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Flight suit
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A flight suit is a full body garment, worn while flying a powered aircraft such as military airplanes and helicopters. These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical, and durable (including fire retardant). Its appearance is usually similar to a jumpsuit.
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Encyclopedia
A flight suit is a full body garment, worn while flying a powered aircraft such as military airplanes and helicopters. These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical, and durable (including fire retardant). Its appearance is usually similar to a jumpsuit. A military flight suit may also show rank insignia. It is sometimes used as a combat uniform in CQB or VBSS situations, for its practicality.
History
As aviation developed in unheated open cockpits, the need for warm clothing quickly became apparent, as did the need for multiple pockets with closures of either buttons, snaps, or zippers to prevent loss of articles during maneuvers. Various types of flight jackets and pants coverings were developed and, during World War I, leather two-piece outfits were common among pilots to ward off the chill caused by propwash and the cold of low-oxygen high altitude flying. Leather quickly became the preferred material due to its durability and the protection it offered against flying debris such as insect strikes during climb-outs and landings, and oil thrown off by the simple rotary and inline motors of the time.
By the time World War II started in earnest, electrically-heated suits were introduced for patrol and bomber crews who routinely operated at high altitudes above 30,000 feet, where air temperatures could get so cold that flesh could freeze instantly to any metal in which it came in contact. As pressurized cabins came into operation, the necessity of wearing bulky leather and shearling jackets and pants began to fade. For example, pilots, navigators, and bombardiers of a B-17 operating in Europe in 1944 would wear their officer's uniforms under an A-2 flight jacket comfortably due to the enclosed and heated cabin, but the waist gunners would have to wear electrically-heated suits as they fired their guns through open window gunports. When the Superfortress was introduced in the fight against Japan, along with remote-controlled coordinated gun turrets, the fully-pressurized crew cabin made the necessity of bulky flight gear obsolete.
Where bomber pilots could get away with wearing their dress uniforms as flight gear, fighter pilots needed a uniform that functioned in the tight confines of the typical fighter plane cockpit. The AN-S-31 flight suit was developed for the US Army Air Corps and featured two button-down breast pockets and two button-down shin pockets that could be accessed from the sitting position. The US Navy used a slightly different model that featured slanted pockets with zippers. The material used was either wool or tight-weave cotton for wind resistance and fire protection.
The need for short-duration fire protection was demonstrated early during that war. As technology advanced, the fire-protective flight suit, helmets, goggles, masks, gloves and footwear were designed and used. The footwear often could be cut to appear like civilian shoes in the country where the crew member would land if shot down.
Flak jackets were also developed to give bomber crews some protection from flying shrapnel, though these increased the overall weight of the airplane and reduced the effective bombload that could be carried.
With the era of jet flight and improved focus on safety, however, fully fire-retardant materials were required. It was also simpler to make a one-piece suit when it would potentially have to fit over existing clothing or various types of under-garments.
Also, with the coming of jet flight came the development of the G-suit, a special kind of flight suit (worn alone or in combination with a traditional flight suit) that protected the wearer from the physical stress of acceleration by compressing the body to keep blood from pooling in the legs. As the pilot executed high-G combat maneuvers, his blood would literally be pulled from his head and shift downwards into his lower body, starving the brain of oxygen and causing a blackout. The G-suit was designed to allow some retention of blood in the pilot's head, allowing him to execute high-G turns for sustained periods of time.
In the 1950s and 1960s even more specialized suits needed to be developed for high-altitude survelliance (such as with the U-2 and SR-71 aircraft) and space flight. These would include full pressurization, and would be the precursor to today's space suits.
Current Standards
The current flightsuit that is standard for most air forces and navies is made of Nomex, a fabric made from spun aramid that is lightweight and fire resistant. The flame retardant capabilities of this material make it ideal for protecting aviators in case of a fire. The suit is often green in color, with multiple pockets for specific pieces of gear (such as a clear plastic pocket on the thigh intended to house a map of the aircraft's planned flight path) but color, style, and cut vary greatly from country to country. The current model flight suit for the US military is the CWU 27/P and is available in sage green and desert tan. Commercial flight suits for civilian flying are also available, and are frequently used by helicopter crew (including non-pilots such as flight engineers and nurses), aerobatic pilots, and others who desire a practical "uniform".
Space flight
NASA astronauts have worn one-piece flight suits when in training or on flights in their NASA T-38s. The current flight suit worn by astronauts is Royal blue, made of Nomex. The now common "shirt-sleeve" environment of the orbiting Space Shuttle and ISS has resulted in much more casual attire during spaceflight such as Shorts and polo shirts.
In the pre-Challenger era, shuttle crews wore light blue flight suits and an altitude helmet during launch/reentry. Apollo Crews wore white 2-piece beta cloth uniforms during non-essential activities and the full A7L pressure suit during Launch, TLI, Lunar Ascent/Decent, and EVAs. Mercury and Gemini crews wore their pressure suits for the duration of the mission with the exception of Gemini 7.
Colors
Pilots and flight crews use several colors of flight suit. NASA crews, for example, wear blue flight suits as a sort of functional dress uniform during training. The orange suits that they wear during launch and reentry/landing are designed for high visibility should there be an emergency recovery. White suits are worn during space walks to control temperature.
See also
External links
- shown in leather, two-piece flight suit.
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