Pilots Who Love Wearing The Uniform

[FlyingVisit]

A pilot friend once told me that there are two types of pilots: those who like to wear a uniform and hat and tell everyone they're an airline pilot, and those who truly love flying and anything to do with aviation.

Would anyone agree with that?

[Homesick-Angel]

They can be one and the same, but there is definitely a breed of pilot who loves to polish the wings and get out there and walk the long way through the crowd..

I reckon for the 80 grand they spent on the licence their probably entitled to it...:}

[Kestrel_Stu]

I can't wait to change out of mine, and hate walking through the terminal or any public place wearing it :yuk:

Doing a visual down the west coast of Barbados with all the automatics out as the sun sets, turning finals and greasing it onto 09 flanked by an enormous shadow, however... is definately my thing :ok:

Reminds me why I spent £80k.

So I suppose I fall into category (b).

[isayoldchap]

Stu i would probably say you are in catagory C mate...

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I frequently wore my headset whilst shopping. Problem was that the local chippy didn't have a socket for the plug!

[Kiltie]

Flyingvisit your friend seems to be quite narrow minded, as he implies the ones that wear uniforms and hats don't have a love for their occupation.

I... "love flying and anything to do with aviation". However, there has often been a perception that it's popular to disregard smart attire and wallow in the chuckling remarks of one's colleagues of "Ho ho! He doesn't give a damn....he's alright him."

Unfortunately I have flown with a few pilots who have achieved a professional licence but have been too busy "enjoying flying and having a love for it" to take a step back, look at their fat sweaty ar*es hanging out of their trousers, their ties in their pockets and blazers wide open exposing their beer bellies, to be more self critical of their abilities.

The longer I've done this job the more I have slowed down and tried to refine the skillsets I have acquired; if I can't even wear a uniform and represent my employer smartly then I doubt I would have the motivation to want to improve my overall flying ability.

[con-pilot]

I never wore my hat, unless it was really, really cold or raining. I also always carried a light plain black jacket, as soon a possible I would take off my uniform jacket and wear the plain black jacket. This made life much easier.

[Reverserbucket]

Remind me, what's The Guv'nor wearing these days?

[Scarbagjack]

IMHO, I think that to be proffessional is to also project proffesionalism.
I have an enormous respect for all that fly aircraft,but it is certainly easier to recognise a proffesional pilot by the kit they display. I was invited onto the flight deck of a 744 after a 13 hr flight to Los Angeles and could not believe how smart these guys presented after that duration. Throughout the flight the second officer made several trips to the back of the aircraft to check on someone he knew, and was always imaculate in appearance. Maybe,up front, they flew the entire trip in their underwear for all I know:)..but they certainly looked like proud airman after they parked that beautiful machine and knocked off for a well earned rest.

Kudos to all of you.
Cheers

[wiggy]

Maybe,up front, they flew the entire trip in their underwear for all I know

Ahh, that reminds me of a story about a landing......:}


Kiltie - nicely put :ok:

[Evanelpus]

Remind me, what's The Guv'nor wearing these days?

Handcuffs and leg chains hopefully but I doubt it, he's probably been out for yonks.

[Neptunus Rex]

Gentlemen do not wear hats indoors, except for military funerals and courts martial (but not the accused.)

http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/hathello.gif

[Northbeach]

Not at all; as it is a far too sweeping generalization-especially on such an international forum to be taken seriously. Does the author of this "pearl of wisdom" really propose that the senior international line captains of an airline such as JAL are not consummate professionals? Or that they would really rather go to work in shorts, muscle shirts and flip flops?

Dress preference is going to come down to background, demographics and culture. Nor can I really tell much about a pilot’s competency by judging their attire.

I am a bit more formal than most and cringe when I see tattered and soiled uniforms paraded in public. I understand the hostility they feel towards management and like to shove their finger in the eye of the “uniform policy”. But looking like a tramp does not instill confidence in the traveling public, nor does it command respect from colleagues or management.

[Fantome]

Well put NB, but do take into account the palaver that this forum supports. Next someone will post the photo of the Virgin Blue captain and F/O that appeared in their magazine Voyeur recently with both young pretty boys sitting in the wheelhouse of the 737, in their underpants. Don't ask what they were promoting.

Can think of at least one of the old school who would turn in his grave, if he had one, but hasn't. This man, a pukka sahib, kept his every uniform in mothballs from that of the RFC , ANA (1930-32), a Second World War ferry command and the Sandringham/Solent outfit he was with 1950-54. The very model of a tailor's flying dummy was Bill, but Christ, could he navigate.

Then there was a so-called idiot savant, an implacable republican, who filed the crown off his wings and picked it from his cap badge. And another, bordering on the dork, whose strange foreign wife would insist he put his on to go out and do the shopping. And push the wire pram too.

[VH DSJ]

A pilot friend once told me that there are two types of pilots: those who like to wear a uniform and hat and tell everyone they're an airline pilot, and those who truly love flying and anything to do with aviation.

Would anyone agree with that?

And then you have the third type; wannabes who dress up in a pilot uniform and post it on their profile on Facebook. I've seen a few of those! :yuk:

[Northbeach]

Fantome,

You definitely added several other permutations regarding the psychology of wearing the uniform.

"Next someone will post the photo of the Virgin Blue captain and F/O that appeared in their magazine Voyeur recently with both young pretty boys sitting in the wheelhouse of the 737, in their underpants. Don't ask what they were promoting." _ Unbelievable, please tell me they were models and not pilots! I missed this one, not sure what they are selling but I don't want any.

"Another, bordering on the dork, whose strange foreign wife would insist he put his on to go out and do the shopping. And push the wire pram too." I wish you were joking, but I can tell you are not; pity the bloke that married her. Wearing the uniform at work is one thing, pushing the wire pram full of vegetables while shopping another thing entirely ............... beyond pathetic.

[studentpilotmcuk]

What about PPL pilots? :) I personally would never like to wear a pilots uniform hat and coat ect as that would give the impression that i would be a professional pilot, which I know I would never be. But I would'nt mind owning my own set of four gold bars and a set of PPL Wings after completing my PPL.

Incidently why do they now have silver bars as well as gold bars?

Regards to All

[Sir Herbert Gussett]

What about PPL pilots? :) I personally would never like to wear a pilots uniform hat and coat ect as that would give the impression that i would be a professional pilot, which I know I would never be. But I would'nt mind owning my own set of four gold bars and a set of PPL Wings after completing my PPL.

Incidently why do they now have silver bars as well as gold bars?

Regards to All

Are you being serious?!

[learjet50]

Silver Bars are cheaper than Gold Bars and Gold does nor really go with Blue which a lot of Uniforms are now.

To change the subject

I saw our Local doctor in Tesco with his stethescope around his neck.

But of course he could have been checking to Crabs and Lobsters were still Alive

He was on his own so he cant blame it on his wife..

Beyond belief some people

[Fantome]

Unbelievable, please tell me they were models and not pilots! I missed this one, not sure what they are selling but I don't want any.


Every dot point of pretentiousness in my previous post, the whole and nothing but, old dear.

If I had that copy of Voyeur I'd scan and post the page, but it's gone. Useless to light the fire with it, so plasticised is the confounded 'paper'. Would not think for a wee minnie that any of Richard's little exercising of little minds when he 'frolics' with
employees for publicity would ever involve recruiting 'outside' paid models. They were flyboys alright, from Bris, as I remember. And names given in the caption, as is their practice in most issues.

[zlin77]

I would prefer to be incognito, but as my company & all the previous ones require me to wear a uniform and hat I do just that, also when wearing it, it is always clean, jacket buttoned and hat worn according to company regulations.......one day in retirement I'm sure I won't miss it, in the meantime I conform.

[Fantome]

Ah, LH, never forget, if the cap fits you must wear it.

[pax domina]

The other half is pretty much like Con-Pilot.

He once worked in a climate very unsuitable for wearing the pie plate, and mostly wore a very unofficial beanie I'd knitted for him. (I think he may have taken it off for line checks, but I know he never wore the pie plate.) Heck, if the company issues "those pilots" (as opposed to the ones who fly with hosties and always land at aerodromes with security) a foul hi-viz yellow foul weather jacket, then they should skip wasting money on a silly hat and just give them a nice knitted beanie with the company logo embroidered on it.

But I digress.

Another guy there was all about the hat (and the shiny bars as well, I suspect). He wore the pie plate in these unsuitable conditions and, wait for it . . .

his FB profile photo shows him sitting in the RHS (his current location) of what he flies now.

Can't really see any bars in the photo, but it looks like he's in his uniform. At least he's not a student.

However, to be a bit immodest, the other half (who's FB photo profile photo is of him on the sofa with three chihuahuas asleep on top of him) was generally considered by his SLF to be a superior aviator to the uniform lover above. (And, to again be immodest, they were correct.)

Not that the husband doesn't look damn hot in a typical pilot's uniform. He does.

Our official company flying Part 91 for the owner uniform is khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. :ok:

[sablatnic]

http://www.airliners.net/photo/0171522/L/
But it is his own plane, so what.

[WindSheer]

Will never forget at my flying school a guy turned up with his family to take them up in a pa-28..........dressed in 4 bars, jacket.....and hat!!!!

Oh how we chuckled!

The uniform is smart, but keep it for the 'career' pilots!! :ok: