Flying clothing
I think it was General Patten who used to wear 4 silver stars on his pidgies??
Silly sights -
1. Middle of summer - Enstone - pilot sweats his way into the cockpit of a Grob 109, wearing multi-badged/ winged suit, gloves, Irvin, boots, silk scarf, knife - the full b@ll@cks. His passenger got in - just about - wearing shorts and a tee shirt. Same t@sser drives over to the PFA Rally - same kit - scorchio - and was seen strutting around the flight line engaged in merry pilot banter.
2. PPL - flies exclusively in white airline shirt, 4 bars and wings. See him at Aerofair for sure this year again.
If I am flying open cockpit or chilly non-heated vintage machine I tend to wear a suit(winter only), principally because I hate pulling my shirt out of my trousers as I get in (I am a fat git) and struggling to get everything back in again after I have sat down. When I am display flying I am expected to look like a proper pilot - even though I am a mere mortal hobby weekender. So, I do wear a lightweight nomex suit (and a damn silly hat!)
The only badge I wear has my name on it in case I get p@ssed after the show and forget who I am.
Sorry, but I only look derisively on those who award themselves wings and gold bars. Different if you have earned them and are flying for the 'firm' that awarded them to you at the time.
It is a sad fact that some pilots need to wear 'look I'm a pilot' clothing because they otherwise go through life suffering from lack of recognition and have a self-esteem problem generally. I am convinced also that some people learn to fly for all the wrong reasons. A lot of 'Mitty' pilots learn and then do very little post-PPL except talk about it.
Go to Shuttleworth. All their pilots, with one exception, are ex TP's. None of them wear wings. Look closely and you might see a well-earned oily/ faded ETPS badge.
Sorry guys - get out of your Cessna (or indeed a Musketeer - a truly dreadful aeroplane!) wearing the full b@ll@cks anywhere near me and I promise that I will do my best to stifle my chuckles.
HP