The Great Flight Jacket Thread (wearing/buying Leather, NOMEX, WEP jackets/patches)

[Daedalus]

OK 2 questions, I guess this is the best place for them.
1) I am curious/ confused about this NOMEX. The NOMEX I know of I thought was Dupont paper used for core material in light composite sandwich panels for aircraft. It would be stiff. No? Does it only become stiff when it is epoxied/baked?
2) Curious here as well: The mask. When do you wear it in the cockpit, is the cabin not pressurized? It would have to be, no? If so why wear it? Is it just for when in combat situations where there is a chance it could loose pressure?

 

[Gatordev]

Nomex that is refered to in this thread is the material that a lot of flight gear is made from (flight suit, jacket, parts of your survival equipment, etc). It's fire retardent. That is, the first two times you wear it. After a couple of washes, it's pretty much gone, and your left w/ the other material that's built into the thing you're wearing.

Opnav states that when in an ejection seat-equipped aircraft, the nose-hose will be on from startup to takeoff. Yes, the cabin is pressurized, but if you lose pressure, you have to eject at altitude, or any other such EP, then you already have it on. It also protects you during an ejection. Aircraft like the T-34, which aren't pressurized nor do they have an ejection seat, still have a mask. It's used for a fume type EP, or when you're above 10000 feet (again, another OPNAV rule). At 40000 feet, you have about 30 seconds of consciousness, not that a T-34 can get that high. It's ceiling is 25000 feet, which gives you a few minutes w/ out a mask on.

 

[NuSnake]

so when we see in these movies the pilots with their masks off thats not correct at all right??

 

[Ryoukai]

^ Hey man, Cougar was all stressed out...he HAD to take that mask off, it was limiting his...something.

 

[rare21]

nope BDCPUAH, all jet pilots need to stay on oxygen from take off to landing.

 

[HooverPilot]

S-3 Viking crews wear O2 only in emergency situations. We have the only exception to the oxygen mask rule.

 

[Ryoukai]

^ Why is it that the Vikings don't have to follow the same rules as the other guys?

 

[Flash]

The rule is that you have to wear your O2 mask from takeoff to landing but reality is a little different. Almost everyone I know does not wear their mask all the time. You do so at your own risk though, I know of an A-6 who got his nose torn off by his unhooked mask.

 

[Ryoukai]

^ Well...why don' you just rain all over my parade. I try to be funny and you have to roll up a newspaper and slap me...awesome.
Edit: On a more serious note, would you mind explaining that a bit?

 

[McNamara]

I know this was covered a bit in the "Flight Suits" thread, but oh well.

My roommate just had Christmas (gear issue) last week and the only sizes they had left in the G-1 was 50 and above. Apparently the gov't supplier is having contract difficulties with the Navy or something. The word right now is that we should hope to get our leather jackets sometime during primary. The problem is, it's getting cold and I don't have a jacket to wear with my uniforms. I'll get my gear in two weeks and I know there won't be a jacket that fits me in stock.

I don't want to waste my money on a stupid "Ike" jacket that I will only wear until I'm authorized a flight suit (in December) but I'm not sure if I should blow $300 bucks to get my own G-1. On the other hand, by the time they issue me a jacket it will probably be warm again in Corpus. If I decide to buy a leather jacket myself, where should I look? Any specific companies that make good jackets to the correct specs?

Scott

PS - If by "relax" you mean the "Ike" jacket (which is what I'd also heard them called), I don't *have* one. If you're talking about the green Nomex jacket, I can't wear it with khakis. The leather one seems to be the only one appropriate for khakis and flight suits, if memory serves. I don't intend to wear the leather jacket while actually flying, just whenever I need to stay warm on the base. Anyway lots of the instructors here (both API and TraWing 6) wear their leather jackets and I'm starting to get jealous.

 

[Dawgfan]

Most students don't dare touch their leather jackets until they can stick a pair of wings on them. Just a heads up before you go to your squadron check-in wearing it... that would be good bait for the salty students in the ready room waiting for BI-5.

 

[McNamara]

Thanks for the heads-up. The last thing I want to do is look like a wannabe. And yet, I still can't shake the feeling that I've been cheated out of something very basic to naval aviation...the Navy giveth and the Navy taketh away.

 

[webmaster]

Winter weight green nomex all the way, my leather jacket has only seen the light of day like twice. Then again I am stationed in Hawaii, so that might be part of it. I would personallly wait till you are issued one. Also, when it comes time to put patches on the leather jacket, careful who you give it to, 1) they are highly pilferable and 2) you don't want the brand new PR/AME in the paraloft testing his stitching skills on your leather jacket. Also, some of the best leather jackets out there, in my opnion, guys have spent the extra $$ on getting leather squadron patches and name tag. Looks sharp. But to each his own.

 

[bch]

No one is going to say anything to you if you are wearing the green nomex jacket in khakis. But I cannot tell you the last time I have worn the "penalty suit." I have been in primary going on 5 mos now and only worn khakis twice.

 

[Gatordev]

Also, some of us aren't as fortuneate to be in a community that can just piss money away on hotels and/or winter nomex jackets. Last winter when I was in Mayport, it was 38 degrees as a high, and all I had out in the aircraft doing a FCF was my summer nomex. But to each his own...