Flight Suits

[Northern Flyer]

If you buy a nomex suit don't wash it

[Beefitarian]

If you buy a nomex suit don't wash it

And choose the right underwear so you don't have elastic waistband melting into you.

If you really wanted to be protected slighly from fire and hot metal you would buy a set of Carhart coveralls. It would appear you didn't notice but that's what welders wear not nomex.

[Meecka]

Jugdeing by the amount of smilies in your posts and the reference to the other posters as "fellas", I'm betting you're a chick. Just keep the suit unzipped enough to show you're qualified to give a mountain check and 'badda bing, badda boobs' the job is yours.

That was without question posted in the poorest of taste. I see we have degenerated back a few decades at least.

I am required to wear a flight suit at airshows, and yes there is a reason for this. We have found that when in the suits we have an easier time gaining acces to our aircraft on the show lines. As a maintainer on the Hawk One team, unfortunately showing up in shorts and team logo shirt doesn't quite do the trick. It seems the crews staffing airshows are pre-programmed that flight suits = belongs on the ramp. Also as mentioned before, lots of pockets, means I can cram lots of my toolkit with me without having to lug the entire thing out to the aircraft. Also, the Nomex suits are very airy, great in the summer. They are quite comfortable as well.

[cgzro]

Yeah, same deal with the Yellow Wings planes. My wife thought it was hysterical the first time she saw me in mine .. I guess I did not quite cut the Tom Cruise/Top Gun figure in it .. sigh..

I do like all the zip pockets though. Especially the built in clips on the knees. Great for holding a map in an open cockpit biplane.

Peter

[Nark]

If you buy a nomex suit don't wash it

Like I stated earlier. Flight suits are not much more than vanity.
Access to the line during an airshow
Lots of zippers to hold fancy stuff, like watches.


Nomex is perfectly fine in normal wash.


Also nomex will delay the onset of burns. If you are in a fire, you will burn. It's the difference of how much you will burn.
As Beef alluded too, if you wear synthetic fabric underneath the flight suit, you will burn just the same as if not wearing it at all.

[SAR_YQQ]

If you buy a nomex suit don't wash it

How else do you clean it?

I wash mine <daily> in soap and water.

Aramid fibre (NOMEX is a trademarked Dupont product) will protect you against flash burns. You must also be wearing a second layer underneath the zoom-suit to ensure this protection. 100% long-underwear and long sleeved shirt is best.

[niss]

If you really wanted to be protected slighly from fire and hot metal you would buy a set of Carhart coveralls. It would appear you didn't notice but that's what welders wear not nomex.

Carhart is cotton duck. Some of it is flame resistant for welders, etc. Best of luck not becoming a candle in straight up cotton.

[ahramin]

Bob Hoover used to do his airshow routine dressed in a business suit.

After he had an aircraft fire, he switched to a Nomex flight suit.

[+TSRAGR]

As usual a reasonable question has been met with a barrage of sarcasm from all of the "professional pilots".

Speaking from experience I offer the following:

Most northern operators above the mom and pop level use flightsuits for some or all of their work. Uniforms look far more professional than jeans and a hoody. Shirt and tie with black shoes is just not practical.

Flightsuits are warmer. They save wear and tear on your personal attire. A dark color will help maintain a clean appearance when hauling freight etc. Flightsuits are very comfortable. In summer you can roll up the sleeves and wear very little underneath.

A navy flightsuit from Reynolds Mfg. in Edmonton will run about $120.00.

I suspect that a lot of the topgun jokes are being made by the usual AvCanada crew of armchair warriors and private pilots. See how many threads of this type appear on PPrune.

[iflyforpie]

Carhart is cotton duck. Some of it is flame resistant for welders, etc. Best of luck not becoming a candle in straight up cotton.

Actually, next to Nomex and other flame-retardant material, cotton is the best thing to wear. Not very much for protection is offered, but at least it doesn't melt and stick to the flesh like polyester and many other synthetic fibres do.

I suspect that a lot of the topgun jokes are being made by the usual AvCanada crew of armchair warriors and private pilots. See how many threads of this type appear on PPrune.

You suspect wrong. I am employed as a commercial pilot. Lighten up, the OP took it far better than you did...

[Northern Flyer]

If you buy a nomex suit don't wash it

How else do you clean it?

I wash mine <daily> in soap and water.

Aramid fibre (NOMEX is a trademarked Dupont product) will protect you against flash burns. You must also be wearing a second layer underneath the zoom-suit to ensure this protection. 100% long-underwear and long sleeved shirt is best.

I was always under the impression that washing nomex suits deteriorated the fire retardant qualities. I stand corrected. After a search on google as long as you only use soap and water you are good.

[Beefitarian]

There used to be another popular brand of coveralls that were flame resistant because they were cotton with some sort of fire retardant, I can't remember the name. If you washed them they were not nearly as fire resistant. Usually they were red or blue and lots of people called them nomex.

Carhart is cotton duck. Some of it is flame resistant for welders, etc. Best of luck not becoming a candle in straight up cotton.

It's flame resistance is just due to density. If you fray it the part that's frayed burns real quick but it stops when the flame gets to the good cloth part. Also like nomex cotton does not melt into your skin, nomex is specifically designed to become a certain type of ash for that reason. You still might get burned but it's a much cleaner wound and will heal better. Many synthetic fibres will melt into your skin and make a much worse infection. A nomex flight suit over carharts would be pretty good. Nothing is fire proof that you can wear, a really good fire resistant suit made for industrial fire fighter/rescue guys will be pretty heavy.

Something interesting to me was one time when a group of us got to hang out with the fire fighters at YYC and look at their cool truck, someone asked what they wear for protection when they go into a plane to rescue people. He told us, "Oh we don't go into the plane. We spray it to keep the flames down. It's up to the crew to get passengers out." There was some wide eyed expressions when they heard that answer.

[Heliian]

Wool actually has better fire retardant qualities than cotton albeit it's a lot more itchy.

Like I stated earlier. Flight suits are not much more than vanity.

Nothing is going to save you from a full out inferno but if you can increase your chances of survival by just a fraction of a percentage then it seems like a good idea. I'd like to know why you oppose the use of a proven piece of PPE.

[Expat]

When I flew with CASARA, we used to wear them all the time. They were convenient, and neat! Fire retardant or not.

[Beefitarian]

When I flew with CASARA, we used to wear them all the time. They were convenient, and neat! Fire retardant or not.

That was the closest I got to buying one. Many of the other members had them. Someone mentioned going the bar. We went out for drinks after excercises and there were allways lots of flight suits.

This is kind of funny. We went to Costco to get something there was four of us the other three were all wearing flight suits and a couple of teenagers kept asking if they were astronauts.

[Expat]

And since I did not have a snowmobile suit, in the winter at -25, in my drafty C-172, I loved to wear my Mustang SAR orange floater suit.

[Nark]

Nothing is going to save you from a full out inferno but if you can increase your chances of survival by just a fraction of a percentage then it seems like a good idea. I'd like to know why you oppose the use of a proven piece of PPE.

The original questions was this:

I did a search on this but did not really find what I wanted so I put the question to everyone here.

I've gotten a deal on a new flight suit and since we currently dont use them, I wanted to know if there is a standard colour/style that is used in the industry. I would like to take advantage of the deal but prefer to get something that can be useful in the future. So I guess what I'm asking is, if your company has them is there a standard or does everyone just pick and choose what they like?

It spiraled into everyone's personal opinion and how cool they look at work, but not the bar. Their personality is enough, I guess.

To stay on topic and answer the question, I stated flight suits are not much more than vanity.
And for future use: most companies supply there own, as it has company logo and the crew's have continuity.

[Doc]

I have two. Size 44R. Reynolds. Both navy. One new, one worn a few times. Anybody want them? 50$ KEG gift certificate, and they're yours.

[mcrit]

You can wash a flight suit without damaging its fire resistance. HOWEVER, do not use any sort of fabric softener, (either in the washing machine or in the dryer). Fabric softeners/anti static cling sheets (Downey, Bounce etc) all contain paraffin which will seriously degrade the protection the suit gives you. Also, don't leave Nomex sitting in the sun for a long time. Don't ask me how I know this as I will not incriminate myself.
As was pointed out previously, if you want burn protection you need a second layer under the suit, (cotton works well). Nomex doesn't burn easily, but it is a poor insulator. This means that even though the suit does not burn, the heat will still pass right through it and into the wearer. The second layer helps to keep that heat out, while the Nomex prevents the inner layer from burning by blocking atmospheric oxygen. There have been a number of cases that illustrate this point. The one I recall seeing was where two pilots where caught in a refueling fire. Both had Nomex suits. One had a full second layer, the other did not. The fellow with the second layer came away without very much in the way of burns on the torso/legs (everywhere that had two layers). The other fellow was one massive second degree burn.
I find a flight suit useful. As Peter was saying, the clips and pen holders are great and really help organize stuff while flying.

[vstrom]

I used to have a nomex flightsuit, but someone (initials N.F. on this forum) wanted to test how fireproof it was. So he set it on fire.

While I was still wearing it.

[jump154]

Being involved in the Motor Racing world, I have some exposure to fire protection requirements. Read the FIA regulations sometime, might open a few eyes...

A single layer Nomex flight suit does offer some protection, but not a lot. Racign drivers wear 2 or 3 layer Nomex suits, plus Nomex underwear, boots, gloves, balaclava and helmet. This all adds up to about 10-30 seconds worth of protection - time enough for a marshal and/or a rescue truck to get to them, or get themselves out of the burning car.

The wearing of anything non-nomex is strictly forbidden - as mentioned above don't wear nylon underwear under a Nomex suit - it will melt and stick to you. Nomex does not burn, rather it chars. Same for pure cotton - commonly worn by corner workers. It will char not melt, not much protection but better than having a synthetic melt into your skin.

I'd give a +1 to using Nomex gloves - your hands are what can get you out, so make full use of them.

Washing - soap . Woolex is the favourite in the racing world. be careful if the suit gets covered in oil/fuel - thsi contamination can negate the positive effects of the suit.

For soem background information, see http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/24.pdf

[Northern Flyer]

I used to have a nomex flightsuit, but someone (initials N.F. on this forum) wanted to test how fireproof it was. So he set it on fire.

While I was still wearing it.

Ha ha, ya they didn't seem very fire resistant to me. You looked like a roman candle.

[ragbagflyer]

My guess is that the helmet was for walking, not flying.

That was pretty mean but got a legitimate laugh out loud when I read it.

Reminds me of my favorite line from "There's something about Mary"

[after telling Mary that he's an architect]
Pat Healy: Really, it's only a side thing for my true passion.
Mary: And what's that?
Pat Healy: I work with retards.
Mary: Isn't that a little politically incorrect?
Pat Healy: Yeah, maybe, but hell, no one's gonna tell me who I can and can't work with.

[niss]

Pat Healy: We got this one kid, Mongo... He's got a forehead like a drive-in movie theatre, but he's a good ship. So we don't bust his chops too much. So, one day Mongo gets out of his cage...
Mary: They keep him in a cage?
Pat Healy: Well, it's just an enclosure...
Mary: No, but they keep him confined?
Pat Healy: Right, yeah.
Mary: That's bullshit!
Pat Healy: Well, that's what I said! So, I went out and I got him, uh, I got him a leash.
Mary: A leash?
Pat Healy: Yeah, one of those ones you can hook on the clothesline, and he can run back and forth and, uh, there's plenty of room for him to dig and play. That kid is really, uh, he's really blossomed.

[human garbage]

I wear a flight suit when hauling cargo. Basic black nomex (company colour). Guardian Protective out of Calgary makes it. Great quality product.

The ones the company provides don't really cut it in comparison- poly cotton blend. I've been through an aircraft fire... I only wear nomex or natural fibres (if I have a choice) as a result and boots all year around as well. The suit may make me look like a poseur, but I know it won't stick like napalm if things end up getting toasty. Nomex is nice and cool in the summer as a bonus...