Thanks Birdlady - oops...quite right (notice i'm not debating the standard of grammer and spelling within the flight deck environment he he ;-) )
Adios :-
I think if people talk about flying ability and progress then uniforms have nothing to do with it because the two are totally separate domains.
The point i am making is that being a pilot is not just about flying a plane, it is about so much more, discipline, attitude, determination, common sense and so forth.
Personally i think attitude is everything. With the right attitude everything else is possible.
Uniforms hone some of the qualities i listed above ( i believe). The discipline in preparing the uniform, the attitude in making sure you look smart not because it's required but because you want to.
I have also seen students look disheviled in their uniforms. A slob is still a slob no matter what they wear!
Well this is a good example of why i feel uniforms should be required - i would say that the people you have seen have an attitude problem which probably extends to their flying as well.
I believe in the same way Concorde became the stereotypical image of Aviation when it was flying, i think that uniforms provide that stereotypical image of how people expect pilots will look.
Believe it or not an exceptional amount of people have the utmost respect for pilots, the job we do and hard work we put to achieving our ambitions - and i'm sure if you asked all of them the question - "What would you expect a pilot/pilotess ;-) to look like?" i am sure their answer would not mention "jeans and a t-shirt"...
I think as well that uniforms also cross a psychological boundary in peoples minds - they look and see you are dressed smarter or more polished than them and psychologically they feel confident in your ability (i.e. doctors, lawyers, bankers etc)
So in answer to your point i would say uniforms are required by:
- Pilots (operational) - look professional, establish rank/role, corporate identity etc
- Pilots (under training) - develop desirable attributes, remove social pressures from training, familiarize with rank/role (subtly)
- Walking freight - Instill confidence in pilots abilities to take them from a-b safely and fill that stereotypical placeholder people have when they think of pilots.
Finally - i think that a student who turns up to training well turned out, shined shoes, smartly groomed etc is saying without saying it, that
Attitude is Everything
And I am very sure the unassuming airline recruiter who just happened to pop in for a coffee would agree with them.