The "PR"s of Flight Suits: Protection, Presentation and Procurement (Part 2 of 3)

My Cousin, Roscoe Turner.

Presentation

As I stated in part 1, I like seeing GA pilots in appropriate and sharp flight suits. It conveys a certain pride, esprit de corps, and professionalism. But like anything else in flying, this too can be screwed up righteously. As my last flight student, Andy Somers says, "[You can look like] a real Space Cadet from the Planet Popsicle-Head."

As much as you are able, stay away from the Sage Green, CWU-27/P flight suit. This is the current U.S. military issue Aramid blend uniform. While they are tempting due to their low price and wide availability, I have yet to see one on a civilian that looks decent. At best, they look odd; at worst, disrespectful.

If you have your heart set on the CWU-27/P military style, I suggest colors other than Sage, such as Tan, Royal, Navy or Black. I'm on the lookout for a good Orange suit, but appropriately customizing it will be a challenge. (I will go into more styles in Part 3.)

Wear one that fits. If you are unsure of your size, go to your local used or vintage clothing store. Usually they have some raggedy military turn-ins. Try some on and note the size. A too-large suit looks bad, and trust me, you do not want to fly in one that is too small.

Patches

I love the SR-71. I love the Stealth Fighter. But I've never flown them and never will. If I'm driving a Navion, I'll find some nice Navion patches. 'Nuff said.

Get a custom name tag if your flight suit has one of those Velcro chest patches. A great place to design and order tags is at Williams & Williams. (Even if you don't need tags, check it out anyway- very cool.) If you don't want custom tags, remove any unused Velcro patches. A Velcro strip without a patch makes you look like you left the house wearing only one shoe. And speaking of shoes...

A great flight outfit can be utterly ruined by a goofy set of sandals or a torn-up pair of tennis shoes. Black or brown "Jump" boots, or black or tan Tactical boots look best, though a coordinated set of some of the newer hiking boots may suffice. Probably the best option: the Belleville Shoe Co. produces a line of military-approved flight boots.

Wear an undershirt. White or color-coordinated T-shirts or Polo shirts have been the only options that seem to work.

Unfortunately, I think that just about everyone has seen some Yahoo at the airport walking around in flip-flops wearing a dirty, ripped, green DX'ed flight suit, unzipped to the middle of his bare belly. I hope this installment gets you thinking that does it not have to be that way. You can look sharp, proud and professional in a flight suit.

In the last part I'll discuss procurement, or what styles are out there, where to purchase, how much flight suits cost, and your other options.