Flight Suits ...

mmilano

mmilano

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Messages
242
Location
Temecula, CA
Display Name
Display name:
Mike Milano
I was thinking back to a few months ago when a pilot entered the FBO where I was taking lessons at in a full flight suit.

so tell me .. are these things more for show when you're flyin a single engine plane or what?
 
Depends on what you're flying and what they're made of.

If you're flying an old warbird that leaks oil by the quart, your clothes underneath don't get ruined quite as fast.

If you're flying something like a Pitts, which uses a tube of fuel running through the cockpit as the fuel gauge, you might want to wear one for fire protection.

But then, not all are created created equal. Different materials do better for different aspects of the mission.

Having said that, my personal opinion is that they're more for show than anything else, in the civilian world, anyway.
 
Then again, there is something to be said for preparing for emergencies, and while a full flight suit may in fact be overkill for most of us, a few sensible precautions are worthwhile.

At the top of the list I would wear a real pair of shoes, not sandals, since burns to the feet can really limit you. A jacket, no matter how hot it is, just in case you're spending the night somewhere you didn't plan to. Hat & gloves too. In the winter I keep a sleeping bag in the back.

Jon
 
FAST requires Nomex flight suits (and parachutes) for formation flights in warbirds, some military auxiliary outfits (CAP/USCGA) require them for certain flights, and most airshow/acro pilots wear them for safety reasons (along with their 'chutes), but for a light single flown for routine recreational purposes, it's pretty much a show-off thing.

BTW, you do NOT wear Nomex suites to deal with oil, grease, hyd fluid, etc, as getting those fluids on the suit defeats the flame resistance of the suit. Get that stuff on them, and you have to wash again before wearing (assuming you're wearing it for safety reasons).
 
The flight school at Chester County airport (GO Carlson) used to make all of their instructors and line guys wear flight suits. IIRC color coded too. Made them look like, aahhh, goofy guys wearing flight suits.

Len
 
Ron Levy said:
FAST requires Nomex flight suits (and parachutes) for formation flights in warbirds, some military auxiliary outfits (CAP/USCGA) require them for certain flights, and most airshow/acro pilots wear them for safety reasons (along with their 'chutes), but for a light single flown for routine recreational purposes, it's pretty much a show-off thing.

BTW, you do NOT wear Nomex suites to deal with oil, grease, hyd fluid, etc, as getting those fluids on the suit defeats the flame resistance of the suit. Get that stuff on them, and you have to wash again before wearing (assuming you're wearing it for safety reasons).
Click to expand...
I don't think nomex is suitable for light aircraft at all. In military flying, the nomex must protect for only a few seconds until the ejection seat works. A cockpit fire in a single engine prop will overwhelm nomex long before you can make an emergency descent and egress. There are better alternatives out there for fire protection.
 
Ken Ibold said:
I don't think nomex is suitable for light aircraft at all. In military flying, the nomex must protect for only a few seconds until the ejection seat works. A cockpit fire in a single engine prop will overwhelm nomex long before you can make an emergency descent and egress. There are better alternatives out there for fire protection.
Click to expand...

As I recall nomex will withstand 800 degree's F for over 90 seconds before it even begins to char. So what out there is better than that?
 
Ken Ibold said:
If you're flying an old warbird that leaks oil by the quart, your clothes underneath don't get ruined quite as fast.
Click to expand...
I wish I would have worn one in the CJ. Oil was everywhere inside and out.

Sometimes I wear a flight suit (my Dad's old flight suit) when I do aerobatics so I can zip stuff (like the iPod and sunglasses) into the pockets.
 
We had a guy at our FBO, back in 2002, who wore a bright blue (think Blue Angel's) line suit whenever he flew the blue 152 (990). We all thought he was pretty screwy.

He also yelled into the mic constantly, and always seemed to have stuck mic problems.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
sere said:
As I recall nomex will withstand 800 degree's F for over 90 seconds before it even begins to char.
Click to expand...

800F of thermal energy is going to radiate right through that relatively thin cloth like it isn't even there. It may not burn but you will.

sere said:
So what out there is better than that?
Click to expand...

Any protection is better than none obviously. IMO cotton clothing (jeans, tshirts, etc) is much better than synthetics that melt and turn into napalm. Nomex is just another insulating layer.

IMHO: Go with a small halon fire extinguisher. Grab, yank pin, aim, pull trigger. Unless it's fueled by something else or huge, the fire is usually out right then.
 
Only ones I ever saw in a typical GA aircraft was pilot in a club I used to teach at that wore an international orage flight suit complete with helmet after an aquaintance of his died in an airplane accident. The other was for Halloween.
 
fgcason said:
800F of thermal energy is going to radiate right through that relatively thin cloth like it isn't even there. It may not burn but you will.



Any protection is better than none obviously. IMO cotton clothing (jeans, tshirts, etc) is much better than synthetics that melt and turn into napalm. Nomex is just another insulating layer.

IMHO: Go with a small halon fire extinguisher. Grab, yank pin, aim, pull trigger. Unless it's fueled by something else or huge, the fire is usually out right then.
Click to expand...

The nomex material does not ratiate the heat through the material thus your skin does not burn. Someone said there is material better than nomex and I am wondering what that might be? I agree halon is a great fire extinguisher but must be used in a area that has good ventilation or you could pass out from low o2 in the plane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top