Why do military wear gloves?
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TRUE STORY
A Captain at a major US airline (now bankrupt) always would wear white dress gloves while flying. One day he asked the FE to make a power change, the FE donned a huge asbestos glove carried on board for electrcal fires, he moved the the thrust levers and the Capatain said "that's not funny."
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Gloves and Nomex
MAny moons ago was flying lynx in Northern Germany, we all had Gucci posing white kid gloves taken off us and issued with slightly less Gucci green kid gloves as it was more Tactical in the forests! ....at the same time we had amazing reflective bands on our helmets to make us more observable - go figure!!
They then re issued white gloves to make hand signals to ground crews more easily seen. In theory they were supposed to be changed whenever they were contaminated with oil or similar, yeah right, ever seen a Lynx NOT covered in oil!!
Always understood that nomex was flashproof rather than any other sort of proof and fully expected to end up black and crispy in the event.
Watched a Lynx crew burn to death in Hildesheim not wearing Nomex, even though we got them out the damage was already done, nomex wouldn't have helped. Same thing happpened to a scout crew in Detmold.
They then re issued white gloves to make hand signals to ground crews more easily seen. In theory they were supposed to be changed whenever they were contaminated with oil or similar, yeah right, ever seen a Lynx NOT covered in oil!!
Always understood that nomex was flashproof rather than any other sort of proof and fully expected to end up black and crispy in the event.
Watched a Lynx crew burn to death in Hildesheim not wearing Nomex, even though we got them out the damage was already done, nomex wouldn't have helped. Same thing happpened to a scout crew in Detmold.
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Caution: Thread hijack in progress. 
The rule against wearing rings was a new one to me. What's the reasoning behind it?
"5. Finger retention for those who persist in wearing rings against military orders to the contrary. How many have lost fingers resulting from a ring which gets caught up on some protrusion when exiting from a fighter type aircraft."
Exiting as in punching out? Or hooking a ring on... well... whatever it is thought rings may hook on and falling off the ladder? Never heard of it happening, but by the way you describe it, it sounds like a not quite uncommon occurance.
In my parts, gloves stay on. That's probably why it's news to me.
Cheers,
Fred
The rule against wearing rings was a new one to me. What's the reasoning behind it?
"5. Finger retention for those who persist in wearing rings against military orders to the contrary. How many have lost fingers resulting from a ring which gets caught up on some protrusion when exiting from a fighter type aircraft."
Exiting as in punching out? Or hooking a ring on... well... whatever it is thought rings may hook on and falling off the ladder? Never heard of it happening, but by the way you describe it, it sounds like a not quite uncommon occurance.
In my parts, gloves stay on. That's probably why it's news to me.
Cheers,
Fred
Why only Right gloves found?
THEODDONE asks why they only find right gloves dropped by ground crew. I would imagine its because, most people being right handed, when they have to do anything fiddly they take off their right glove only.
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I well remember the RAF white glove/green glove/white glove fiasco. Every crewmember in the RAF got new green gloves, only to be given brand new white ones some monthe later. In the finest tradition of the RAF, our Sqdn opted to wear one of each until some months later an order was issued to tell us to desist. I still have the green pair somewhere. As for improving your flying abilities, never in a few thousand flying hours did it make one iota of difference. With or without, rather than white over green!
The rule against wearing rings was a new one to me. What's the reasoning behind it?
I managed to wear two rings through my 24 years and managed to get away with it. Perhaps I was lucky.
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As far as I know all commercial pilots in Japan wear white silk gloves when flying... Does anybody know a reason for this? It seems that this apply to all Japanese pilots no matter which airline they are flying... Just check some cockpit photos from airliners.net if you don't believe 
Best Regards,
Approaching Minimums
Best Regards,
Approaching Minimums
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There have been mainy occasions of peolple jumping down off of vehicles only to catch their ring on something and strip the flesh off
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RAF colleague of mine used to have large L & R on the back of his gloves following an awkward moment when told to vacate second right and took the second left.
Last heard flying with BA but presumably relies on his co.
Last heard flying with BA but presumably relies on his co.
Hi all
Ask your engineers how many of them are missing digits or bits of hands from having snagged a ringwearing finger on a bit of machinery. There's always at least one. That's also why we don't wear ties (if you must, wear a clip-on), dangling jewellery and do our best to keep our clothing and headgear restrained. Apart from that, we wear cotton gloves because of the hazardous nature of turbine oil, hydraulic fluid and Avtur. Dermatitis is one thing they don't mention in flight school.
regards
TDD
Ask your engineers how many of them are missing digits or bits of hands from having snagged a ringwearing finger on a bit of machinery. There's always at least one. That's also why we don't wear ties (if you must, wear a clip-on), dangling jewellery and do our best to keep our clothing and headgear restrained. Apart from that, we wear cotton gloves because of the hazardous nature of turbine oil, hydraulic fluid and Avtur. Dermatitis is one thing they don't mention in flight school.
regards
TDD
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Marigolds are great. Anything in latex actually.
Err...
A quantas crew on a B742 heard about the skippers habit of wearing white gloves some time before the trip....
Apparently the skipper donned his white gloves as usual and anounced "set take-off power". At which point the flt engineers hairy, 3 fingered, long nailed mit advanced the levers...
Nothing was said, apart from "power set".
V1 was followed by "positive climb" from the F/O. Followed by "gear up" from the white gloved captain.
At which point the F/Os big red boxing glove moved the gear lever to the up position....
Apparently this captain never wore gloves to work again!
Err...
A quantas crew on a B742 heard about the skippers habit of wearing white gloves some time before the trip....
Apparently the skipper donned his white gloves as usual and anounced "set take-off power". At which point the flt engineers hairy, 3 fingered, long nailed mit advanced the levers...
Nothing was said, apart from "power set".
V1 was followed by "positive climb" from the F/O. Followed by "gear up" from the white gloved captain.
At which point the F/Os big red boxing glove moved the gear lever to the up position....
Apparently this captain never wore gloves to work again!
I wear ex-RAF green leather gloves for a few reasons:
1) Everything in the cockpit is sharp.
2) There is no heater. Everything in the cockpit is cold (I have the silk inners)
3) My hands sweat like a Grand National winner
4) Everything under the engine cowling is oily
5) The prop is always sharp and cold when I swing it (see items 1 & 2 above).
6) They match the green leather interior!
1) Everything in the cockpit is sharp.
2) There is no heater. Everything in the cockpit is cold (I have the silk inners)
3) My hands sweat like a Grand National winner
4) Everything under the engine cowling is oily
5) The prop is always sharp and cold when I swing it (see items 1 & 2 above).
6) They match the green leather interior!
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Hmmm, gloves.
Thought I would never wear 'em, until...
I was assigned to test fly (and receive a PC in) the first Lockheed TriStar that had come out of the hangar in JED, with a fresh 'D' check.
41C, usual high humidity for JED, and I found to my surprise that the maintenance folks had painted the nose wheel tiller a nice shiny black...so shiny it burned (ouch) in the hot sun, and then...it was slippery as hell...couldn't hold on to the darn thing.
Had an old golf glove in the kit...solved the problem nicely.
Oh yes, about the 'D' check.
Returned with 'nil defects'.
Will wonders never cease.
Thought I would never wear 'em, until...
I was assigned to test fly (and receive a PC in) the first Lockheed TriStar that had come out of the hangar in JED, with a fresh 'D' check.
41C, usual high humidity for JED, and I found to my surprise that the maintenance folks had painted the nose wheel tiller a nice shiny black...so shiny it burned (ouch) in the hot sun, and then...it was slippery as hell...couldn't hold on to the darn thing.
Had an old golf glove in the kit...solved the problem nicely.
Oh yes, about the 'D' check.
Returned with 'nil defects'.
Will wonders never cease.
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
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I would not say 'good' Aerospace, having had a pax in an aeros sortie in a Jet Provost use it for just that! It was like a huge, leaking cow's udder, swinging gently, on the gentle way back home.
Anyone still reading.....?
Anyone still reading.....?
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With reference to the Jap pilots and their white silk gloves:
its not only on the flightdeck that they wear them, they keep them on out in the staff car park also. You see drivers all over the roads wearing them. Dunno why
its not only on the flightdeck that they wear them, they keep them on out in the staff car park also. You see drivers all over the roads wearing them. Dunno why
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Back in 1952 when I was in the RAAF, we were shown some fairly gross photos of burnt off toes where during the war, some unfortunates had been shot down and because they were wearing socks that had holes in the toe area, the socks had saved their feet all except for their toes which were exposed.
After that I tried to convince my then wife that she had to do one other essential marital duty and that was patch up my well-worn holey socks. She was not convinced.
After that I tried to convince my then wife that she had to do one other essential marital duty and that was patch up my well-worn holey socks. She was not convinced.
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HSWL
Wrong !
You should have treated your wife with kid gloves and left the socks to Safety Equipment.
It must have been about 1952 when the RAAF started to issue flying boots. They would have covered up your holy socks.
Wrong !
You should have treated your wife with kid gloves and left the socks to Safety Equipment.
It must have been about 1952 when the RAAF started to issue flying boots. They would have covered up your holy socks.