Now just wait a minute... who's been editing my thread title? The next we'll know it'll be "Shirts, Ties, Epaulettes, Flying Suits, Authentic Oil Painting of your PA-28 in Battle of Britain Flypast..."

It's only taken me two years to think of this. Get your own bloody thread. ;)

here at this flying school in the US they make us students wear (during winter times only), dark shoes & pants, blue aviator shirts with maroon (sp?) epaulettes.

We look like blue smurfs :)

But paulo, we all just love flying off at a tangent.....

..... now let me see, would that be the same as flying a DME arc? ;)

redsnail
 

I would not think of going flying without my R M willams boots and the hip flask full of bunderburg overproof for a nightstop.

Just a few of lifes better things that a pom has found on his travels.

Have to admit I too have worn those nice kid leather gloves since I started flying! That CA sunshine, fear of removing the R22 doors - (fear now gone and prefer no door as I bang my elbows!) and the fear of my flying ability causes me to have incredibly sweaty palms.

I also have a suit but not yet worn it... not been flying since I bagged it!

I also own a helmet but have real problems with that as not use to have a head twice it's normal size! Even at work on the occasions require a helmet I end up doing more damage to surround items and people.

BUT if I look stupid, as said above, I might be the one who is ALIVE and stupid.

PS. I don't have any bars though... near brought a pub once if that counts :D

So wot exactly are PPL holders allowed to wear?

How many stripes? (If any)


:)

Allowed to wear??

As many stripes as you like/ Question should have been more like "How many stripes should a PPL want to wear??"

Going back to the guys wearing flying suits in Moths etc. - bl**dy good idea. Brings us back into the realms of suitablility for the flight. I used to wear a flying suit when I was night freight hauling - but had to wear the white shirt, tie and bars when carrying pax. Suitability for flight.

I seem to remember a letter from a lady pilot in Pilot mag a few years ago where she had hired a 152 from Doncaster Aero Club. Not wishing to damage the clubs reputation on an overseas trip she aquired a basic pilots "uniform". Sadly she was mistaken for a lavatory attendent while using the facilities at a French airport!!!!!!!!!!!!

The one thing that makes me laugh is seeing some of the real pilots with epaulettes on their raincoats :o :o

Never seen a Capt. or F/O in the cockpit with a raincoat on though:D :D

(Is this where all the Pilot Catalogue accessories end up:eek: )

formationfoto
“benign environment of a C152 or PA28 cabin.”

I know of several cases where people in Spamcans ended up upside down with jammed straps in a pool of fuel and died. If you add to this that I take my Spamcan to some of the most remote airstrips I can land on, I think I will carry on with my flying suit.


distaff_beancounter

“IMHO, a flying-suit, especially with 4 gold bars, just looks a tad over the top in a C172, PA28 etc”

I agree with you about the gold bars. Most of the advantages of a flying suit are just as valid in a PA28 as any other single engine machine. In my Spamcan I sit almost on top of 42 gal of Avgas, and non of the structure was designed with modern safety an crash worthiness in mind.

This is a safety item, not a fashion statement.

[list=1][*]If that's part of the company uniform then the pilots don't have a choice[*]It is useful for ground staff such as despatchers, engineers and refuellers to be able to identify the captain when on the ground, especially on arrival at the aircraft.[/list=1]

I wish to come out of the closet & declare that I too am a fully paid up member of the White Leather Gloves Club, also known as the Sweaty Palms Mob!!

Not only will they protect your fingers in case of fire, but they also make any hand signals more visible. And after a few years, as a bonus, they acquire a delicous smell of sweaty leather.

I have to confess to having a T-shirt with 'Pilot' on it, I bought it from the magazine, not to remind myself which seat to get into. I'd like to get a matching one with 'Pax' on it for Mrs WHC.

I am part of the flying suit and gloves brigade, whether I'm flying a PA28, Islander or Microlight. In the latter, I add an Irvin jacket.

The flying suit is comfortable, keeps my good clothes clean and not smelling of fuel and grease when handling the aircraft external stuff, has plenty of well placed pockets, and is flame retardant. On the front of it is a badge with my name and some wings - so if I do have an accident the rescue crew know who they've pulled out. Also when visiting airfields, it saves having to spell my oft-mispelled surname out. Safety and practicality are not pretentious.

Yes there's a badge on my shoulder which salves the ego, but it's one I earned nonetheless. I don't wear gold bars, never having been in the Royal Navy.

It is pleasing that the Irvin jacket looks so good, but it's still an eminently sensible jacket for open cockpit flying.

Thin leather gloves protect my hands from cuts on sharp bits of airframe, stop them slipping on the controls on a hot day, and if you're really desperate you can give them to the pax as something to throw up into. Personally I wear some surplus grey Lufftwaffe ones, because the RAF white gloves are too expensive for my taste and too thin for open cockpit flying.

G

who has control,

Did you have to bring up the subject of what's written on T-shirts? There I was, thinking what a sane sensible person I was since I tend to fly in jeans and a T-shirt. But shall I confess to what my T-shirts have on them. Let's see:

1) Whirly-Girls, International Women Helicopter Pilots - with logo of obviously female helicopter with lipstick and curly eyelashes.

2) A woman's place is in the cockpit

3) Heliflight, and large colourful helicopter

4) Shropshire Aero Club, and some sort of aircraft

5) BWPA, Women in the Air 2000

6) R22 and a picture (very small and discreet, that one, unlike the others)

There may be others but I can't remember. :D

Where to buy ex-RAF Nomex flying suits?
 

Anyone know a good place to get hold of ex-RAF Nomex flying suits? The problem seems to be that the majority of ones on the market are quite small and if you're of medium build or larger it's hard to find one to fit.

I don't fly with one at the moment and to be honest I feel a bit naked. It only makes sense to fly with the most appropriate clothing. I sit in a Super Cub with 18 gallons of avgas above me on either side.

Thanks in advance,

David

Whirly, you forgot the all-important PPRuNe one :)

I can vouch for that, I've seen her in it. Very fetching it is too.

There are traders selling RAF type suits (and usually USAF and Luftwaffe) that appear at the big fly-ins. There were certainly several last weekend at Cranfield, ditto Popham in May.

Transair also do a generic one for £90, and a glider-supplies company called "Nevynn International" do a selection of versions for a bit less (01623-634437, no idea if they've got a website).

They also appear occasionally on the eBay pilot-gear page at http://listings.ebay.co.uk/aw/plisti...783/index.html

G

Oh dear, shall I confess? I actually have THREE PPRuNe T shirts :eek: :eek: :eek: :

1) White with "Professional Pilots Rumour Network" and an old logo.

2) "Professional Pilots Rumour Network", R22 (my old name), and on the back an approach plate with various people's names at strategic points - Flaps, Velvet, 10W, etc. And TEAM MEMBER in larg letters.

3) A new official grey one.

1 and 2 were provided by Velvet at the Ash Bash way back in May 2000. I bet not a lot of you knew that.

I forgot I had these. If anyone would like 1, it's a Large size, and far too big for me, and I don't want it. I can bring it to the Gatbash or something. You too can look...er...no comment. :D
2 is rather wonderful and I'm gonna keep it, even though I don't wear it. :) I thought I didn't really like 3, even though it made me recognisable at PPRuNe fly-ins, but if Genghis thinks it's fetching...well...what can I say. ;)

Genghis - I doubt there's a pilot on this site that wouldn't wear that badge of yours... :)

Thanks a lot, Genghis. If the Transair Pilot Shop site ever finsihes loading, I'll take a look there.

;)

David