Y.O.P.
I hate to be a party pooper but plods chopper coppers in their 'Klown Kaptain suits' are a waste of public money .
It would be better to assign the funds to the Air Ambulance operations in the UK.
...who of course, wear the same suits, helmets etc
As you insist in continuing with your 'pilot attire' rants in various threads around the site;
Flying suits are a uniform provided by an employer. They provide fire resistant protection, have useful pockets and pads and as simple coveralls not only keep our own clothing clean they are designed to be anti snag.
(May I also suggest you read your beloved Nepal thread and take a closer look at the pics
)
Bar slides, just like on every other civil occasion they are worn, are for identification. How can it be an ego issue if the only people that see you 98% of the time are the other 2 crew on duty
(p.s. Capt. is an appointment not a rank)
Over and above communication, helmets provide many things a headset cannot such as protection; providing not only cranial protection, but eye & face protection from both environmental effects and 'natural mishaps' such as bird strikes. A helmet may also have upon it; mounting systems for night vision aids, torches etc.
Just one example for you to understand .... why;
Transportation Safety Board of Canada - Aviation Investigation Report A11W0070
Loss of Control – Collision with Water
Campbell Helicopters Ltd.
Bell 212 C–FJUR
Slave Lake, Alberta, 12 nm W
20 May 2011
Flight Helmets
The pilot, who was not wearing a flight helmet, received severe head injuries during the impact sequence. The pilot's flight helmet was found inside its bag at the rear of the helicopter cabin.
The occurrence pilot was not required by Campbell Helicopters to wear a helmet, nor is there a regulation requiring helicopter pilots to wear head protection.
The second most frequently injured body region in survivable helicopter crashes is the head. 4 According to United States military research, the risk of fatal head injuries can be as high as 6 times greater for helicopter occupants not wearing head protection. 5 The effects of non–fatal head injuries range from momentary confusion and inability to concentrate to full loss of consciousness. 6 Incapacitation can compromise a pilot's ability to escape quickly from a helicopter and assist passengers in an emergency evacuation or survival situation.
In 1988, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reviewed 59 emergency medical services (EMS) aviation accidents between 11 May 1978 and 03 December 1986. This study resulted in NTSB's recommendations A–88–009 to the FAA and A–88–014 to the American Society of Hospital Based Emergency Aeromedical Service asking them to require that flight crew and medical personnel wear protective helmets, and encourage them to do so, to reduce the chance of injury and death.
Transport Canada recognized the safety benefits of using head protection in its 1998 Safety of Air Taxi Operations Task Force (SATOPS) 7 report in which it committed to implementing the following recommendation:
Recommend Transport Canada continue to promote in the Aviation Safety Vortex 8 newsletter the safety benefits of helicopter pilots wearing helmets, especially in aerial work operations, and promote flight training units to encourage student pilots to wear helmets.
In addition, SATOPS directed the following recommendation to air operators:
Recommend that helicopter air operators, especially aerial work operators, encourage their pilots to wear helmets, that commercial helicopter pilots wear helmets and that flight training units encourage student helicopter pilots to wear helmets.
The TSB has documented a number of occurrences 9 where the use of head protection likely would have reduced or prevented the injuries sustained by the pilot.
Same report with pics
https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviati...p185-6482.html