Aircrew gloves
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Once successfully bartered a spare flying helmet for a USN leather flying jacket. Pusser was the FDO when we returned-worth it just to see his face!
(GW [classic] dit btw)...apologies for thread creep
(GW [classic] dit btw)...apologies for thread creep
As an Engineering authority for them from 85 to 01 I was often amazed at the innovative reasons other (than aircrew) braches & trades would push forward in support of adding them to their particular ensemble....
Perhaps the plumber
was one of the unfortunates who had their request turned down? After all, plumbers often had difficulty in obtaining reading glasses and pens, as no one would actually believe they could read and write!
...............
Well, well Squip. You may wish to know that Aircrew willingly gave flying gloves to plumbers to enable them to arm ac at ungodly times in the middle of winter. The old green muffs were completely useless to wear. Of course I will bow to your better knowledge being in charge of 'Gloves' for six years, a most important job! I bet you used to open that STC office window 15 mins a day in winter to test their cold weather capabilities
Perhaps the plumber
was one of the unfortunates who had their request turned down? After all, plumbers often had difficulty in obtaining reading glasses and pens, as no one would actually believe they could read and write!...............
Well, well Squip. You may wish to know that Aircrew willingly gave flying gloves to plumbers to enable them to arm ac at ungodly times in the middle of winter. The old green muffs were completely useless to wear. Of course I will bow to your better knowledge being in charge of 'Gloves' for six years, a most important job! I bet you used to open that STC office window 15 mins a day in winter to test their cold weather capabilities
Unfortunately, some aircrew were greedier than others when it came to flying gloves....
'Lord Percy of the Nav Bags' would change a pair every 2 weeks. He used 3 different sets per flight - one to carry out his astonishingly heavy nav bags, another for flying and a third if there was any prodding involved.....
Back at the end of the 1980s, the rumour was that someone had decided that 'Gloves, Cape Leather' were an import from the apartheid-ridden South Africa and were therefore contrary to some regulation. An alternative light grey version was produced, made from inferior material such as recycled Etruscan goat scrotum or somesuch. Usless damn things which ripped too easily.
Fortunately the Seth Efrikans let Mandela out in 1990, so, whether or not it was a coincidence, the proper cape leather flying gloves soon reappeared. Probably an urban myth though.
'Lord Percy of the Nav Bags' would change a pair every 2 weeks. He used 3 different sets per flight - one to carry out his astonishingly heavy nav bags, another for flying and a third if there was any prodding involved.....
Back at the end of the 1980s, the rumour was that someone had decided that 'Gloves, Cape Leather' were an import from the apartheid-ridden South Africa and were therefore contrary to some regulation. An alternative light grey version was produced, made from inferior material such as recycled Etruscan goat scrotum or somesuch. Usless damn things which ripped too easily.
Fortunately the Seth Efrikans let Mandela out in 1990, so, whether or not it was a coincidence, the proper cape leather flying gloves soon reappeared. Probably an urban myth though.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
The best white Cape leather gloves, sweat resistant, (BEagle was quite right) were not new but lightly used ones. Supremely comfortable and flexible. It didn't take long however for them to become a grimey black, especially when used on delicates tasks like crawling round a bomb bay, handling hot soup tins and the unenviable pee tube 
.
After a hot flight they would be carefully scrunched up into a ball and stuffed in a flying suit pocket. The next trip the hard packed leather ball could be unpacked, stretched, and was soon as good as new for flexibility but otherwise ready for scrap.
At one time we were told they were washable. I don't know anyone that ever successfully washed a pair.
.After a hot flight they would be carefully scrunched up into a ball and stuffed in a flying suit pocket. The next trip the hard packed leather ball could be unpacked, stretched, and was soon as good as new for flexibility but otherwise ready for scrap.
At one time we were told they were washable. I don't know anyone that ever successfully washed a pair.
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Oldmansquipper wrote
Which dctyke made into:
So is counting not high up on the Armourer competency list either?
As an Engineering authority for them from 85 to 01 I
Of course I will bow to your better knowledge being in charge of 'Gloves' for six years, a most important job!
So is counting not high up on the Armourer competency list either?
I used to have to change mine more often than might have been the case.
The right hand thumb part would wear out quickly due to constantly operating the trim switch.
When I asked for just a replacement right hand glove I was told that "we only supply them in pairs". It seemed such a waste.
The right hand thumb part would wear out quickly due to constantly operating the trim switch.
When I asked for just a replacement right hand glove I was told that "we only supply them in pairs". It seemed such a waste.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
LM, whereas the old leather flying gaunlets were contracted in lefts and rights.
They used to come in two different shades of brown leather. The gauntlet used to go well up the wrist and they were highly prized by MT drivers.
Unlike civilian gloves the wool liner was stitched to the outer leather. It looked a bit odd but did stop it pulling out.
The newer cold/wet gloves promised much and delivered little but they were Army sponsored.
They used to come in two different shades of brown leather. The gauntlet used to go well up the wrist and they were highly prized by MT drivers.
Unlike civilian gloves the wool liner was stitched to the outer leather. It looked a bit odd but did stop it pulling out.
The newer cold/wet gloves promised much and delivered little but they were Army sponsored.
Good spot Airpolice...
As for it being a "very important job" - You would think that "gloves" were a minor issue in things engineering... indeed they were...but they took up a disproportionate amount of staffing time --- often because of levels of consumption requiring annual budget financing to about the same levels as a squadron or two.
As for the "Cape" story - You may think that - I couldn`t possibly comment ....any more than I could about the belief that the tanning process at one stage used whale oil,and this was upsetting the `greens`.
C/L gloves were (are) a good peice of kit and thats why they are so popular... I saw a pair being worn out on the golf course only the other day. Don`t think it was an armourer wearing them though because he was
marking his own card....
Happy days..
PS for dctyke... I always had the armourer working for me open the window for the necessary checks..He would stick his hands out and feel for the OAT and then advise the budget administrators on site whether they needed to put their C/L gloves on to venture outside. Great chaps, plumbers...
As for it being a "very important job" - You would think that "gloves" were a minor issue in things engineering... indeed they were...but they took up a disproportionate amount of staffing time --- often because of levels of consumption requiring annual budget financing to about the same levels as a squadron or two.
As for the "Cape" story - You may think that - I couldn`t possibly comment ....any more than I could about the belief that the tanning process at one stage used whale oil,and this was upsetting the `greens`.
C/L gloves were (are) a good peice of kit and thats why they are so popular... I saw a pair being worn out on the golf course only the other day. Don`t think it was an armourer wearing them though because he was
marking his own card....
Happy days..
PS for dctyke... I always had the armourer working for me open the window for the necessary checks..He would stick his hands out and feel for the OAT and then advise the budget administrators on site whether they needed to put their C/L gloves on to venture outside. Great chaps, plumbers...
Last edited by oldmansquipper; 3rd Apr 2012 at 08:38. Reason: additional word
18 years after last using them for their designed purpose, I had to replace a pair. The old green ones were very nice; I'm sure I'll get used to the black ones, and they go very well with the car's interior.
Continued to wear mine in civil airline. I think the Hamble types thought it pretentious. Inadvertently left them on the flight deck and, when I went back, they'd gone forever.
The moral of this little homily is that I now discovered that it wasn't the gloves which had made my flying crap for all those years
The moral of this little homily is that I now discovered that it wasn't the gloves which had made my flying crap for all those years
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
My immersion gloves are still going strong. Used them for their intended purpose one in 1970, brilliant as my the function in my fingers lasted a good 20 minutes longer than all the rest. About 10 years ago the adhesive for the rubber seals disintegrated (shoddy ?) but the leather remains beautifully supple and waterproof now they have been worn in.
?) but the leather remains beautifully supple and waterproof now they have been worn in.
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When I started on the Chippy, many moons ago, we weren't issued with gloves, as stores didn't have any in stock; my thoughtful GF bought me a snazzy pair of Jackie Stewart racing gloves (in black) and I thought I was the bees-knees in them. My first trip in them was after a heavy night in the mess at White Waltham. It was a hazy summer's day, with no real horizon and after a spin or two I inevitably needed to chunder; dash it, forgot to bring a honk-bag. In desperation I yanked off a glove and just in time, hurled into it. Unfortunately, Jackie Stewart racing gloves came with natty ventilation holes on the back and while the diced carrots and tomato skins were caught, the liquid contents weren't and sprayed all over the cockpit......I flew about learning from that
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Don't put too much weight on my forum name, Alber, do you catch rats for a living, or just red herrings
I found the gloves not bad for golf, and useful as an emergency chamois for car windscreens.
My original question came to me whilst soaking up the luxury of a Ryanair flight, when the gloveless pilot came out to ease springs (there you are Alber). So do big RAF aircraft have similar kit to that in the Ryanair 737s?
I found the gloves not bad for golf, and useful as an emergency chamois for car windscreens.
My original question came to me whilst soaking up the luxury of a Ryanair flight, when the gloveless pilot came out to ease springs (there you are Alber). So do big RAF aircraft have similar kit to that in the Ryanair 737s?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
2. Yes.
Not very complimentary Shirley?
They are fire proof and fairly meatly
Alber,
Surely a gentleman would not describe cabin crew in such non-pc terms?
Alber,
Surely a gentleman would not describe cabin crew in such non-pc terms?
Last edited by bobward; 3rd Apr 2012 at 11:45. Reason: redraft
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I thought they were described as Balancing trim, Portable, Pretty weighty?
And that their special skill was precision crotch bombing with molten lava temp coffee substitute.......
Or was that just how us peons and pond life was treated?
I bet the old fart Beags got bloody caviar and champers from cut crystal -
And that their special skill was precision crotch bombing with molten lava temp coffee substitute.......
Or was that just how us peons and pond life was treated?
I bet the old fart Beags got bloody caviar and champers from cut crystal -
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Bobward, have you ever flown with Ryan Air? I see a lot of their cabin crew wandering around my home town, seeing it's the nearest to STN... Quite a few are fire proof..
Went flying with a Kiwi P3 crew back in the 80's. The hairy old pilot captain was surprised that I was wearing cape leather gloves and the RAF still issued them. He told me about one of his tours in a trial department (not sure where), and the team he was part of did extensive trials with aircrew gloves. Apparently, the C/L gloves melted at a fairly low temperature, welded themselves to the flesh underneath (pigs trotters in this case) and then set on fire. Even when extinguished in short time, the damage was done and hands would never be useable again. Based on those trials, the Kiwi's switched from C/L to nomex (the USAF ones), which won hands down (pun intended) at every level.
Not sure how true that is but I often thought about his comments over the last 20 years of wearing the same designed gloves but in a variety of colours.
Not sure how true that is but I often thought about his comments over the last 20 years of wearing the same designed gloves but in a variety of colours.
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I'm surprised that no-one has yet stamped on the idea that PPL's and civil crews wear gloves just to be pretentious in the same way the idea of them wearing flying jackets or suits has been in previous threads.
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I never quite understood the obsession lineys had with getting flying gloves. Mind you, we even experimented with a fingerless version for packing Phantom brake 'chutes. They soaked up the fuel and were utterly hopeless.
I did have occassion to carry out a local mod on a Navigators pair. It involved attaching them to a length of string which we passed through his LSJ to stop him forgetting them. Again.
I did have occassion to carry out a local mod on a Navigators pair. It involved attaching them to a length of string which we passed through his LSJ to stop him forgetting them. Again.