Hat history Lesson 101
Hats, caps or helmets came from the military, where all civil aviation originally came from (1921).
The type of hat most airline crew wear is the formal type reserved for weddings, funerals, court martials etc.
The airline hat, like the field cap and steel helmet all serve a purpose, apart from keeping the sun off bald spots.
The hat (Airline) completes the uniform and aids in identifying the flight crew from pax and other crew.
Why wear a unimform?
So that the punters know which are the flight crew and what direction they are running ifrom an aircraft on fire.
But seriuosly, I hate my large ceremonial hat. I believe it shoild be reserved for those occasions where everyone is wearing one except the accused.
For emergencies I would prefer to see a day glo orange or fluro green baseball style cap kept with the other emergency equipment on board.
In the event, say of an evacuation, the crew could don them and they would be labeled much as FBI and SWAT team members caps are during an operation. PILOT CAPTAIN or some such label.
One final comment. As a tall pilot I have walked into more undercarriage doors on the 360 (Walkround) with my hat peak blinding my upward forward vision than I have without it.
Chok Dee.