Hmm. Who else wears hats? Let me think. Bus drivers. Train station attendants. Zoo keepers. Women at weddings. Hey, perhaps politicians should start wearing hats?
Does it mean they are at the top of their profession? Let us consider animal rescue. RSPCA inspectors wear hats. They go round and bring the animals into the clinic. In the clinic are vets. They wear any clothes they like (usually with a white coat on top). No hat. Yet they have spent many years at Uni and in training prior to qualifying. Are we saying that the public have less respect for vets than the van drivers who pick up the animals?
Airline pilots are not in the military. Does anyone really care if we wear hats or not? Many airline's pilots don't wear hats. "Go" springs to mind. Is it even slightly relevant? As long as we wear a recognisable uniform, does it matter? Are we saying that cabin crew are not professional because they don't wear hats? (Well, OK, some do).
I think it is time for the "airline pilot" uniform to go through a thorough update and be brought into the 21st century. I'm not saying go casual and wear baseball caps, but there really must be something better out there than the poor quality, cut and look of the uniforms many of us wear.