CFI Uniforms

[Ralgha]

To wear clothes first requires that you can afford clothes.

J/k, I wear khakis and a polo type shirt usually.

 

[JAFI]

The flight school I worked for shut down. I walked over to a larger flight school and asked about a job. The owner looked down at me and said he did not have enough students to hire me. I told him I had 18 students I would bring with me. The owner became intrested and said I would have to wear dress slacks and a tie. We were paid by the flight hour only ($8 per hour). I said, "are you going to provide the money for dress slacks, shirt, and ties? He said no. I told him no thanks, I would find a plane and go into business for my self. All of a sudden I could wear what ever I wanted if I went to work for him. I was the only CFI on the field who worked full time and would wear what ever I wanted, Shorts and t-shirt in the summer, jeans in the winter. I had lots of students and no one complained (except the CFI's who had to pay for their dress slacks, shirts, and ties.)

You can wear a Generals uniform and that doesnt make you a great military leader.

You can be a great military leader and an army will follow you to hell and back, regardless of your uniform.

 

[cubegirl7]

clothes do not make the instructor however good clean hygiene and clothes are important...my 2 cents

 

[Fly BI]

no uniform

We're business "casual" unless you are a helicopter CFI, then you just wear whatever's in the hamper.

 

[flyifrvfr]

I will be a CFI in about three weeks and I will dress casual. My female students will however have to wear the bathing suits from Baywatch, or if they choose, a cheerleader's outfit!!!!

 

[Learjetplt]

I agree with 100LL...again when you make it past flight instructor to corporate/airline flying then you wear the uniform. It just like kids playing dress up!!!!
Flight instructor attire should be smart casual. I see the Riddle Rats in Daytona Beach and laugh (sadly) when they go out the the local bar in the uniform. Now thats a professional pilot in training. Alas they know not what they do!!!

 

[b757driver]

By the way guys...it's epaulettes , not epilet or epolet!!! Hope your instructing is better than your spelling.

As for uniforms, it really depends primarily on the climate. Also, on your type of clientele. Way back when (in the 80s), my best ever instructing job was in London where we were easily distinguishable from our students and looked very professional. Smart grey pants, white shirts, school tie & blazer. Oh and we had name badges also. No hats, no epaulettes, no wings. Worked well for us and the look did project a professional image which is why a large percentage of our clients were professionals, some with their own aircraft wanting us to teach 'em how to fly it. Also, we were on salary and got bonuses. Ah, those were the days...!!

 

[nipopolis]

The people I see instructing in uniforms do look professional but they also look like they are playing airline pilot. I can't live on my CFI salary as it is. Add uniforms to that and I might as well pay them to instruct.

Nipopolis

 

[Goose Egg]

Wow, old thread. Yeah, I think that the guys instructing in airline uniforms look kind of goofy.

-Goose

 

[Clutch_Cargo]

Yeah, don't ever think that just wearing a uniform makes you professional. The quality of the instruction you give will be the main determinant in that. Still, you should look nice, that is a part of the equation. The place I taught at many moons ago required a pilot shirt, slacks, and tie. I think where the climate dictated, khakis and a polo would be okay too. Boards and hats... WTF, you look like a wannabe. Shorts and jeans are also a no-go.

cc

 

[DrewBlows]

Wow, this is a trip down memory lane. I didn't read the entire thread but I remember when it was originally posted. At that time WMU instructors were wearing the captain uniform. Eventually they switched to a polo shirt and black slacks. Much better look, and the instuctors didn't feel like tools walking though an FBO. There was a small (very small) minority who wanted to stick with the airline uniform.

Are there any former (or current for that matter) WMU instructors who are active on this board?

I am because I never fly. I miss it.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Yea I remember the old uniform wars. If I remember correctly it was one vocal IPTC instructor that wanted to be a lifer there but also wanted to be able to look like an airplane captain. Thankfully when we finally got some airline people running the college they knew how mucs b.s. that was and it was quickly changed. The one nice thing having those uni's, I didn't have to buy anything when I went to the charter company I'm at now. But I am going to have to get a new wardrobe when I start at Mesaba. I don't think these old threads are going to hold up much longer.

 

[flap operator]

WMUSIGPI - Mesaba will pay for half your spiffy blue poly uniform. So - it won't hurt so bad... $20 a paycheck, you'll hardly notice.

Welcome new XJer!


FO

 

[WMUSIGPI]

That's good to know. Say do you guys wear the leather coats or the traditional overcoats. I have an expensive Perrone leather one I had to buy for my charter company and have hardly used it since most of the time I was flying corporate trips and wasn't allowed to wear the charter coat on those trips.


If not, then does anyone want to buy a hardly used coat size 42 regular?

 

[ackattacker]

Personally I think all CFI's should be required to wear nomex flight suits, military style full-face helmet, and oxygen masks. The "g-suit" will be used only if practicing aerobatic maneuvers such as power-on stalls. That'll make the students feel like they're really gettting their moneys worth...

Student pilots will wear a similar outfit but with "student pilot" printed prominently across the helmet. The instructor's helmets will have callsigns such as "Maverick", "Goose", or "Iceman"

This makes about as much sense as CFI's wearing airline pilot uniforms, and is more practical... after all, the military outfits actually offer some crash protection.

 

[flap operator]

WMU - no thankfully we don't wear the leather jacket. You'll get a London Fog trenchcoat with your uniform. Word to the wise... pack another jacket in the winter if you can on overnights... otherwise you look like you're apart of the trenchcoat mafia. It's also a sure tip off to the public that you're an airline crew. How many people go to eat in a group of 3 or 4 wearing the same overcoat?



FO

 

[WMUSIGPI]

I still have my trusty WMU issued winter coat that works quite well and is fairly easy to pack. It stuffs nicely behind my seat in the Lear anyway.
Do you guys go out a lot on overnights? The PSA crews I used to hang out with when I worked ground crew seemed to prefer staying at the hotel bar....at least the pilots did. Only once did a flight attendant sit with us. Is that normal?

 

[flap operator]

WMU - it all depends. More often than not, if there is time, the entire crew, or part of the crew will hang out. Very few times have I been apart of a crew where everyone slam clicks due to anti social issues. There is however the times that you fly with people you can't stand and will prefer to fly solo. I get along with anybody, so that is a rare occurence for me. But there are a few choice folks I'd rather not be with. You'll find that the people at Mesaba are great and you'll want to hang out with them. I've met many great people and have some really good friends at work. We don't usually ditch our FAs. You'll find you'd sometimes rather spend time with them, than your captain. =)

There is an unwritten rule... when out on an overnight... YOU NEVER WORK FOR MESABA. Especially if alcohol is involved. We just generally don't mention if asked, who we work for and tell random people what we do. It's almost fun to come up with fake identities and careers when other people in the bar or your severs want to know what you're doing in town.

You can talk to for hours about crazy stuff that has happened on overnights. I guarentee you'll be entertained by all the drama and scandal filled stories when you get to training.

When is your class?


Have fun,

FO

 

[Fly_Chick]

I wear blouse or polo shirt, shorts with a belt, and sneakers or black shoes (if it manages to fall below 60 degrees I may break down and wear pants). This is comfortable and also professional down here in Florida.

I used to wear a uniform (as a student elsewhere and briefly as an instructor). I would much rather have a nice shirt with a nametag than a white shirt with oil/grease marks that are almost impossible to remove no matter how many ways it is washed.

As a student at another flight school, I had to wear the full uniform (pants, shirts, ties, epaulettes). I do not have the FAA reference in front of me, yet one of the flight instructor books states that a student must have physical comfort before they can learn. In my mind, that incldues clothing as well. In the hot Florida sun that uniform can be brutal in a C152 in the pattern in the middle of August - for both student and instructor.

For those instructors who wear "jet jammies" I would like to pass on some advise that someone once gave me. A dear friend told me (when I wore the "uniform") to always keep a polo shirt/blouse in my office in case that person in the multi appeared at the airport looking for someone to fly with. Well, this advise has come in handy multiple times, and I was glad to have the reserve clothing handy. Even if you keep the extra shirt in your car, be ready for anything.

 

[I.P. Freley]

My CFI uniform was a pilot shirt sans stripes w/tie for the winter and a company-supplied polo shirt with company logo in the summer. Either way you wore navy blue pants and black shoes, no hat.

I particularly enjoyed it when some of the instructors would add their own generic "wings" to the pilot shirt...