Leather Jackets

[NavinRJohnson]

I just thought of a great idea, have a leather jacket made up like a blazer! Satisfies everyone. Professionalism and Practicality all rolled up in one.

To make things more interesting, we should get medals and awards to give us that neato military look.

Also we could get leather chaps in case we have to take a knee during preflight while checking out the oleos. Now we have an airline biker dude militaristic professional pilot.

Gimme a break. Leather jackets are fine; they are truly a part of aviation history and in the public eye, you still look like professional pilot. I really don't think the average passenger cares whether one wears either a blazer or a leather jacket: they just want to get to their destination on time safely. If you haven't noticed pax are much more casually dressed nowadays too...

Navin

 

[Atccfi]

Good post REZ.

Sounds like you offended double shot though.....oh well he does work for SWA...

Let's not hold it against him....

 

[crashpad]

Leather Jackets are the professional pilots uniform if you're gay.

 

[Rook]

We tried the blazer and leather jacket but opted for this instead. Super warm and loved by 'da ladeeez.

Big Pimpin'

Rook. (hopin to wear FredEx leather soon)

p.s. wear the leather if you want. Fcuk the public. They think we're just a bunch of overpaid drunken gun toters anyway. Oh yeah guess they're right.

 

[UALjan15]

The hat is a tool to do our jobs via projecting a professional image, that's all. Even I don't like wearing the hat but I think wearing it is greater than my opinion.....

Dude, you're wearing essentially the same hat as the Skycap slinging bags on the sidewalk. I don't think that hat is doing anything for our professional image.

What makes your image is how you wear your uniform, not whether your jacket is leather or wool, or whether you have a hat on. Are your pants and shirt clean and well pressed? Are your shoes shined and business-like, or are you wearing around black Reeboks (hey--I've seen it!). Do you bother to tuck in your shirt after a couple of legs, or is it hanging out like a parachute? Do you walk out of the cockpit with your shirt unbuttoned and tie loose?

The sad part is that even if we all looked like James Bond, we're not going to see any more in our paychecks because of it. Market forces are chipping away at our pay and benefits, and there's not a hat in the world that's going to cure it.

 

[FedExpert]

Seems to me, the leather jacket portrays the pilot in a true sense. Everyone knows the airlines adopted that "business look" back in the fifties to entice customers to feel safe. Heck, the Air Farce did it too! There's no more reason in wearing a coat and tie to fly an aircraft than there is to come home from work and put on a cardigan and slippers, a la "Leave it to Beaver." The Air Farce-induced "business suit" look has gone by the wayside. Wear what works. Leather was chosen for a reason as a hardy, weather-proof, warm garment that withstood the elements. Let's use it for its purpose.

 

[NEDude]

Dude, you're wearing essentially the same hat as the Skycap slinging bags on the sidewalk. I don't think that hat is doing anything for our professional image.

Why do you think skycaps began wearing those hats? To look like pilots.

 

[slomo]

Now, if you are a uber geek Joe Pilot ERAU/UND type you'd wear your uniform to your wedding!! The question is, would you wear your leather jacket or blazer!!! . Perhaps if you are an total ultra purist aviation junkie you'd marry another pilot and BOTH of you would wear your uniforms. One blazer and one leather jacket. YEAH!!

And you gotta have the hat as well.

 

[MK82Man]

Leather is a great option

HMR has the best post in the thread (if you missed it, click the link below), I fell down laughing:

“We tried the blazer and leather jacket but opted for this instead. Super warm and loved by 'da ladeeez.”

My 2 cents: This industry has a million problems to solve before you worry about leather or suit coat – say hi to your passengers and be outgoing and friendly, they don’t care what you are wearing. From a practical pilot perspective, it was freaking cold in Toronto in Jan and Feb on my pit stops there. A leather jacket (AWA uses Perrone) is much better than the suit coat. Ditch the hat – Bus drivers and Bag dudes got ‘em and pilots crush/bend/warp/never clean ‘em, so no two look alike anyway. The fact that we make female pilots wear male hats is freaking crazy

 

[NavinRJohnson]

Fat guy in a little coat...

What makes your image is how you wear your uniform, not whether your jacket is leather or wool, or whether you have a hat on.

Absofrigginlutely...