Winter Flight Glove Recommendations

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eventualpilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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eventualpilot
I’m looking for recommendations for a versatile winter glove that is warm enough for pre-flighting and towing/tying down the aircraft upon landing as well as one that has enough dexterity to operate radios and gps during the flight.
 
are ya askin' 'bout a Texas winter, a New Yawk winter, or somewheres in between? It sorta makes a difference
 
Underarmor makes some nice thin glove liner types. These are not the ones I have, but they are touchscreen compatible:

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ua-core-cgi-mens/pid1249432-001

Just be aware they are synthetic and might not do well in a fire. Take them off if a fire breaks out in the airplane (since staying warm will not then be an issue), or get Nomex flight gloves.
 
I use a regular pair of leather gloves I bought at Costco. When I turn the airplane on I also turn on the heat, and once it gets warm enough I take off the gloves. It's worked for 14 winters, so I think I'm on to something.
 
steingar said:
I use a regular pair of leather gloves I bought at Costco. When I turn the airplane on I also turn on the heat, and once it gets warm enough I take off the gloves. It's worked for 14 winters, so I think I'm on to something.
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Sadly, not everyone has heat.
 
I've never worn gloves to fly even for the first flight in sub zero temps. I always have suitable gloves in case I get stranded and those work fine for flight prep. By the time my engine is warm enough for flight my heater is working well. I suppose I could wear Mechanix or similar but haven't needed to.
 
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I use white mule work gloves, and cheap cotton liners. Total cost is <$5 and when broken in you can pick pins up off the floor with them.
 
You really want two pairs -- one for outside, one for the cockpit. Preflighting and handling gets gloves greasy and grimy, and you don't want to be wearing greasy grimy gloves in the plane. I'd suggest finding a lighter weight leather pair with touch screen tips (I found a nice pair at Target) for cockpit use, and some sort of industrial-strength winter work gloves for preflight and handling.
 
Art VanDelay said:
When I lived and worked as a CFI/Freight Dog pilot in Colorado and Wyoming I always favored the "GloMitt" type. No glove can ever be as warm as mitten but mittens are useless in the cockpit. That's where these tend to shine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09FETAV9S0WVZ5MMXAFQ
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I use a pair like that. Only you cannot uncover the thumbs on mine. It drives me nuts because I use the my thumbs a lot with my iPhone. Looks like I need to order a pair of what you linked!

Jim
 
Does anyone have separate gloves for pre/post flight and another for in-flight?

I'd get some cheap semi-disposable for the pre/pro flight. Checking oil, ties downs, getting gas, etc etc. THen some thinner, nimble gloves for inside...hopefully your cabin heat works enough to keep your fingers from going numb with a light glove in flight.
 
Soo..that's what happens when you open the thread... go to a couple meetings, and then respond without refreshing the screen. :)
 
For NE winters I use these, they are great for pulling, preflight and keeping your hands warm enough till you're in the plane.

Tight fit for preflight a and opening cowls etc.

30 bucks

policestuff_2348_6409551209.jpg


http://m.lapolicegear.com/mx-cg40-75-heavy.html?Size=009: Medium&gclid=CPXJjOC0gMMCFYNAaQodT3kAtw
 
eventualpilot said:
I’m looking for recommendations for a versatile winter glove that is warm enough for pre-flighting and towing/tying down the aircraft upon landing as well as one that has enough dexterity to operate radios and gps during the flight.
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What you seek does not exist...at least I haven't found anything that will effectively accomplish both objectives. About the only gloves I have found that give sufficient dexterity to use on avionics are the military style nomex flight gloves. You can even get them with iPad compatible finger tips. That is what I use in the biplane, unless it is really cold- then I will use them for takeoff and landing and put mittens during cruise.

The nomex gloves aren't the warmest for cold preflights, so you probably are going to need a separate pair of cold weather gloves for that.
 
Fearless Tower said:
What you seek does not exist...at least I haven't found anything that will effectively accomplish both objectives. About the only gloves I have found that give sufficient dexterity to use on avionics are the military style nomex flight gloves. You can even get them with iPad compatible finger tips. That is what I use in the biplane, unless it is really cold- then I will use them for takeoff and landing and put mittens during cruise.

The nomex gloves aren't the warmest for cold preflights, so you probably are going to need a separate pair of cold weather gloves for that.
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nomex=cold in the winter and hot in the summer
 
I have the glomitt linked to earlier in this thread ... It's thick and warm enough for a Boston winter.
I do prefer a lighter, single-layer fleece version, weather permitting.
Both work fine in and out of the plane.
 
Flying the J3 in New Hamshire, it was either my summer weight or winter weight motorcycle gloves. Now I mostly use my AF issue flight gloves in the Pawnee, year round in So NV.

The T-41B now has a touch screen GTN750, so the right hand is bare most of the time. Plus the touch required iPad. I need to find those gloves designed for touch screens.
 
Fearless Tower said:
If using it in extremes, yes, but they seem to work fine for me down to around the mid-30s in the Waco.
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Good to know. The Nomex I've got (and it's replacement fibers) are pretty lousy for day-to-day wear. I'm sure it does fine in a flash fire, just not sure it's worth it compared to good ole' cotton.
 
The ones that keep my hands warm. I can fly just fine in ski mittens or whatever it takes, no worries.
 
Clark1961 said:
nomex=cold in the winter and hot in the summer
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Nomex sucks... Unless you're on fire, it's probably the worst fabric on earth.

Some folks get those mitten where the ends flip up for bare finger work, thst might help.

I've never needed gloves in the plane, I just turn the heat on.
 
I have some deerskin gauntlets purchased at the local motorcycle shop. They have a thin lining, and give me no problems with switches and knobs. (no touchscreens for me, so no issues there.) Keep my hands warm into the high thirties on the bike, and are fine for any applications where your hands don't get wet. Fail miserably there. $33 a pair, and last around two riding years before I wear out the lining. (I ride a lot)
 
I'm in the two pair camp. I have a pair of thick leather hanging just inside the hangar door that I use to open the hangar, preflight and pull out the plane. I put them back when I close it up and then use the nomex gloves if I need to in the plane.
 
Mechanix insulated gloves. Got a pair a couple weeks ago for about 25 bucks, not much thicker than their normal gloves but surprisingly warm. I had a pair of Wells Lamont leather gloves that looked similar to the mechanix gloves and they were pretty warm too, but apparently I used them too much and wore through the fingertips!
 
http://www.alpinestars.com/tech-1-s-glove-1#.VK1MdHurFNI

Something very similar to this. I fly near Boston as well. This gloves keeps my hands warm enough, yet allow me to operate little radio buttons, etc.

Another big plus is that they are fireresistant. In the event of a post-crash fire, it allows the use of my hands to do things such as remove a seatbelt, operate door latches, etc. I've read stories about post crash situations where skin coming off hands makes it very difficult to operate belt buckles and such.

They've kept me warm in the winter, and I've found them light enough to use during warmer weather as well.
 
TazzyTazzy said:
Does anyone have separate gloves for pre/post flight and another for in-flight?
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That was SOP in the military -- you kept one old greasy pair for preflight, and a clean pair for flying. When the flight pair started to get grungy, you tossed the old preflight gloves, moved the grungy pair to preflight duty, and grabbed a new pair from Personal Equipment. Outside of anything else, this was a safety issue, since you didn't want your gloves to catch fire in event of a cockpit fire, and the oil/grease embedded in the preflight gloves could do that.
 
Do you operate a phone or ipad during preflight? I do - or at least wanted to preserve the option to do so - so I got these REI light weight polartec gloves.

They have beads of grippy silicone on the palm and near the finger tips and I can operate my phone and ipad with just a little reduction in precision (both hands have the capacitive material on thumb and index finger tips). I use ski shells over them if I need more water resistance or warmth.
 
I use mechanics gloves for preflight, year 'round. I normally fly bare handed bacause I like to write and can't do that very well even with thin gloves. I guess I could try fingerless gloves for the cockpit.
 
Thin leather hunting/shooting gloves from Cabela's or similar store. Good enough for all but arctic conditions and thin enough to work the avionics.

What are these touch screens you speak of? When I get that advanced, I'll have to consider something else.

-Skip
 
I wear winter golf gloves for winter flying. Even in sub freezing temps in the unheated Pitts, T-6 etc. were warm enough and could operate all of the radios and switches etc. Don
 
yakdriver said:
I wear winter golf gloves for winter flying. Even in sub freezing temps in the unheated Pitts, T-6 etc. were warm enough and could operate all of the radios and switches etc. Don
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Winter golf gloves???

I have never seen such things....but then again, I learned to golf in Arizona.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Winter golf gloves???

I have never seen such things....but then again, I learned to golf in Arizona.
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They have the thin Cabreta leather with some kind of very thin Thinsulate on the palms and bottom of the fingers with an insulated top. They are plenty warm enough for any of the airplanes with a canopy down to about 0-10 degrees and even in the N3N down to about 40. I don't fly open cockpit under 40 degrees. I'd love to fly that Waco sometime. It is just a gorgeous airplane. I flew one of the Nu Waco YMF-5s but with all the IFR instrumentation and duel 530s it just kind of ruined the experience. Don
 
Men's unlined leather gloves, made in Italy, the good ones cost about $100. Like a second skin. They FEEL good!!!
 
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