Ashamed of aviation clothing?

[VFR800]

Dudes,

These posts always make me laugh, thanx for brightening up my day!

I'm sorry, but any PPL saddo who want's to dress up in the full airline monty is one seriously dsyfunctional case ! But please, continue to do so, so I and everyone else can piss ourselves laughing as you strut by!

I reckon Transair could make loads by issuing a separate catlogue, called 'Pilot Fetish Wear' !

However, I confess, I do have a WW2 stylee leather jacket, from Moorlands in Glastonbury, in the winter it's the warmest thing around, wear it in a PA-28, no I really don't think so...

[Boing_737]

you can just imagine the range - rubber flying suit, RAF aircrew NBC gas mask.....

[Onan the Clumsy]

I only read the first three pages of this, but I wear the following when hauling freight:

Gloves because my hands'll get dirty or torn up if I don't (and it keeps the sandwiches tasting ok) I take 'em off to fly though.

White shirt and blue pants because I like to try and show a reasonably professional image and because it doesnt' matter if I get oil on them or go crawling around the cabin.

Serengetti sunglasses because they're needed (in Texas) and the lenses filter out the blue or something

Doc Martin shoes because I discovered recently how comfortable they are and how much punishment they'll take.

When flying for fun, I just wear a tee shirt and a skirt.

[RW-1]

I wear all sorts of aviation attire, polos, t-shirts, etc. Flight suit when working, and on some occasions when hanging out at the FBO at the airport as well.

As with Onan, I'll wear my flt suit gloves to pre-flight, etc. (Especially on a hot aircraft) but may or may not when flying.

The leather (and sage green issue) jacket I have from my time in the NAV are of no use to me down here in SoFla alas .... but they are in "storage" for when I travel up to the MI north in winter

Randolph's: there is no substitute.

[ACW 335]

Winter:
Jeans & hoody & scarf

Summer:
Shorts & T-Shirt

I wear whats practical and comfortable. I read on one page about skirts... Who would fly in a skirt?! Its impractical - what if you had to bail out?!

What makes me laugh are people strutting around in grow bags who then jump in their 152 (no offence if anyone does!)

If everyone dressed the same i.e. all in growbags or all in thos funny blue woolly pullies..then maybe wouldn't have this 'ashamed' thread

[Marigold]

Surely this depends on the aircraft and the weather?

Summer, closed cockpit, something cool
Winter, something warmer

[lightman]

I'm really torn here.. As a student I'm looking forward to a lifetime of flying and have already bought my first investment in what I'll be doing. 10-60 DC w/ FW & H cords. I know that I'll have this headset a long time so I really didn't mind forking over the cash.
However as far as attire goes I'm really unsure where I want to be. First of all as a biker I'm accustomed to wearing things that may not suit the conditions but suit the saftey of the situation. However I can't see myself wearing a helmet in a R-44 while I'm flying for the company. Nor can I see myself walking out to the 172 wearing nomex. However, the Gentex would save my cocunut if I set the 44 down a little harder than I had planned and the blades came through the canopy. And the Nomex would keep my skin from turning the color of my lunch if my 172 cought fire during runup.
Saftey concerns? Seems like a no brainer to me. Buy, wear, safe(r). But would that inspire confidence in my pax? Probably not.
In the style department I'm torn. I really dig the look of a pair of Gentex'ed, Nomex'ed pilots in a AS350 with a SWAT team in full regalia hanging from the skids. It's imposing and promotes the look of force. No issue there. I can see the capt of a nearjet walking through the FBO in 4 bars and a tie. It happened 2 weeks ago at my local. But 4 bars out of a GA? Nadda..
Wings? Sure! If I was *GIVEN* them as a symbol of accomplishment. I'm all for tradition. Cut my shirt, pin wings on me, whatever. Don't forget that we are a scant few of the general population and there should be respect and those traditions should continue on. As a lighting designer and pyro tech we still hold the backstage traditions as our brethern have. In this business you EARN your respect. If you don't cut it, your gone. No questions asked. Same in avaition, except if you can't cut it, your dead. Same result however.
I'm going to be coughing up mucho bucks in this next year for something I may never earn an income with and I believe that I will have accomplished something and there should be an earned respect which follows along. However, once I recieve an aircraft to be responsable for I'm going to have a plate made with an engraving. "Proverbs 16:18" (Pride goeth before destruction) just to remind me to keep my ego in check. (as well as my anticipated flying confidence)

So, what I will probably end up doing is spending a bunch of money on gear and apparell that I'll use 3 times/year. But thats okay

Wade

[Small Rodent Driver]

I've taken to flying naked myself.

Apologies to fellow group members but I always wipe the seats down with TCP afterwards

[VP959]

Surely the simple answer is to wear what's appropriate for the weather/conditions, isn't it? I tend to dress for the likely outside conditions (based on years of having this sort of thing pumped into me.....) but wouldn't dream of wearing ex-mil kit covered in badges, or perhaps worse a white shirt with gold bars, when flying something as mundane as a light private A/C. Frankly it's the t*ss*rs who insist on wearing badge covered gro-bags I find the most laughable. I did keep mine as a souvenir, and would quite like a black one (doesn't show the oil/muck....) for the odd occasions when a bit of fire protection might come in handy. I do tend to fly in gloves, even when in enclosed cockpits, for the same reason. The thought of not being able to open the door/hatch to escape on the ground in the event of fire, just because you happen to have burnt fingers fills me with dread.

[High Wing Drifter]

Surely if you fly roundeled Chipmunk then a green flying suit would be required attire!

I have to admit that I fancy one of those nice leather bomber jackets. The ultimate irony is that I would probably never wear within 100yds of an airfield

[whatunion]

whatunion says, always wear a clowns outfit, you can get away with the most amazing fxxxk ups

[J.A.F.O.]

Thanks for bringing this back to the top, what a very British topic.

I personally tend to look a bit of a prat no matter what I wear.

[jayteeto]

A mate of mine used to wear a flying suit (RAF) every time he flew a GA aircraft. We used to bait him about it, but he kept on doing it. On the first flight of his new kitfox the prop came off on take off and he crashed and burned badly. He was virtually unmarked but his passenger was seriously burned requiring long term, painful, hospital treatment. I don't laugh at ANY pilot wearing the full kit now, unless he turns up at the airshow in his car............

[whatunion]

JAFO never worry about looking a pratt, there is always a bigger one hanging around in most flying clubs.

What about the guys that wear gloves, whats that all about? (apart from fire)

[Trislander]

When I'm down the flying club or just visiting airports in general I like to look the part so that everyone knows I'm a pilot and they'll be really impressed.

What I normally wear:

- ' I'd rather be flying ' or classic ' Pilots do it inverted ' T-shirt
- Blue plasticy Transair Exclusive jacket with recently sewed on 'PPL' motif and Top Gun embroidered badge
- Mirrored Aviators (to look like Ice Man in Top Gun)
- FliteSlax (TM) 'Pants for Aviators' (Cheap pair of cargo-trousers re-badged for the aviation community and sold by Transair at 4x the price)
- Five stripes (well my mate hasn't even got his PPL yet and he wears four stripes)
- A baseball cap with the word 'Captain' stitched on for posing down at the airport.


I was just joking of course!!!

I just wear jeans or shorts and any t-shirt/jumper. The only aviation clothing I own is a jacket with the name of my flying club on. Oh and don't forget the trusty hi-vis.

Tri

[2Sticks]

Just to answer whatunion's question about flying gloves - don't know much about the rationale for the fixed wing boys & girls but my heli instructor (when I told him I was a bit embarrassed about the fact that someone had bought me a pair of flying gloves for Christmas) said that he actually preferred his students to wear them! It refers to what someone mentioned earlier in the thread, but flying helicopters can lead to very sweaty palms and you don't want slippery hand flying a heli (twist grip throttle and all that). I found out what he means and wear them as a matter of course now - never thought about the fire issue though - rest of the gear is just jeans & t-shirts. My first lesson was a laugh (for the instructor anyway); as a seasoned glider pilot, I turned up in January complete with thermals, lined boots, layers and layers of clothing - felt a complete tw@t when it was pointed out the R22s are fitted with heaters!!

2Sticks

[Pink_aviator]

I was wondering as i am oviously not an exspert on these matters,

,but ,if one is to be laughed at by most of the G/A sector for wishing to wear a " safe " fire resistant flying suit ,

then would wearing boys trousers (not really wanting to dress as a boy ,)
(or a mini skirted BARBIE , either ,come to that )

well would trousers not catch fire the same as a dress or skirt would .

If one needed to evacuate quickly ,then ripping ones skirt ,dress ,or trousers ,jacket ,or jumper , would hardly seem to matter in the scheme of things .

and isn't ONE ment to be able to operate better if one feels comfortable with ones self .

so I say , where what you like ,

It is rude after all to laugh at any body .

the PINKSTER