The "PR"s of Flight Suits: Protection, Presentation and Procurement (Part 1 of 3)

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard pilots wear them, as do Police, Fire, and Medevac pilots. But should you, as a General Aviation pilot, be wearing one? The short answer is simply, sure, if you want to. I like seeing GA pilots on the ramp in appropriate, good-looking duds. If nothing else, flight suits with all of the pockets are a great help in carrying and organizing all of the items that help us defy gravity. The three considerations that I see in selecting a flight suit are protection, procurement and presentation.

Protection

There are three levels of protection that a flight suit (or any flight apparel for that matter) may offer: excellent, moderate and "stay away from it at all costs". Military and other high risk flight operations demand that flight crews take all available options to minimize injury or death. The fabric of choice for protection against flash fires is an Aramid blend, generically referred to as Nomex.

Contrary to popular belief, Nomex, a trademarked invention of the DuPont company, will burn. When exposed to very high temperatures, the material 'chars' but does not melt or burst into flames. This gives the crewmember a good chance of avoiding life-threatening burns when exposed to a short, high temperature fire.

Natural materials such as cotton, wool and leather offer moderate protection from flame. These materials will burn but will not melt, and often can be quickly extinguished.

The worst option (for flight) is Nylon. It is commonly used in surplus and new manufacture MA-1 and nylon CWU-36/P or CWU-45/P knock-off jackets. These jackets (or a nylon flight suit, Lord help you) have a low flash point and burn intensely, but not before melting to your skin. In an inconsequential fire you might as well be wearing an avgas-soaked tuxedo.

Part 2 will deal with Presentation, or what to get and the "Do's and Don'ts" with your flight suit.

In Part 3 I'll discuss Procurement, or where to purchase and how much flight suits are costing these days.