How Best To Avoid Sunburnt Marshallers

[TheSkyHornet]

I stand corrected with it being SOPs.

It is, however, discussed in the Aircraft Ground Handling training course as a practice that should not be conducted.

[NC Hokie]

+1
That it is SOP on USAF bases does not mean it makes sense.   Lots of busy airports allow them.  So it is not really a safety issue.

+1 more

NCWG recently participated in an air show at Seymour Johnson AFB.  As usual, USAF and CAP personnel had to remain uncovered.  We suffered while 100,000 + civilians enjoying the show wore all manner of headgear.  It is what it is.

[ProdigalJim]

It is what it is, but I don't want it to be what it is forever! 

I have run across local supplements on Air Force bases in which headgear is permitted so long as it's connected to the uniform via a lanyard...so the hat can only go so far and not leave your person.

Sunscreen doesn't always work and I got really, really ill, so I'm going at this as a genuine safety issue.

Think I'll put together a formal suggestion for the chain about boonie hats with a lanyard when conditions warrant.

[LSThiker]

Think I'll put together a formal suggestion for the chain about boonie hats with a lanyard when conditions warrant.

Over the numerous years, I have spoke with plenty of wing and region commanders about this issue.  A number of them have stated that it was raised to the USAF level for the BDUs on a number of occasions.  However, it keeps getting rejected by the USAF.  This is the reason why the Corporate uniform allows the boonies, while the USAF-style BDU does not allow it.  Nevertheless, good luck.

[jdh]

I have seen what a piece of headgear can do to an engine when it gets sucked in and I've seen what can happen when someone goes chasing something across a flightline and loses an arm to a rotor. I will NEVER allow headgear on any flightline that I am running.

[SarDragon]

There's a HUGE difference between the pros who do this every day, and the occasional CAP member who, if incredibly lucky, gets to do it once a month. I learned marshalling in CAP, and continued in the Navy. At one point, it was a daily task. In all that time, I never wore unsecured headgear on a flight line. A boonie doesn't fit that category, IMHO.

[lordmonar]

I have seen what a piece of headgear can do to an engine when it gets sucked in and I've seen what can happen when someone goes chasing something across a flightline and loses an arm to a rotor. I will NEVER allow headgear on any flightline that I am running.

I've seen what a person's body can do to an engine.......so does that mean we never allow people on any flight line?

[JeffDG]

I have seen what a piece of headgear can do to an engine when it gets sucked in and I've seen what can happen when someone goes chasing something across a flightline and loses an arm to a rotor. I will NEVER allow headgear on any flightline that I am running.

I've seen what a person's body can do to an engine.......so does that mean we never allow people on any flight line?

Well, that's certainly one way to avoid sun-burnt marshallers.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Lord-

No, because a person will not seek an engine on purpose. On the other hand, a hat... will look for engines on purpose.






[Disclaimer, I am taking this as sarcasm, I know you know better!]

[LSThiker]

Again, all of this is command discretion.  You can easily argue for and against the wear of hats on the flightline.  The fact that a hat remains a potential FOD is a valid argument as well as how a hat prevents sunburn (which any amount of sunburn is considered unsafe even if it is just once a month).

There are USAF commanders that prohibit and there are USAF commanders that allow it.  For example:

2.2. The wearing of hats on the flightline is authorized due to the severe weather at this location. Hats with chin straps will have the chin strap stowed or removed unless the chin strap is a functional part of Personnel Protective Equipment (i.e. hard hats). Hats will not be worn in the immediate vicinity of aircraft while engines are operating. Immediate area is defined as 25 feet from any aircraft intake.

2.9. The flight line is a no hat area for military personnel. However, "Civilian employees are authorized to wear hats on the flight line when exposure to the sun presents a health concern."(DAFBI 13-202 Dated 6 Jan 2007 Par. 5.9.2.1)

The same goes for CAP commanders.  Numerous wings have the general impression is flat out prohibited.  However, there is no reg that strictly states that CAP will not wear hats on the flightline and NBB is a prime example of it.  For all of the years that CAP has done NBB, I do not think there has ever been an incident of a CAP hat being sucked into a propeller.

However, we must also assess  what kind of aircraft are we really taxiing?  Most of the time, we marshal aircraft because of non-standard practices at a fly-in type of event.  Those aircraft are usually getting parked in the grass at an airport and are generally small GA aircraft.    Yes, of course this is not always the case and I am sure people will get up and say well back at XYZ airshow I marshaled a C-5 Galaxy.

In addition, I have seen plenty of CAP events were the members are providing crowd/line control.  They are not actually marshaling any aircraft or are generally too far from any active aircraft.  The crowd around us all have hats.  Yet commanders go with the "well it is a flightline of an airport therefore we must remove the cover".  That type of response is unnecessary. 

The bottom line is, common sense and situational awareness needs to be applied.  A single hard and fast rule of no hats on a flightline is ridiculous.   

[ProdigalJim]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

Exactly, + 1.

A hard-and-fast rule is silly and unsupported by the regs. Just to be clear, I'm not advocating an "unsecured" piece of headgear. There are lanyards that cost about $4.00 that are designed exactly for the purpose of keeping your headgear attached to your person. And there are Air Force bases that have created local instructions permitting headgear on the flight line, when secured with a lanyard, if there's a safety-related need for that headgear.

Remember, not all marshalers are cadets...sometimes they're bald guys...