How to dress for flight testing????

[dwilson]

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

[Thermos]

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

[Brian Denk]

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.

[Jim P]

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

[rv6ejguy]

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.

[fodrv7]

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.

[walter]

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

[gbrasch]

Originally Posted by Brian Denk

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

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.

[JimP]

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

[jcoloccia]

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

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=14057