Why cant cadets wear the flight suit?

[Bayareaflyer 44]

CAWG requires their aircrews to wear the Nomex flightsuit for burn protection.  While it may seem silly to see a crew in flightsuits to you, as you may recall, the bulk of our ES flying is 1000 agl (with occasional pop-downs to 500 agl for a peek).  Much more dangerous than your average plane cruising at the MEA.
I'll stick with the Nomex...

[bflynn]

CHAPTER 2 – USAF-STYLE UNIFORMS (SENIOR MEMBERS AND CADETS)
2-1. General Information.
d. Flight Crew members wearing the Air Force flight suit may make only essential stops en route to and from the duty performance site. If a stop is essential, members must meet the proper standards of neatness, cleanliness, and military image.

For the green AF flight suit, CAP 39-1 says it, I suspect based on AF requirements.  It's posted higher in the thread.

For the blue CAP flight suit, there is no guidance that I know of.  However, custom would dictate that it's only worn for flying.  I would consider recruiting to be an acceptable extension of the custom, especially if you're going to talk up the flying aspect of CAP.

39-1 only says "aircrew only".....it does not say anything about "aircrew only while participating in aviation acitivities".

"It" is when wear is authorized.  It was posted on an earlier page in this thread.

The AF green flight suit is authorized only for flying and traveling to/from the activity.  A brief stop is permissible, but appearance standards apply.  So, it is not authorized for recruiting.

There is no corresponding regulation for the Blue flight suit.

[Abby.L]

I will only add to this that those authorized to wear the flight suit cannot wear it as a uniform to functions other than flying.  Wearing it to recruit woud only be allowed if manning a booth at a air show or something like that.  Nobody can wear it to squadron meetings for example unless they were just flying or about to fly.

Then you'd end up de-uniforming many of the senior squadrons in CAP.

I was a member of one of those flying clubs units.  When the members (mostly pilots) bothered to wear a uniform that was what was worn, flying or not.

+1

While I may only be a cadet, I do know just how much seniors love their flight suits. I have seen multiple senior members wear it at squadron meetings, no problem. I myself own one, but I can't really wear it. It is a good uniform for recruiting, and I feel as though it shouldn't be limited to flightcrew(Aircrew? Eh, whatever). 

[Flying Pig]

Also, there is the never-resolved issue of what is a "flight suit" and what is a "utility suit" since the cut and colour are identical.

Cadet: Believe me, one day you'll be sitting around with grey hair (if you have any left!) and wondering where the time went.  Don't push it.

Inside every middle-aged man, there is someone wondering where the time went!

I just had an conversation where I made a comment about an incident at work.  I told a guy "Last year or the year before.....yada yada"  Ended up the even I was referring to was more than 7 yrs ago.  Feels like it just happened.  I just hit 15 yrs in police work and I still remember graduating from the academy like it was last weekend.  The fun in life isnt getting to the goal.  Youll find once you get there that the work it took to get there was actually the fun part but you were to busy to realize it.

[41839j]

CHAPTER 2 – USAF-STYLE UNIFORMS (SENIOR MEMBERS AND CADETS)
2-1. General Information.
d. Flight Crew members wearing the Air Force flight suit may make only essential stops en route to and from the duty performance site. If a stop is essential, members must meet the proper standards of neatness, cleanliness, and military image.

For the green AF flight suit, CAP 39-1 says it, I suspect based on AF requirements.  It's posted higher in the thread.

For the blue CAP flight suit, there is no guidance that I know of.  However, custom would dictate that it's only worn for flying.  I would consider recruiting to be an acceptable extension of the custom, especially if you're going to talk up the flying aspect of CAP.

39-1 only says "aircrew only".....it does not say anything about "aircrew only while participating in aviation acitivities".

"It" is when wear is authorized.  It was posted on an earlier page in this thread.

The AF green flight suit is authorized only for flying and traveling to/from the activity.  A brief stop is permissible, but appearance standards apply.  So, it is not authorized for recruiting.

There is no corresponding regulation for the Blue flight suit.

This is my understanding of the issue.  However, an exception was made last year at the EAA Convention/Airventure in Oshkosh where we had a recruiting booth.  They did want at least one pilot on duty there to talk to the folks and they did want the pilots in the Nomex suit.  That was a decision made at the wing level, but for the green nomex they were very picky about appearance with weight restrictions as well as haircuts.  Nobody in this wing wears the nomex suits to any function outside of flying to the best of my knowledge.

[johnnyb47]

CHAPTER 2 – USAF-STYLE UNIFORMS (SENIOR MEMBERS AND CADETS)
2-1. General Information.
d. Flight Crew members wearing the Air Force flight suit may make only essential stops en route to and from the duty performance site. If a stop is essential, members must meet the proper standards of neatness, cleanliness, and military image.

For the green AF flight suit, CAP 39-1 says it, I suspect based on AF requirements.  It's posted higher in the thread.

For the blue CAP flight suit, there is no guidance that I know of.  However, custom would dictate that it's only worn for flying.  I would consider recruiting to be an acceptable extension of the custom, especially if you're going to talk up the flying aspect of CAP.

39-1 only says "aircrew only".....it does not say anything about "aircrew only while participating in aviation acitivities".

"It" is when wear is authorized.  It was posted on an earlier page in this thread.

The AF green flight suit is authorized only for flying and traveling to/from the activity.  A brief stop is permissible, but appearance standards apply.  So, it is not authorized for recruiting.

There is no corresponding regulation for the Blue flight suit.

KB article on the subject.
http://capnhq.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1551/kw/flight%20suit
and here:
http://capnhq.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/990

Both clarify that the "duty performance site" does not necessarily imply "place at which you will operate/maintain an aircraft as part of a flight crew."
If you are a flight crew member and your commander OK's the uniform it can be worn to CAP activities.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

I still wish there would be a clarification as to why the flight cap can be worn with one set of blue coveralls but not another, when they are identical in everything but fabric.

I wear those quite frequently and wish I had a decent hat to wear with it.

[Sleepwalker]

As a Squadron Commander I encouraged the Cadets who had soloed (and earned the honor of wearing the flight suit) to wear them every time we were wearing BDUs at a regular meeting (of course, everyone wore the 'blues' together, and they wore BDUs with the rest of us when we were out serving the community). Wearing the flight suit was to serve as encouragement and inspiration to the younger Cadets, and it works very well.  The caveat I would tell the 'flight suit' Cadet was that the first time I saw them acting arrogant or otherwise innapropriately, that would be the last time they were allowed to wear the suit around the Squadron. This also worked very well, and I have never had any problems with Cadets' flight suit wear.   
       
P.S.>I had the same rules for the Blue Beret, and it worked equally as well.   

[Private Investigator]

Then you'd end up de-uniforming many of the senior squadrons in CAP.

I was a member of one of those flying clubs units.  When the members (mostly pilots) bothered to wear a uniform that was what was worn, flying or not.

Roger that. I am sure we could share some crazy stories about Senior Squadrons.   

[AngelWings]

I think getting the flightsuit solves the issue of getting ABU's, having really piss-poor uniforms, keeps us looking like the USAF while not looking like a special forces/boy scout program, and the replacement flight suit isn't expected to be created and authorized for wear until a few years from now.

[SarDragon]

I think getting the flightsuit solves the issue of getting ABU's, having really piss-poor uniforms, keeps us looking like the USAF while not looking like a special forces/boy scout program, and the replacement flight suit isn't expected to be created and authorized for wear until a few years from now.

YGBSM!

Nomex flight suits are expensive! They run more than twice the cost of a set of BDUs or ABUs. They are not as comfortable, the pockets are in the wrong places for wear in a non-sitting environment, and they are not all that sturdy in a utility environment.

The cotton/poly-cotton coveralls have some of the same limitations (comfort and pockets), and the one piece "feature" makes other aspects of wear inconvenient, too.

Just say no!

[AngelWings]

I think getting the flightsuit solves the issue of getting ABU's, having really piss-poor uniforms, keeps us looking like the USAF while not looking like a special forces/boy scout program, and the replacement flight suit isn't expected to be created and authorized for wear until a few years from now.

YGBSM!

Nomex flight suits are expensive! They run more than twice the cost of a set of BDUs or ABUs. They are not as comfortable, the pockets are in the wrong places for wear in a non-sitting environment, and they are not all that sturdy in a utility environment.

The cotton/poly-cotton coveralls have some of the same limitations (comfort and pockets), and the one piece "feature" makes other aspects of wear inconvenient, too.

Just say no!

They are expensive, the pockets are not all that great on the lower section, and they may not be as sturdy, and using the head is a huge hassle, I'll give you that. They may also be impractical for young kids growing up, too. As a matter of fact, scratch the idea. The BDU's are practical for most things, I just hate full color patches on a camouflage uniform.

[flyboy53]

sorry guys didnt mean to offend anyone its just sometimes i feel pro southern sorry ill try to let my personal opinions not get the better of me and by the way GO USA!

How about taking the idea to your commander and asking him. Justify why it would be important and you may be surprised...

Certainly flight suits are for flying activities, but your squadron could have a ground-based activity that could justify wearing flight suites as a special reward or incentive....say flight simulator training or some other aviation related thing that has the endorsement of your leadership.

I'm an AEO and I use the flight simulator a lot to reach cadets. I've also encouraged cadets to wear flight suits, with the commander's approval. When they wear flight suits during that training, it gives them a different sense of reality even though they never leave the ground.