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Bladestrike
25th Sep 1999, 19:25
I've been wearing nomex flightsuits for the past 15 years and I've just been hired by someone who requires their pilots to wear 65% polyester short-sleeve shirts and dress pants. I've replaced the shirts with 100% cotton long-sleeve shirts of the same style, but no-one else really seems to care about the lack of fire protection, bug protection, nor the inability to carry any survivial gear on your person. (All my flying is in the Canadian north). Am I just overly anal about this or would this concern anyone else?
My nomex (with nomex insulation)jacket has also been replaced by a polartec sweater and nylon shell, probally more comfortable in a survival situation but....

barsandstars
26th Sep 1999, 14:18
A company that wants you to wear short-sleeved shirts in the Canadian North must be suspect. Get out immediately and take the shirts to Hawai. Otherwise, put all those fire hazard things in the tail boom and dress smart.

Floppy Link
26th Sep 1999, 17:13
Whilst flying for the queen we had a great Flight Safety poster showing a chap in shorts and t-shirt holding a surfboard parachuting down onto an ice floe from his stricken jet with a bemused Inuit looking on with the caption

"Dress to Survive - It may not be summer where you land"

who gives a monkeys if you look good when you're frozen to death?

MightyGem
28th Sep 1999, 07:06
I can only agree with FloppyLink. In Bosnia it's not unusual to depart Split(sea level, +20 deg C)dressed to survive in the mountains(3000ft, -10 deg C). Basically dress for what's outside the cockpit, not what's inside.

Chip Lite
29th Sep 1999, 18:22
I agree with your concern over man made fibre shirts/pants etc (check out the inside label inside a BA uniform shirt or blouse, preferably the latter with a hostie in it!! think you'll find it says 60% If not only from the comfort point of view. I too wear nomex, I am very doubtful of the flame retardent qualities being retained after being put in the wash on a weekly basis anyway. Fire retardency comes from multi-layering, silk being best as an under garment! It's the heat that kills not the flames!
Other than that as already stated dress for the outside not the cabin, or at least have a grab bag with some warm kit in your instance.

MBJ
12th Oct 1999, 19:51
I wear a nomex flying suit and helmet (when electrically compatible) for "hazardous" jobs like filming and airline pilot rig for commercial charter. If I were in the outback like you sound to be I'd dress comfortably, warm, and to hell with the shirt and tie. Also carry a box full of survival stuff in the trunk!

astar
12th Oct 1999, 21:02
A good friend of mine crashed an AS350 up in greenland 6 months ago(white out).He and his passenger had mustang survival suits on and survived after bee exposed to strong winds and temp down to -30C for several hours. He got very lucky on the other hand because he was in the middle of nowhere and a S61 passed overhead(IFR) and picked up there ELT.
Now when people complaine about clothing he give them a 1 hour lecture.