Airline pilot uniforms

Airline pilot uniforms were introduced in the early 1930s by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) at the beginning of the airline's Clipper era. At present, mainstream airline uniforms are somewhat standardized by the industry and widely used by airlines from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, from small regional operators to large international companies.

History

Pan Am Sikorsky S-42 Flying Boat

Before the 1930s, pilots wore clothing derived from military tradition established during World War I. At this time, military issued pilots very practical and comfortable flight crew clothing, which consisted of leather bomber jackets with oversized front pockets to allow easy access to charts, scarves to keep their necks protected from cockpit drafts, khaki trousers, either black shoes or boots, and soft leather helmets with pockets for intercom or radio headsets. Such attire was quickly adopted or, more frequently, transferred to the civil aviation sector by ex-military pilots who, during peace time, worked in air mail and cargo transport, flying light open cockpit aircraft.

Things began to change in 1931, when Pan Am inaugurated its South American routes using Sikorsky S-38 and S-40 flying boats carrying the names American Clipper, Southern Clipper, and Caribbean Clipper. They were the first of the series of 28 Clipper-named flying boats that came to symbolize Pan Am between 1931 and 1946. In 1937, Pan Am began seaplane services to Ireland, Britain and France from the United States. Six large, long-range Boeing 314 flying boats were delivered to Pan Am in early 1939. These enabled the commencement of a regular weekly transatlantic passenger and air mail service between the United States and Britain on June 24, 1939. Because Pan Am operated flying boats, the company decided to step away from the WWI military pilot look and dress its line pilots in an outfit closely resembling naval officer uniforms; the flight crews were just as much sea skippers as air pilots, and seeing a formally attired seafaring professional in the pilot seat allowed nervous passengers to feel more confident about the trip.[1] Therefore, pilots were issued black trousers, black double-breasted blazers, with sleeve braid loops on the lower sleeves denoting crew member rank, and white officer-style combination caps with either gold or silver insignia depicting either airline name or logo. Pan Am's success in the 1930s, and expansion in the 1950s, led to the establishment of one of the largest and most well-known world-class airlines. Many other operators, wishing to emulate Pan Am's success, adopted the slick look of the Pan Am pilot for their own crews.[2]

Uniform elements

Pilot uniforms consist of black shoes, black or blue trousers, white or off-white pilot shirt (like a normal long or short-sleeved shirt, but with two flapped breast pockets and epaulettes), black or blue epaulettes with either white, silver or gold stripes, matching color wings, and other blue or black blazer and a matching color hat (styled akin to forage cap). Winter uniforms add either a leather bomber jacket or a London Fog style duster.

Trousers

Pilot uniform trousers are normally dress pants or Formal trousers made of combination wool and cotton or nylon fabric. The trousers always match the blazer and can be other leaded or flat.

Pilot Shirt

Pilot shirt is styled akin to OG-107 military uniform, with flapped double breast pockets, and epaulette loops. Shirts are normally made or thick and durable material, such as combination of cotton and nylon. Shirt normally feature loops for wings on the left side, right above the pocket flap.

Pilot Blazer

Pilot blazer is styled akin to a regular two- or three-button business suite, but with stitched loops for wings above break pocket, normally on the left side of the blazer, and rank stripes on the blazer sleeves. Buttons are normally styled akin to traditional Navy Blazers, with either brass or silver finishing.

Pilot Hat

Pilots are normally issued hats by their airlines. Most airlines require pilots to wear hats with their winter uniforms, but some have relaxed uniforms policies, leaving this to pilot's discretion. Pilot hats are styled akin to forage caps. Hats normally feature company logo, either gold or silver retention strip (always worn above the cap). Captains are issued hats with caps adorned with either silver or gold laurel leaf.

Flight Jacket

Depending on the airline, pilots are authorized to wear either leather or synthetic flight jacket, usually styled akin to MA-1 bomber jacket. Some airlines consider this type of attire too militaristic or too casual, allowing pilots to wear dress style black or navy overcoat only.

Sweater

Some airlines authorize pilots to wear v-neck pullover sweater, styled akin to Navy pullover uniform sweater. Depending on the airline policy, weather pay or may not feature wings and epaulettes. Some airlines authorize sweater wear only under a blazer or a winter jacket.

Shoes

Airline pilots are required to wear regular black dress shoes

Uniform insignia

An example of how closely airline pilot uniforms resemble Navy uniforms:

The Service Dress Blue uniform of US Navy officers

Following the development of advanced and integrated cockpit systems since the late 1980s, airline pilots are mainly operating their respective aircraft on a dual-pilot basis. Most crews consist of only a pilot in command (also known as captain) and a co-pilot (also known as a first officer). Systems integration and subsequent reduction in work-load, eliminated the need for additional crew members (also known as "ACM"), such as flight engineer, navigator, or radio operator. However, since some older airliners are now used for cargo transportation, such extended crews still exist.

Cruise pilots, also known as "second officers", who are normally first officers in training and are allowed to pilot aircraft outside of "critical flight phases" when the airplane is cruising above 10,000 feet, may be present on longer flights as relief pilots. [3] Each crew member's uniform is decorated with insignia which, akin to naval uniforms, represents his or her duties on board the aircraft. The airline captain's insignia corresponds to the naval captain's insignia, such as four stripes on the shoulder epaulets and four stripes on the blazer arms. First officer's insignia corresponds to the naval commander uniform, bearing three stripes on shoulder epaulets and blazer arms. (On some airlines, e.g. Ryanair, less experienced first officers will wear two stripes.) ACM insignia is similar to naval lieutenant's uniforms, with two stripes.[4]

Pilots also typically wear a winged badge indicating their qualification to fly and their seniority. The color typically matches the sleeve stripe color, and the badge may be a metal pin or an embroidered patch. They generally follow the pattern of having the corporate logo in the center. For US-based carriers, a captain generally has a star enclosed in a laurel wreath on top, similar to a command pilot in the United States Air Force (USAF). A first officer has only a star, similar to a senior pilot in the USAF.

Uniform item	Captain	First officer	Second officer/Flight engineer Additional crew member	Third officer/ Trainee
Blazer/epaulets	4 stripes	3 stripes	2 stripes	1 stripe
Qualification badge	Wings with a star enclosed in a laurel wreath	Wings with a star	Wings	Wings

References

1. https://www.panam.org/skygods
2. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skygods-robert-gandt/1003117677
3. https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/15729/what-is-a-second-officer
4. https://www.airlinepilot.life/t/uniform-standards/4918

• Gandt, Robert E. (March 29, 2012). Skygods The Fall of PanAm. Black Star Productions. ISBN 0615611834.
• Bilstein, Roger E. (July 1, 2001). Flight in America. Black Star Productions. ISBN 0-8018-6685-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Conrad, Barnaby (1999). Pan Am: An Aviation Legend. Emeryville, CA: Woodford Press. ISBN 0-942627-55-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)