours. All in all, about the same as a PA28.
How odd, I don't dress in a car to "make the job of a rescue crew easier", why would I in an airplane.
Maybe when racing a car, yes, but not in a normal car, and not when flying a "normal" plane.
Maybe when racing a car, yes, but not in a normal car, and not when flying a "normal" plane.
(100 F1 drivers each driving what, 500 hours a year? One death every 2 years over the last decade. 1 death per 100,000 hours. All in all, about the same as a PA28.
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Hi Sir George,
Obviously, not all crashes are survivable precisely because of impact injuries, but many are. However you don't have to have a crash for fire to be a hazard. An instructor acquaintance of mine had a cockpit fire in the air and had to land the aircraft PDQ. He survived the flight but was severely burned and spent some time in hospital. He, of course, was wearing one of those silly, poncy, cheapo, flammable, navy-blue, poly-cotton uniforms, which many instructors are required to wear, which didn't help. Cockpit fires generally start in the electrics, but in most small aircraft you have fuel lines going through the cockpit uncomfortably close to the instrument panel.
BP.
Obviously, not all crashes are survivable precisely because of impact injuries, but many are. However you don't have to have a crash for fire to be a hazard. An instructor acquaintance of mine had a cockpit fire in the air and had to land the aircraft PDQ. He survived the flight but was severely burned and spent some time in hospital. He, of course, was wearing one of those silly, poncy, cheapo, flammable, navy-blue, poly-cotton uniforms, which many instructors are required to wear, which didn't help. Cockpit fires generally start in the electrics, but in most small aircraft you have fuel lines going through the cockpit uncomfortably close to the instrument panel.
BP.
