Flight Suits

[Diesel]

Trust me a navajo's heater will work past -45 degrees. We had a stretch of -40 for 15 days back home and the thing kept running. We did find out that you couldn't swing it past the 50 percent mark or the heater would overheat poping the circuit breaker. Which as I'm sure you know is in the nose and not accessable in flight.

It's not going to be a problem don't worry.

edit: sorry didn't read your post that you had allready tried it. You might want to get the thing checked out. We had the same problem and found a duct had collapsed and the heater was heating the nosecompartment more than anything else. Bunch of leaks and stuff.

 

[A Squared]

Trust me a navajo's heater will work past -45 degrees.

Yeah, no doubt. it's not going to be the cold which makes them unreliable it's the altitude. The higher you go, the more problems show up. A small problem which wouldn't effect the heater at low level might cause a flame out at altitude. ONce out it can be tough to get a heater re-lit at altitude. I've had heaters crap out fairly often at those altitudes.

 

[voteno]

Anyone here know of a good warm flight suit? I'll be operating a Navajo for about 300 hours this summer at 25,000 feet. Our flight tests so far show that the stock forward heater doesn't work so well at -20 temps. Heated suits only last an hour or two on battery, so that’s not an option. Any ideas?



Mike

How much does such a lovely job cost? I hope you are being paid for this!

 

[Sticky]

Actually, I love my job. I'd rather do this for the next ten years then fly for any regional, charter, or whatever else. It can be tough though, flying for 8 hours then processing data and editing film for another 4 hours. Working 60 hours a week does drain you, but that’s only during peak seasons (spring and fall). Here are some quick facts:

$50k salary (after 2 years experience)
Benefits
401K matching 8%
1 Month off a year.
Home every night (except for 2 months traveling during summer).

 

[air_chompers]

Can any of the airline guys point me in the right direction for getting Jet Pilot Uniforms? I fly for CAL and I want to tease my UAL and AA buddies. But any uniforms will do.
Thanks,

 

[air_chompers]

Can any of the airline guys point me in the right direction for getting Jet Pilot Uniforms? I fly for CAL and I want to tease my UAL and AA buddies. But any uniforms will do.
Thanks,

 

[EagleRJ]

Can any of the airline guys point me in the right direction for getting Jet Pilot Uniforms? I fly for CAL and I want to tease my UAL and AA buddies. But any uniforms will do.
Thanks,

LOL!

Hey, I hear a lot of your buddies are buying the farm on the Syrian border right now. My condolences!

 

[USMCAirWinger]

Can any of the airline guys point me in the right direction for getting Jet Pilot Uniforms? I fly for CAL and I want to tease my UAL and AA buddies. But any uniforms will do.
Thanks,

My POSER-meter is pegged!

 

[JRSLim]

$50k salary (after 2 years experience)
Benefits
401K matching 8%
1 Month off a year.
Home every night (except for 2 months traveling during summer).

Oh reeeeaaaally?

Two questions: Mins and Location?
Sounds like something I'd like to check out in the future,

Many thanks!

 

[Sticky]

Well...Believe it or not, we usually hire 1-2 camera operators a year and maybe 1 pilot. Most new crew members start as an operator first, unless you have previous survey experience and 1000TT with 200 Multi. We just hired 2 operators with 500TT, and they're getting about 30 multi hours a month. Most pilots are happy to let operators fly between jobs. First year camera guys are hourly paid and average $33K a year. Second year, they become a pilot at $40K first year pilot salary. I can PM more details if you want.

btw..they can spot a person just trying to build multi time, and leave for the airlines a mile away. They've been burned in the past. Although there is no contract, they expect new hires to stay for at least 1 year.

 

[avbug]

Go to any military surplus store and buy a winter nomex flight suit. Contrary to what others have said, they certainly are warm, and quite comfortable, and yes, they are fire resistant. Ultimately they will melt, and yes, they will burn, but won't contiue to burn after the heat source is removed excepting excessive temps...in which case you're already past help.

I believe the designation is CWU-64 (cold weather uniform). These are much thicker than the typical flight suit that others here might be considering.

Also, contrary to popular opinion, while the thin nomex suits won't hold up to continuous flame, they do provide a measure of protection against a flash fire, and wearing them is worth the discomfort. My helmet is uncomfortable, too...I'm bathed in sweat after a hot day of flying under it, but it's a required, important piece of equipment, and I wouldn't fly without the nomex or the helmet where it's required.

As others have stated, barring the availability of fire resistant arimid fibre suits, cotton is your best bet. Cotton burns more readily, but it's better than synthetics that include polycotton.