Clothing

[Piper Warrior Pilot]

After recently, well about a month ago, having my trial lesson i noticed one thing. Wearing jeans and a jumper in a PA28 makes you sweat like mad and the jeans are unfomfortable. So what does everyone in here wear when they go flying.

As mentioned on a post a long time ago, tracksuit bnottoms make you look like a scouser who has come to nick the hubcaps off the aircraft.

I was planning on wearing some casual black pants with the aero clubs white shirt. Comfortable but the only problem being, i dont wanna look like a prat.

Any thoughts here

[Rote 8]

I definitely suggest that you wear something other than just your pants, some trousers or jeans will help spare your blushes when you start landing away and the instructor will more than likely be put off by you parading around in your smalls.

I realise you Geordies have a thing about wearing as little clothing as possible, but this is different to the Big Market!

[GonvilleBromhead]

I didn't think any self respecting geordie left home without their bar code shirt ? One hand on the throttle, the other unable to release the bottle of brown. How do you handle the yoke then ?

;) ;)

[Piper Warrior Pilot]

Brown ale is disgusting. We're not all football hooligans, at least i hope not for the CAA's sake. After all they're not gonna want 'us geordies' flying highly technical aeronautical machines are they?

lol

I was just wanting to know if Black trousers and a white shirt are ok for flying in.

Comprondes :)

[GonvilleBromhead]

...and we're not all thieving either ! Touche !

(tongue firmly in cheek, promise).

...I like your last comment by the way ;) ;)

[Piper Warrior Pilot]

I wasnt being touche :)

i was just trying to make a joke.

Anyway, i hope we're better at air navigation than we are navigating off the point of the question. :)

[GonvilleBromhead]

No, not TOUCHY, touche, as in Touche Turtle ? :)

Edit to say: ....but reading again, I guess you got that.

Just how did we get from flying attire to Touche Turtle ?? :confused: :confused:

[Piper Warrior Pilot]

lol. I dont give geordies a good image do i. :)

Can anyone shed any light on the clothing question.

[GonvilleBromhead]

....er, no, can't help there, sorry.

Nice chatting though.

tata.

Gb.

;) :)

[QDMQDMQDM]

Wear what you like and feel comfortable in. Be yourself and tell anyone who sneers at you to go and **** themselves. There's a lot of snobbery and arrogance in flying and it's one of the reasons I gave up the first time round.

QDM

[Rote 8]

On a serious tone - and I have to confess I feel responsible for sidelining your original question – wear whatever you like.

This topic has been discussed before. General consensus seems to be that in a Spam Can you are best off just wearing normal casual gear – go for fabrics that are man made as they give you better protection from fire (if they do burn they do not melt into your flesh) and also prevent you looking stupid.

Wearing a white flying club shirt and black trousers may well mean that you are dressed like an instructor. At the end of the day it is entirely your own choice – if you wanted to wear a Gro-Bag and G Suit that would be your choice, likewise if you wanted to wear your smalls and a white shirt, well that is up to you.

[AerBabe]

Thank you for the first few posts, they brought a laugh to my miserable Monday!

I wear jeans and a t-shirt of some sort. If it's cold I wear a jacket on top, so I can undo it if I get too warm. Maybe if your jeans are uncomfortable you should buy some in a larger size ;)

[Piper Warrior Pilot]

Thanks guys. So to finish the post off will i look like a prat turning up at the flying school with the aero club white shirt, casual black pants and my flight case with my gear in?

[englishal]

Shorts and a Hawaiian shirt get my vote....Especially down in the 'tropical' south;)

Whats wrong with Newcastle Brown (apart from it makes you fart)? I may be a soft southern lager drinking git, but do enjoy the odd tipple of Newcey Brown :)

Cheers
EA:D

[QNH 1013]

If you keep your trousers or jeans on no-one is going to know what colour your pants are so if you want to wear black ones, I don't see any problem.
Regarding what else to wear, whatever you find most comfortable and that doesn't "jar" with the other students and staff would seem to be a good starting point. Good advice has already been given as regards best fabrics for safety. Instructors are normally more interested in whether you've had regular showers than in what you wear (within reason).

[sennadog]

Wear what you are comfortable in! I've ranged from the Oikey tracky bottoms look to the more formal tie with suit trousers after work and I've now settled on shorts and a T-shirt due to the unheard of sun that we are having.

Word of warning - don't attempt to fly with a pair of Reefs on, they don't work.

[djk]

most definitely wear whatever you feel comfortable in, I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt if it's warm, if it gets any hotter then I wear light cotton trousers or a pair of combats. and during the winter I'll put a sweatshirt on instead of a t-shirt.
If your jeans are too tight, then get a a bigger pair or a different cut of jeans.
And after all since you're more of less strapped next to a large bucket of fuel, its best to make sure that your clothes consist entirly or as much as possible of natural fibres.

[Holdposition]

Piper: As already said wear whatever you feel comfortable in, you might find a breast pocket handy for the pen etc

Can't wait for BRL to comment on your comment on the "hubcaps" contingent, most apt indeed:)

[Lawyerboy]

T-shirt, shorts and a comfy pair of sandals for me. Class.

[ace cafe bloke]

Natural Fibers best, but on a more important note in last months pilot there was a chap whos engine went and he landed on sark
he was kitted up in all the right gear for that trip (like me on me bike) so wear the right gear at the right time clowns are often the cleverest .

ps We geordies have no trouble with nav we follow the star on the bottle::cool:

[nonradio]

The question is a wind up, right...?

[Carlito]

At our club, the instructors wear black trousers and white shirts, ties optional. As far as I can see, trainee instructors and CPL students on the day of their flight test wear the same. It's civvies for the students. I don't think I'd feel right wearing what amounts to an instructor's uniform. Jeans and a t-shirt is my usual attire at weekends and I don't change for flying. Suit trousers and shirt if I come from work.
As for Newcastle Brown Ale... we have a love hate relationship. I love it, it hates me. Pity really.

Carlito

[BRL]

As mentioned on a post a long time ago, tracksuit bnottoms make you look like a scouser who has come to nick the hubcaps off the aircraft.


Oops, why do you think i am in this game eh...? !!!!!!!! :) :)

Seriously, dont go for the black trousers, white shirt look. You will look like a bit of a dick if you do. People will laugh behind your back, its true, i have done it myself down here at Shoreham a while ago. :) (Laugh, with others i might add, behind the poor blokes back......)
Just wear what you get dressed in when you have woken up. Just dont go for the 'uniform look'. Not very :cool:

[Romeo Romeo]

You'll want to make sure your pants are clean, though - in case you have an accident. :rolleyes:

[flyboy6876]

Beings as it gets a bit warm down here in summer, I prefer a decent pair of shorts and a t-shirt in summer. In winter its a pair of combat pants and a t-shirt. Anything with lots of pockets to keep all the junk in. For long flights, Ive found a pair of lose flight coveralls to be the most comfortable.

I still have'nt found something to wear that stops me sweating though, as my instructor said - "they don't call it the hot seat for nothing":)

[LowNSlow]

As said before, wear natural fibres cos they don't melt into your skin. I don't wear shorts cos my legs are under the fuel tank in the Auster........ Don't forget, it CAN happen to you.

I also always carry a jacket (denim in summer, leather in winter) cos it might be nice when you take off but walking to the farmhouse in the rain after an unscheduled stop could be miserable with no jacket.... It's also a handy place to keep the wallet, ciggies etc.

I also wear the RAF type green gloves. No it's not a pose, every damn thing in the Austers cockpit is sharp especially the throttle friction and the primer, also the good old Cirrus leaks oil so a wipe around the inside and outside of the cowling is compulsory after aviating and gloves help to keep my pinkies clean and soft :D :D

As everything I've owned over the last 5 years has had a transparent roof, I usually wear a baseball cap as well. I started this after realising the the sunroof on the back of my head was getting toasted by sitting under the sunshine coming through the perspex :cool:

I'm thinking of getting a 2nd hand RAF flight suit because I've ruined too many pairs of jeans crawling around wiping oil off the undersides of the cowling plus the occasional shirt that comes into contact with the grubby bits. Maybe not appropriate for a modern Piper or Cessna but useful for an oily old bird like the Auster.

[BEagle]

A polo shirt and whatever trousers you think are comfortable seems to be the norm; dark ones don't show the grime quite so much. Shorts? Not popular with most instructors and a hazard if you were ever to have a fire. But if you want to parade around showing off your hog bristle legs, that's up to you. Whatever it is you wear though, please make sure that it - and you - are clean. Sharing the close confines of a Spamcan with a student stinking of BO is not my idea of fun! Mind you, we once had a female student who doused herself in so much perfume that she was a toxic hazard in the aeroplane!

Quite often I find that I have to fly people whilst I'm wearing the 'day job' nomex flying suit and flying boots - not out of choice, I can assure you! Probably the most uncomfortable thing to wear in a Spamcan.

Track suits, yob-ball shirts or 'shell suits'? We'll assume you've come to collect the rubbish...

[Hairyplane]

How about 'what not to wear?'

I remember one summer a memeber turned up to fly a Grob.

He got into the Grob with his passenger and just about managed to close the lid.

What was he wearing? A flying suit, RAF boots and - yes - an Irvine jacket. It must have been 25C.

Wot a pratt. I bet his passenger was impressed too...

On a serious note - he was overdressed and I am sure took a risk just to look - well - look a pratt really...

Same guy turned up at the PFA Rally dressed the same. Guess what he turned up in? A Peugeot...

Somebody else I know - a basic PPL with a spamcan - strutts around with 4 gold bars up - white airline shirt, shiny black shoes etc. Another Mitty. He was at N Weald Aerofair.

Thirdly - go to any fly-in and watch those struggling around on a hot day in flying suits and jackets when others - 'normal' in my book - are wearing more appropriate clothing.

THe point of it all is this - overdress at the risk of your cred. If you are fortunate enough to fly something that requires an overall - try to avoid the temptation to award yourself wings and cover it in loads of badges.

Arrive in the right machine - no problem - arrive in a 150 and watch out for the 'wxxxxr' gesticulations behind your back.

What do I wear? Shorts,T shirt and dekkies in my Robin - fireproof suit in my vintage 'Cabrio'. No fancy badge or wings either...

[bluskis]

Check the met before leaving home, and dress accordingly, remembering you may have to kneel down on wet grass to drain fuel etc.

Sweating profusely during instruction is pretty normal, another reason to wear natural fibre.

[nonradio]

Yup, definitely a wind up
Interestingly muted response from the ex militarys about the wearing of shorts....

[QDMQDMQDM]

Yup, definitely a wind up

nonradio,

You old cynic, you. ;)

I'm amazed at how seriously some people takes the issue of image while flying. It is so unimportant and so trivial as to be laughable. Who cares what people wear? The only real issue is 'safety' clothing, e.g. Nomex, versus t-shirt and shorts, but it's one for the individual.

Come dressed as a punk with a large ring through your nose and a stud in your tongue, just to shake up some of the Daily Mail-reading brigade you might find propping up the bar at your typical SouthEast flying club.

QDM

[englishal]

My theory behind shorts, is that if it goes so badly wrong that you crash and burn, ½mm of denim aint going to make that much difference :)

You could of course do a Michael Schumacher and wear a fireproof suit, a £200,000 helmet, gloves, and balaclava, but at the end of the day, you'll probably crash becasue you can't see out, let alone move around the cockpit.....

Wear whatever you want !

Cheers
EA;)

[Cat.S]

Choose a shirt the same colour as your biro so you don't end up with an obvious series of lines down it as you try to put your pen back into your pocket in turbulence! Mine always ends up looking like it's been bar-coded!

[Who has control?]

We haven't mentioned sunglasses yet. Raybans or Foster Grants? Silver or Gold frames?

And the watch. MUST have a barometric read-out.

[distaff_beancounter]

Now look here, all you guys .....

No one has mentioned skirts :)

They are much more comfortable to fly in, in hot weather, than trousers, or even shorts. :cool:

[QDMQDMQDM]

No one has mentioned skirts. They are much more comfortable to fly in, in hot weather, than trousers, or even shorts

Easier to use the wee bottle too. Especially for women. :eek:

QDM

[LowNSlow]

englishal's suggestion of a Hawaiin shirt is worthy of study. If you can get one in eye searing colours than you wont have to wear a high vis vest when visiting one of those airfields that has pretensions to becoming "International".............

I disagree about the jeans though. Ever been on a firefighting course?? Petrol dripping over ignition switches can catch alight. Burning 100LL on hairy legs hurts, straight away. On denim at least you get a few seconds to put it out before growing large ugly scars on your pins. :eek:

Re sunglasses I think Dame Edna or Elton John should contribute to this bit :D :D

[mastnut]

I was reciently talking to a V senior army officer who had been working on a UN job in West Africa. When this subject was mentioned he related the story of jumping aboard a Russian Mi-8
Helicopter and when he stuck his head in the cockpit to say Hi to the crew the Captain was dressed in a pair of (Thongs, Flipflops, Jandles) a pair of (Jocks, kinickers, briefs) and a pair of sun Glasses.

The brand of sun glasses I am not sure about.

How would this go in the aero club.


If it won,t hover don,t bother.

[MLS-12D]

I usually wear an old bush shirt that is reasonably lose and comfortable (cool), and has the benefit of long sleeves that can be rolled down to prevent sunburn.

It also has breast pockets, in one of which I keep a handkerchief that can come in very handy if sweat runs into my eyes (has happened twice now, just after I have been cleared for takeoff).

[nonradio]

3Q: you found me out.
Distaff et al:wrt skirts....nice; 3Q- especially if you put pax in the front seat;)

[undertheweather]

What about those white kid-leather flying gloves that a few people wear whilst flying. What's the view on those - are they posey or useful to stop sweaty hands from slipping on the stick whilst in that knife-edge manoervre? (?sp?)

[Whirlybird]

Tried and tested on long flights (10 hours on the Dawn to Dusk):

Comfortable trousers that unzip to become shorts; nice if weather is likely to change.

T-shirt in a dark colour - impossible to do an A check properly, re-fuel etc, and still keep a white one even relatively clean.

A jacket you can take on and off easily; it can be warm in the air and cold and windy on the ground.

Above all clothes you feel comfortable in, in all ways. If image is important to you, you won't be able to convince yourself it isn't, so find a way to be physically comfortable and look how you want to look. If you really don't care, that's fine, and makes it a whole lot easier.

And if you fly an R22, you can't take anything on or off one-handed, so you have to get used to being too hot or too cold, and just ignore it. :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Lowtimer]

The RAF cape leather gloves are indeed super-grippy and in the more sharp-edged military-format cockpits they do provide protection from various monor but disproportionately bloody scrapes and gouges that I otherwise seem to incur, without making the wearer excessively clumsy. They also keep the cold off to a certain degree. For me they're worth wearing in a Pitts / Moth / Yak type environment for local flights, but in the Archer, where I'm spending a lot more time twiddling knobs, I go gloveless.

When used on the above mentioned aerobatic types, they will also quickly pick oil stains, but I gather a certain patina is expected in these matters (shades of the USAAC's "50-mission crushed caps"!)

[LPL]

Well here goes, this is my flying wardrobe for flying Pipers :

1. Short sleeve Ben Sherman style shirts

2. Pair of Levis

3. Trainers or Timberland shoes

4. Berghaus fleece for when it's chilly

All this talk of wearing fire proof gear is sensible, but really, do we wear flame proof clothes in our car in case of a fire ( I've seen a lot more cars crashed and on fire than aircraft ) or a helmet to protect us from the windscreen in a crash ........No

As for Irvin jackets in a 172 or gold bars , one word springs to mind ................ Tosser !

[suction]

As a 21st centurary man, I don't feel ashamed in a skirt but I do find it difficult to find one that matches the colour of the planes at my club. Ops can't always tell me which plane they'll allocate me ahead of time and I've had some terrible fashion disasters recently.

I've also got a rather slinky, black, off-the-shoulder number with a large split up the side. Problem is I have to 'hitch' it up to climb on the wing and having hairy legs it can be a bit unsightly.

-S

[Hairyplane]

Those 'posey gloves' have military origins - designed to afford a degree of protection in a fire.

THey are completely unecessary in my view in a modern cockpit in the summer - airline pilots would wear them otherwise. Get out of them in your C150 on a hot day and - well - it has to be wxxxxr again I'm afraid.

THey aren't that warm either...

I wear a pair in the winter only because thick gloves might cause you to flick the wrong switch. THe green ex-USA ones are warmer.

I wear a pair of cape leather gloves in my displays + nomex suit. The risk of crash & burn is greater of course.

[brockenspectre]

Polo shirt (with/without club logo) that you don't mind getting oil on as with best efforts it doesn't wash out that well.

Trousies with pockets on legs (too much in waistband pockets is way uncomfortable) - Rohan is a brand that is good or other cargo trousers...again you should treat these as flying kit so no panic if they get spots of oil on!

A jacket/fleece/waistcoat cos despite best efforts and checking wx before travelling it may turn windy/chill/wet!

Key is to be comfortable...if you get sweaty hands (when first doing cross countries and finding self in turbulence etc I found this and used an old lightweight horseriding glove - cotton with non-slip bumps on fingers/palm)...

A baseball cap that you have waterproofed is a neat idea too - especially if you wear specs and have to do a walkround in the rain!

Avoid trying to look like an instructor - white shirt/black trousies or ex-RN blue jumper etc... - despite your own intentions to be practical folks will jump to the conclusion that you are trying to be mistaken for one!

:D

[BLW Skylark 4]

posted 24th July 2002 18:06
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flying Clothing
Reading this I am reminded of a chapter in either "Air America" or the "Ravens" by Christopher Robbins I believe (apologies cant remember which right now but both very good books and worth a read).

In this it recounts a time when a USAF survival instructor turned up at Air America's base in Laos or Cambodia and was horrified to see one of the C46 pilots wearing VC type thong sandles rather than the instructor's recommended USAF jungle boots. Paraphrasing somewhat the conversation went something like:

Instructor: "Just how long do you think it would take you to walk out of the jungle if you crashed wearing those...??"

Pilot: "Well the first time it took four weeks and the last time....."!

Broadening the subject slightly, any fellow glider pilots on here care to comment on what they wear flying?

I confess that when I started I thought a "Gro-Bag" was the best idea as glider cockpits are obviously much smaller and restricted than the average spam can and the pockets are therefore useful. However, last summer I quite often found myself flying in shorts and beach sandals - not the best idea if you land out! Walking around trying to find a farmer wearing a sweat soaked t-shirt when the sun is beginning to set is not the best idea!

Not mentioning any names, but I know of one club member who has been known to fly cross country wearing only boxer shorts and legend has it that there were several once who set out on a cross country task completely starkers for a bet......!!!!


--------------------
"Soaring - Its what wings were invented for!"

[MLS-12D]

As I recall, Peter Garrison [www.avweb.com/sponsors/flying/writers.html#garrison] in his 1981 book "Long Distance Flying" also says that wearing a skirt while flying is more comfortable than trousers or shorts ... although he does concede that it can be a little embarassing at times. :D

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

White RAF flying gloves are useful in cold weather and I used to use them. For that matter the RAF cold weather flying jacket is excellent for being comfortable and practical.

I think it wise to avoid nylon and fleece type clothing in flight. I have been on 3 crash scenes for light aircraft in my time. In all three the aircraft doors/frame was distorted and egress hampered. In addition all three had a strong smell of leaking avgas to them in addition to the creaking of a cooling exhaust.

Not too difficult to imagine a scenario whereby you are struggling to open an emergency exit whilst the flames licked around you...

Sunglasses are a very personal thing. Technically I have found the Serrengetti Driver range to be the ultimate. For all round wearability then a pair of straight forward RayBan Aviators are hard to beat. For style I like Police.

The best watch without doubt is the Baby Casio G - Shock available for about £30 everywhere. But allowing for vanity it has to be something bigger and more Swiss...

:)

WWW

[englishal]

We haven't mentioned sunglasses yet

Oakley EyeJackets, Polarised......Great for reducing reflection, plus they look cool, and fit in well with the Hawaiian **** theme ;) Interesting comment about the Hi Vis jackets....do you reckon a loud HS would count :D

Cheers
EA:)

[englishal]

oops, reckon I must have mis-spelt Shirt :D

[distaff_beancounter]

englsihal I seem to remember reading somewhere, that it was not advisable to wear polarised sunglasses for flying. But I can't remember why that was. Anyone else know about this ?

For posing, (like Tom Cruise in Top Gun) I still like Rayban Aviators. But for flying & everyday driving etc, I can't beat the pair of Randolf Engineering (as worn by NASA astronauts :D ) that have survived about five years hard wear & tear. :cool:

[englishal]

They make it a bit hard to read some LCD screens, sometimes they look black....Can be a bit of a pain if you're flying an A/C with LCD tacho :)

[BRL]

For shades, check these babies out.......
Best thing about them? £12.50 from Next..... :)

Shades.... (http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0NQB1bvYSZv1exqXyCPGJ3K24wedHm33gO!)

[Danza]

Big Red, I don't think the link works ..... :(

[BRL]

Danza, your right, it don't work for some reason. If anyone is desperate enough to want to see them, type this in and look for self-portrait(in the popham gallery)........ http://groups.msn.com/BRLPictures/
:confused:

[cessnababe]

Skirts are definitely more comfortable in hot weather, but the problem is that the tighter ones make it difficult to get into the spam cam and the looser ones are apt to blow up around your face compromising your dignity whilst you check the fuel on your Cessna.....just make sure that your knickers are red lace and you should be OK....

[flyboy6876]

distaff_beancounter

Seem to recall that wearing polarised sunglasses can cause problems where there may be cross-polarisation from the canopy which may cause reduced vision / blindspots.

[BEagle]

Things not to wear?

Top of my list is one of those stupid b£oody road-digger's vests so beloved of pompous little flight line Fuehrers at mediocre little aerodromes. These things are not airside body armour, they don't appear to make the slightest difference to the abysmal driving standards on the flight line and are just an embug.gerance.

[WestWind1950]

Interesting answers to the question of what to wear. Now I'll give my opinion ;)

No matter the weather, jeans or other sturdy pants are best...just think of the walk around, getting on the ground, perhaps in wet grass or such...then climbing in and banging the legs on something sharp...rather suffer just a blue mark and not a bloody scrape.....they of course should be comfy. On very hot summer days, then perhaps shorts, but bring along an overall that you can wear over it, just in case, if going on a longer flight. Being a girl, I would love to wear skirts sometimes, but out of practicality prefer not to :D
nice cotton t-shirt, polo shirt or blouse/shirt is fine...either short or long sleeved....bring again the overall or leather/cotten jacket...those nylon imitation flight-jackets I would not recommend, as mentioned before, because of fire hazards...(I should mention, that I am also a hot air balloon pilot and thus have a great respect for flames ;) )
above all: comfortable shoes!!!! sturdy tennis are the best for me...
do your instructors in the UK really wear black trousers and white shirts? how terrible! here we run around just like the students...ok, I teach in a club and not at a commercial outfit...
I'll never forget going for a balloon ride at a commercial outfit in the US...when I saw the pilot appear in dark blue trousers, white shirts with 4 stripes on his shoulders I had difficulty to keep from laughing! sorry...but that's overdoing it a bit I think.....

ok..that was my opinion... :p

keep flying...

WestWind

[HiSpeedTape]

Yeah
Don't forget to clean your teeth and wash behind your ears as well. Don't look like a prat by turning up dressed as any of the following :-
A) Pilot
B) Fighter Pilot
C) Mackem

Seriously though, it doesn't matter what you wear so long as its cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold.

Cheers
HST