How to dress for flight testing????

I am nearing completion of my 9A. I want to know what you all recommend I wear during phase I.

I plan to have Mike Saeger do my first two flights as my piloting skills are not ready for that yet.

So, what do you suggest:

Tennis shoes, shorts and a T-shirt? or
Nomex flight suit and helmet?

Somewhere in between?

Thanks,

Duane

Some might consider it overkill, but I'd definitely vote for nomex if you can swing it. Gloves and a helmet would be nice too. Plus, you'll feel like Chuck Yeager when you taxi out for that first flight.

If you can't buy, borrow or steal nomex, consider wearing something made out of cotton. Synthetics - nylon, etc - have a nasty habit of melting, which is not something you want to happen when they're next to your skin.

I'm sure you're kidding about the t-shirt and shorts but whatever you wear, make sure it covers your arms and legs.

Good luck!

Dave

Fly nekkid.

No?

OK, then go to the other extreme...Nomex, gloves, helmet if you can find one. I went the full happy meal package including HGU55 (I think) wired for civilian impedence. Yeah, felt really cool and the tinted visor offers incredible field of view. Also wore a chute and still have it. Never saw the inside of it, which is good!

Worrying about your personal safety is not something you want taking up mental bandwidth on the first flight.

At least a full cotton jumpsuit, boots and gloves would be better than that natty polyester leisure suit you might be eyeing in the closet.

Ditto on the Nomax

I'd have to enter one for ditto on the Nomax. I have a nomax jacket I use after 250 hours in another homebuilt and I still wear nomax gloves every flight. I had someone tell me once they wore gloves every flight; if you get in an accident, you're going to need your hands and you don't have time to put them on. At a minimum, takeoff and landing. I also have an HGU55 wired up for civilian radios and I love it. In an RV, it gives you a little better chance of surviving direct bird strike on the canopy and the wide field of vision is great. I can't say I feel like 'ol Chuck; he probably wouldnt' get caught dead in a yellow brain bucket but I figure it's easy to see.

So day-to-day flying it's nomax gloves and jacket, with a helmet.

Jim

Helmet, Nomex a good idea. The chute won't be much good apparently as you can't get the canopy open (slider) in flight without a quick release of some sort.

Plus

Plus, a fire extinguisher within reach......... and not Powder Chemical.
Powder Chemical will wreck your aircraft with corrosion and the powder will stick to the canopy and the instruments.
Pete.

I guess I was bucking the trend when I flew first flight in shorts and t-shirt
and tennis shoes. I was wearing cotton socks though

Brian Denk said:

I went the full happy meal package including HGU55 (I think) wired for civilian impedence.

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Hey guys, just be aware of one thing with the HGU55. It is not designed to be as crashworthy as other helmets out there. I learned this when I was a safety officer/pilot of a helicopter aviation unit. The Canadians did a big study on them. The have the nickname of the "bump helmet", all the F-16 guys and the like wear them as they are designed to protect fighter pilots heads when they "bump" off of the inside of the canopies during their high g maneuvers. They do little to protect you in a crash. (But they do look cool). Hope this helps.

Agree

Agree on the crash worthiness with the -55. There's a warning sticker they put on the back of the helmet to that extent as well. That said, I suppose you could end up with with a motorcycle helmet with audio if you wanted to go that far, but I suppose most of the mil-spec flight helmets are a fairly happy mid-ground to give some level of protection. It would be interesting to see what the duster guys wear as well. In a serious crunch, I doubt it's going to do anything aside from keeping stuff together, but it might give you a fighting chance when a seagull runs through the bug food processor up front. This is really one of those things that each pilot needs to decide on. All personal choice, kind of like primer

In addition to all the other wonderful suggestions, I also recommend equipping yourself with a holy hand grenade.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=14057

flight suit/momex

the guys at the local steel mill here wear carbon x thermals i could go into this long story of the bob cat driver covered himself in really hot slag..but i'll spare you . these are probally cheaper than a flight suit.. looked at them today(flight suits) around 200-300$

I don't want to be rude or scare you off but as we well know the first flight is one of the most dangerous ones. That in mind in case something happens you might want to wear your best clothes. If you end up in ambulance or hospital, the clothes which can be removed easily might be wise selection. Also make sure if the doctor is lady that you do have decent underwear. I'm just trying to be practical.

Anyway, interesting question... I quess I would choose just casual flying clothing even for a big day.

Can't be to safe

This is what I'm going to wear.This stuff has saved my bacon lots of times. It's a little clunky for the RV though , might have to find an alternate air source.

JimP said:

It would be interesting to see what the duster guys wear as well.

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All my duster buddies wear ball caps - to cover their "love machine solar panels" (or so their t-shirts say). Seems they prefer either John Deere or Nascar #3... your choice

I just wore my usual chambrey shirt, turtle neck sweater, jeans and loafers. And since it was early April, and April has an "R" in it, I wore socks. Rules state that socks should be worn in months with "Rs" and can be ommitted in months without "Rs" unless climate dictates otherwise.

I also wore my RV Grin !

Roberta

Canopy Cracker

We should carry a small hammer or some other device to break the canopy - and a cell phone.

When I found myself hanging upside down after a forced landing and flip, the only way out was through the canopy. Fortunately, the glass was quite broken and provided for a kick out and crawl out. Don't be in too big a rush to leave if there is no fire. The seat belt was opened quick and I promptly fell on my head.....maybe that's what broke the canopy.

I won't fly without a cell phone. A call to 911 that day brought help in about 15 minutes; a county sheriff, a fire truck, an ambulance, a half dozen local pick ups, a call from the local FAA control tower wanting to know how I was and where I bought the fuel, and two overhead TV helicopters. What a circus!

All in all, it was not a good day. But it could have been worse.

Fortuately, this sort of thing does not happen often but we need to think about it and be a little prepared. One final note, this was not a first flight event, just something that happened 4 month later.

First flights today are much safer than 25 years ago before EAA tech and flight advisers entered the picture. That effort has really paid off with first flight safety. You can not go wrong using their services.

What you wear is important but how far to go with it is a matter of personal preference. I usually dress to be comfortable which may not be the best thing to do.

I Agree on Protective Clothing!

I've been wearing the same suit as Mr. Tuttle is so fashionably demonstrating for many years as a volunteer firefighter...probably overkill for flying, but it sure makes you feel good when a burning roof collapses on you!

For flying when I have any doubt about the airplane (i.e. Testing flying - by definition), I wear Nomex flight suit, gloves, cotton socks, and fire retardant shoes. Boots are a next best choice, but they make my flying clunky.

If I am wearing a parachute, I wear a helmet, reasoning that if I am bailing out, I may be flailing about and bump my head, or the airplane is probably flailing about, and may bump my head. I wear an HGU-55 - I just consider it for bumps, not to protect me in a collision with a fixed object.

Now, my little story. We lost a wonderful person from our organization a few years ago. She was an M.D. and superb aerobatic pilot, CFI....she was giving a person a checkout in his newly purchased homebuilt, something went wrong, and they ran off the end of the runway trying a touch and go. Hit a tree, survived the collision, but the aircraft caught fire. She was wearing polyester that day. Burned over 90% of her body, she lived three days in the hospital. Most likely, with her Nomex on, she would still be with us. We have an annual aviation safety symposium in her memory.

The likelihood of a fire? In normal operations, with a tested airplane - very remote. With a new plane, new plumbing? Not quite so remote in my opinion. The consequences if you guess wrong? Can be pretty bad!

I'm not saying you must do one thing or the other, just giving a couple things to think about.

Paul

Ironflight said:

I've been wearing the same suit as Mr. Tuttle is so fashionably demonstrating for many years as a volunteer firefighter...probably overkill for flying, but it sure makes you feel good when a burning roof collapses on you! Paul

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Me too... but I think that when I ever get to flight testing... I'll either purchase a Nomex flightsuit, or use my "wildland" gear which is much like a flightsuit in weight. Would be funny to see someone climbing onto his steed in full structure gear though!

Actually last year I gave my son a military surplus full helmet/hood from a proximity suit (as a gag gift). Now THAT would make a statement...

Shades of Red Adair

Phyrcooler said:

Actually last year I gave my son a military surplus full helmet/hood from a proximity suit (as a gag gift). Now THAT would make a statement...

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Hey, that's an idea! We have a proximity suit at my day job. If I can borrow the manlift to get into the airplane and have someone else buckle me in and start the engine it just might work.

gbrasch said:

Hey guys, just be aware of one thing with the HGU55. It is not designed to be as crashworthy as other helmets out there.

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I'll second Glenn's comment. I have my old HGU-55 from a former life, and a newer HGU-56 helicopter helmet (current Army issue, I think) from some helo work a couple of years ago. Helo helmets are designed to provide more impact protection; might be worth trying to find one if you're serious about a good brain bucket.

One down side is that they're bulky. I don't know if I would be able to close the tip-up canopy on an RV while wearing one.

Dave

Flight Gear

If you are going to purchase a flight helmet, gloves, flightsuit, parachute and only use this gear for flight testing this seems like a waste of money. If you believe that you need these items for 40+ hours why not wear them all the time? It would seem to me that an event requiring this gear could happen at anytime not just during the first 40 hours.

D.J. Dormer

I agree D.J. but, are you stopping to short here?

revdjd said:

If you are going to purchase a flight helmet, gloves, flightsuit, parachute and only use this gear for flight testing this seems like a waste of money. If you believe that you need these items for 40+ hours why not wear them all the time? It would seem to me that an event requiring this gear could happen at anytime not just during the first 40 hours.

D.J. Dormer

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Why not buy a second setup for the passenger, and if you are going to fly young eagles you will need a kid size setup also.

I think that we all should take precautions with our planes and good clothing is a worth while consideration. If you did a good job with construction and inspection then your plane should be as safe as a spam can. Are you going to go to these extremes when you use the FBO's Cessna?

The best way to protect you butt is to make sure that you are ready for the flight and not rely on some superman suit. After all we (most of us) are not military jet aces and won't be flying that close to the edge.

Kent

The best way to protect you butt is to make sure that you are ready for the flight and not rely on some superman suit.

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Being ready for a flight does mean appropriate clothing. Even in AZ, if you're over the mountains in the winter, better prepare for cold even though the valley may be 70 degrees as you never know when you're going to end up out in the sticks. Then again, it's your butt, wear what you want.

Jim P said:

Being ready for a flight does mean appropriate clothing. Even in AZ, if you're over the mountains in the winter, better prepare for cold even though the valley may be 70 degrees as you never know when you're going to end up out in the sticks. Then again, it's your butt, wear what you want.

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Jim makes a really good point. We are a little off the original topic but I think it is important to pay some attention to clothing. Many years ago someone said "dress for the ground that you are flying over" or words to that effect. Fat dumb and happy at altitude with the heat on could turn into very cold on the surface if something quits.

On the Nomex issue, no I don't wear a flight suit every day to fly "Sunshine." I do, however, avoid synthetic fabrics and "plastic" shoes.


John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

Racing shoes

Racing shoes. When I first started flying Katanas I wore leather ankle boots (military parade boots), thinking it would be good for my feet to have more protection than regular shoes offer. But I found with boots my flying got messy... I didn't have enough of a fine touch on the pedals, so I switched to shoes (which really helped).
This got me thinking about first flight footware, if I end-up choosing to do my own first flight (still undecided - won't decide until after I've done transition training). Is it better to have the protection of boots but sacrificing the quality of my touch on the pedals? Then I discovered the Racing industry has already created something for this purpose. Racing shoes. They're fire retardant, and desigend to give you a really good feel on the pedals when driving.

Phil,

While racing shoes will work great, if you want total protection don't forget to order fireproof socks, underwear, and gloves when you buy your suit. (Check out http://www.saferacer.com.)

When we would do equipment safty checks for the SCCA, checking underwear was part of it. You would be surprised how many rookies would try to get away with cotton.

The truth is, if the plane catches fire, the only piece of safety gear that will really matter is your parachute. I believe you will be out of the plane long before the difference between cotton and Nomex comes into play.

I can only imagine how hot the cockpit must get with an engine fire and if I had one, I would seriously wonder how long the engine mount would last before departing the plane.

One material which hasn't been talked about in this list is leather. If you look at some of the older "certificated" airplanes and many eastern-bloc airplanes you'll see leather is used for things like firewall boots over push-rods, etc. As cockpit wear, leather is a relatively flame-proof material, and unlike Nomex, it also provides significant protection from abrasion and also from radiant heat.

If you can't get a Nomex suit but want additional protection, consider talking to a biker friend about borrowing his (or her! *wink wink*) riding leathers. Also, good leather bike gloves are extremely supple and allow for adjustment of radios, etc. I have a pair which extend 3/4 of the way up my forearms. I believe they offer better protection than any of the Nomex gloves I've worn.

One last point... While wearing helmets is a grand thing, I've seen too many helicopter pilots with severe burns to their necks as a result of them being covered up to their necks in Nomex, and wearing a helmet, but leaving their necks totally exposed. I don't know the solution to covering this part of the body but I'm certain there's something out there, perhaps like the automotive racing "hoodie" that would provide protection to this very vulnerable area.

While it's normal for us to say that a fire would be cause for bail-out, a post-crash fire is often fed by fuel which has been forcibly ejected from broken tanks, lines, etc, so we never really know where the fire will start, or what parts of us will be soaked in fuel when it does. As a result, for any high-risk flying I always wear protection, even if it's just in the form of jeans, leather shoes, leather jacket and gloves. A little protection can go a long way.