Originally Posted by
Leon Jabachjabicz
Reaper crews still have to walkrounds and so get "hydraulic oil and grubby knees" - alright not in Lincoln, but in Theatre.
Aorcrews?
There is a fire risk in a ground control station that is rammed full of high voltage electrics/electronics and man made fibres/plastics - also the ankle pockets in flying suits come in useful for documents whilst sitting "in the chair". Loose articles can be as big a problem as in an aeroplane - things can get jammed in a ground control station's controls just as easily as they can in aeroplane and also possibly cause a short that leads to a fire. Also, flying suits are far more comfortable to sit in for hours on end (OK, crews don't sit "in the chair" for the whole 14hr flight, but 2 spells of 4hrs a day is quite possible). Finally, getting in and out of "the chair" needs a garment that won't snag on the controls and snap them off - belt loops are bad for this.
Actually life preservers aircrew were also pretty good snagging items and not that comfortable either.
On the fire point, that presumably is why the E3 Mission Sim staff and software teams wear flying suits (not)
The only valid argument for flying suits is comfort and convenience. The latter as a convenient place to stow chinagraphs and notebooks.
So what RPAS crews need is a flame retardant, comfortable garment with zip pockets and pen holders - now we could get RPAS suits or is there something "off the peg" in the uniform inventory? Oh, yes, a flying suit!
True, with fire retardance as a virtue not a necessity.
Funny how the USAF came to the same conclusion too!
Nah, just cheap and lazy. Ever been to Geilenkirchen? Even the guards on the gate wear flight suits.