NEWS NAVAIR approves new flight suit (Pickle has a new suit!)

[ChuckMK23]

New flight suit hitting USN/USMC/USCG - I'm looking to see if this will replace the good old CWU-27/P flight suit we have know and love.

I'm guessing this will simply be approved for organizational purchase vs general issue.

http://soldiersystems.net/2018/01/1...aving-the-way-to-replace-outdated-legacy-gear

 

[nittany03]

New flight suit hitting USN/USMC/USCG - I'm looking to see if this will replace the good old CWU-27/P flight suit we have know and love.

I can’t see how a two piece flight suit would be convenient under a G-suit and torso harness. I know helo land loves to rock the two-piece flight suit, but I don’t see it working in TACAIR.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Haven't helo guys been wearing (or at least had it available) something like this for a while now?

From a TACAIR perspective, I don't really see it working. Does it have any utility in the helo world? Kinda strikes me as a solution looking for a problem?

 

[xj220]

I’m fine with my one-piece but for hot climates I kind of like it. I agree, for ejection seat it’ll probably be more trouble than it’s worth but for MPRA, it’s not a bad idea.

 

[ChuckMK23]

There was another two piece ensamble approved by NAVAIR a few years ago - I see a lot of enlisted helo crew wearing it - and saw some of the helo guys/gals sporting it at the last NHA Symposium - produced by DRIFIRE. Not a fan - I was able to obtain one (being the consummate gear head I am). Ill fitting and heavy and HOT.

 

[wink]

I know the Army has had two piece flight suits for a while now. So, what was their justification? Just how is the two piece operational and safety wise better? Acknowledging the fire threat when a two piece garment separates at the waist to expose human meat, this company comes up with an attachment system. A one piece flight suit doesn't begin with that problem. Nothing to fix. I'll take the traditional zoom bag, thank you. I've never been much for following trends. Never waited in line for an IPhone, never wore a ball cap backwards, didn't grow a SOF beard, have a man bun, didn't do the cinnamon challenge, ice bucket challenge, or even have a "baby on board sign" when I had babies.

 

[RadicalDude]

I've never been much for following trends. Never waited in line for an IPhone, never wore a ball cap backwards, didn't grow a SOF beard, have a man bun, didn't do the cinnamon challenge, ice bucket challenge, or even have a "baby on board sign" when I had babies.

...cool?

 

[picklesuit]

I’ll wear it. Twice on Sunday. I can take the top off when I get hot, I don’t need to get my sleeves wet on the ground to take a shit, I can hang both halves in a normal height closet without dragging the feet on the ground, and I don’t have to worry about tall guy/fat guy clothing issues.

Being 6’ 2” and weighing 168 pounds, I swim in any bag tall enough for me. Now I can actually fit something to my body.

 

[SynixMan]

Haven't helo guys been wearing (or at least had it available) something like this for a while now?

From a TACAIR perspective, I don't really see it working. Does it have any utility in the helo world? Kinda strikes me as a solution looking for a problem?

Two piece let’s you wear a “combat shirt” (moisture wicking fire retardant shirt) under the CMU-37/38 vest, greatly increasing comfort in hot climates. That vest with integrated body armor is nice, but hot, and our ECS is for cooling avionics, not cabin comfort. Not to mention we aren’t at 25k where it’s cooler anyway.

For T-6 and TACAIR this isn’t and won’t be a thing, mostly due to G suit and NAVAIR won’t approve two piece for ejection seats. Just like all the helo gear, it’s ~$800 a set and a place to dump 7F into. Previous were Drifire. Massif makes the Gucci jacket and I’m sure wanted in on the market.

 

[xj220]

That Massif jacket is the greatest piece of clothing I've owned for the Navy, I love it.

 

[Gatordev]

Two piece let’s you wear a “combat shirt” (moisture wicking fire retardant shirt) under the CMU-37/38 vest, greatly increasing comfort in hot climates.

This. The shirt also works with the CMU-33...

...unless the command that said they were ordering you the kit didn't.

 

[fc2spyguy]

I've been wearing the two piece for the past four years. By itself it's not much of an upgrade. However, when combined with a combat shirt and flying in the east county area I wouldn't want to fly with anything else. The temperature difference with a combat shirt and a one piece is vastly different. Much more comfortable when you're sweating your ass off in a desert.

 

[Jim123]

In all seriousness it's easier and more sanitary for pooping, whether that's in the head on the boat, in a portajohn, or in a field toilet... or for the 10-20% of naval aviators who don't stand up to pee.

Think of this the other way around- ejection seat aircraft are the only good (necessity) reason for the one piece.

 

[RobLyman]

I’ll wear it. Twice on Sunday. I can take the top off when I get hot, I don’t need to get my sleeves wet on the ground to take a shit, I can hang both halves in a normal height closet without dragging the feet on the ground, and I don’t have to worry about tall guy/fat guy clothing issues.

Being 6’ 2” and weighing 168 pounds, I swim in any bag tall enough for me. Now I can actually fit something to my body.

^^^^
This. I hated the two piece because...well...it was different. But now I like it a lot for the reasons stated above. Pickle nailed it. Now once they get the quality control up to standards with zippers/velcro, etc..that will remove the last reason the one piece WAS better.

Oh, and you can't beat the Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble (FREE) vest. The bane of SGMs throughout the Army. Like wearing a flight jacket near a SWO, wearing one of these babies can instantly put a command sergeant major in an OGE hover.

[Yes, it is an authorized flight garment]

 

[Jim123]

"Like" just for the SMAJ HOGE mental picture.