Having been following this thread with great interest, I am inclined to agree with Bose .. .. ..

after all gold bars do look very smart, add a degree of professional, and in spite of the yellow jacket distinguish you from everyone else wearing a yellow jacket for some other reason than they are a pilot.

Infact come to think of it, the bars would look very nice on the yellow jacket.

James,
I'm not sure if we're misunderstanding each other or not. What I meant was that Polly could well have had something organised that day after she landed...photographers taking photos for some charity or something...I don't know. Maybe what she meant was that she had to be Number 1 to land for some good reason like that.

I did a really good job of briefly diverting the attention from the Polly bashing/loving fest. Shall we call it a day on that one?

Bose-x

I thought you made a brilliant attempt there.

Along with the golden suit, golden bars, then of course - golden shoes to go with the whole thing. :rolleyes:

T.

Don't forget Wilbur...

Whirlybird
 

I certainly take that on board.

It was a quote from someone else and i tried in the post to have a laugh about it.

My flying school made us all wear Uniform and Rank Slides, even before we had seen the inside of a small a/c.

To start with
Blue pilot shirt and a plain (nothing on it all, just plain navy blue) slide

The first time you take off and land an a/c without help
Blue pilot shirt and a thin silver bar

First solo
Blue shirt, thick bar

on gaining NPPL
Blue shirt - 1 thick and 1 thin silver bar

On gaining JAR PPL
Blue shirt - 2 silver bars

On gaining Night Rating
Blue shirt - 2 gold bars

On gaining Instrument Rating, you were considered not to be a PPL, but training for a CPL, even if you never wanted it, so you had to change your shirt for a green one - and try getting a green pilot shirt anywhere except their shop. You also had to get green slides with the 2 gold bars.

The slides also had other markings toward the top. A Maltese cross (nicked from St Johns Ambulance) if you were a First Aider, and laurels for instructors.

do you get to wear a badge for rubbing 2 sticks together & starting a fire ?

The only purpose I could see in it was so they could make extra money forcing overpriced, unwanted crap on you.

By the way, I want an extra bar for this post:rolleyes:

A new CFI has changed the 'Uniform' for the better. Anything you want, provided you wear your photo ID card airside at all times.

Irish Bunny,

I'd rather be awarded pints of Guiness and retain the plain navy blue slides.;)

tangovictor, you've chosen the wrong hobby. It's the Boy Scouts which gives you merit badges for rubbing sticks together to start a fire.

tangovictor, you've chosen the wrong hobby. It's the Boy Scouts which gives you merit badges for rubbing sticks together to start a fire.

I don't think so, I was be facetious, I thought this link is for PFA farmstrip flying, who are you trying to impress ? on the farmstrip ?

Came across this link from another forum...

http://www.pplir.org/images/stories/...ftn226_p12.pdf

;)

I wonder how many will be taken in?

Is it acceptable or appropriate for PPLs to wear a nomex grow bag and a bonedome? You could probably argue the case but you'd look stupid. Having said that, i've got a WW2 style flying jacket which someone bought me some budgie wings for, with "Ginger" underneath. I think that looks a bit silly, but I wear it occasionally (normally when it's frigid outside). Wouldn't dream of wearing it anywhere near an airfield or other pilots though.

I can appreciate people wanting to have something that gives the flight a sense of occasion, but stripes just looks pompous.

Ginger ;)

Intresting thread mind,

Whilst here in the UK the wearing of gold or silver bars as a ppl makes you look like a penis of the highest order in other countries it don't.

A couple of years ago i hired a TB9 from MLA to CTA and wore a pair of trainers,jeans and a Crystal Palace football shirt but on arrival in CTA (Catania) we were asked who the PIC was and on telling the customs geezer i was, i was carted off down to some poxy airport cell and accused of nicking the plane and the licence! (Got out of that by showing the **** my passport photo and that the name on the passport was the same on the ppl) but was strongly advised up the flying club by the elders that the next time i visit any airport in Italy not to wear a football shirt but a nice shirt with go faster stripes down the arms.

I did this last year when going thru Naples for fuel enroute to CFU and in a PA28 and sailed thru no problem so with that in mind the next time you fancy a good european jaunt try and find out from members at your local flying club what the formalities are like for the airports or the countries
you plan to visit they may have been there done that got the shirt and the bars to prove it:)

It rather depends on what they're about to fly....

Recently saw a guy turn up in RAF flying jacket (complete with wings, name etc.), RAF flying boots, and even the white leather gloves, to fly a Cherokee ! He obviously thought it was necessary and looked good, everyone else thought W@%*^$R !

There is a safety angle to the attire, and in the RAF it is drummed into you to only fly in approved, fire-resistant clothing, we even had to fly in issue underwear!
I tend to fly the Warrior wearing cotton clothes (Fat-Face trousers tend to have pockets in a similar place to flying suits), with my old issue flying boots. I would wear my old white leather gloves if I could find them as they do ensure good adhesion on the controls, even if things do get a bit sweaty....plus again they are fire retardent. Basically sensible normal clothes that don't mark you out as a Kn**-end in the clubhouse

When the time comes I will probably replace the flying boots with a pair of (subdued coloured) motor-racing boots which allow fine control whilst being fire retardent.

Call me paranoid, but if we managed 3 flights in a row in the Wessex without some kind of failure or emergency we were doing exceptionally well!

Reference the safety clothing aspect, I'm really keen to hear others views on this one. As an ex-biker, I remember when wearing safety gear outside of a helmet and a jacket (as if Levi 501's protected your bum from getting tarmac rash at 30mph!) marked you down for scorn, yet things have gotten a lot more sensible these days with back protectors etc. None of the old and bold VFR and Fireblade boys I still keep up with would even dream of going on the bike the way we did as young lads. It'd be lunacy.

Really different atitudes prevail in the G.A. world however, and over the last 7 or 8 years I've been in it, I thought it would become more acceptable to wear safety focused clothing, but it seems not.

To clarify, I dont mean trying to be some T. Cruise wannabee, they need ridiculed with force on site, but with fireproof gear being available in either a subdued colour jumpsuit or long sleeved shirt and trousers, ditto unobtrusive footwear thats flame resistant, why dont we?

Same with a bonedome. Doing 100 knots+ with a piece of perspex in front of me reminds me of my bike days - I certainly didn't do that in just a headset either! After years of crash helmets, it just didn't feel right from day one. Still doesn't years later.

What do others think? Am I seeing things from an overly cautious point of view? Have I read 'Fatal Traps' to many times;) You tell me?