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...

 

[400A]

UALjan15, very well said.

Fed Ex, It was Mr. Rogers, not the Beav--- It is a wounderful day in the neighborhood......LOL

 

[Xfr8dog]

Both USAJet and Kalitta wear leather jackets.

Darby Crash, I think we may be the only two people on these boards that appreciate your handle.

HMR that jacket is DABomb. Where do I apply?

And SMOE, whats wrong with Fabulair? They are supposed to be thooooper to work for. I hear everyone has a gay ole time there.

 

[snowman]

Germs were a great band.
Leather jackets would be fine if they didn't look cheesey. Memebers only jackets are not stylish, unless your hoppin' out of your Smokey and the Bandit trans am.....
Is there a cool looking leather jacket?
The worst part are is around the bottom of the jacket where they bunch up the leather... Reminds me of pants with a built in stretch zone for the many of us who are fat.
adios
snowman

 

[cactus]

Leather jackets are a joke. The bussiness flyers are laughing at you guys. You look like Captain Fonzie...AAAAYYYY!

 

[Snakum]

they don’t care what you are wearing

Maybe not, but they will notice. I won't name the airline involved, but waiting for a US Air Express flight out of Boston a couple years ago, there was an express CA and a slightly chubby FO and two 91/135 pilots (I know cuz they said they flew a Hawker) talking in front of the downstairs windows. The express guys had no hat or jacket, just "clean and serviceable" short-sleeved shirts with all the trimmings and no creases, while the two 91/135 guys were wearing dark gray dress pants and uniform jackets with slanted, silver stripes on the sleeves. I must say, they were really sharp looking ... pressed, starched white shirts, smart ties and tacs, neat haircuts ... etc.

An older lady sitting next to my girlfriend leaned over toward us and pointed and said "I hope our pilots are the guys on the left." and kind of chuckled.

Opinions are all fine and dandy, but don't kid yourself. Passengers do notice.

Minh

 

[satpak77]

leather flight jackets are OUT

these are OUT

they were "cool" in the 80's but not now

if I had a $1 for the number of times I have seen airline PAX raise their airbrows and smirk when they observed a airline pilot with his leather jacket, bars, and nameplate "CAPT JIM ROGERS" on, I would have 500 bucks in my pocket

 

[DH2WN]

The worst part are is around the bottom of the jacket where they bunch up the leather... Reminds me of pants with a built in stretch zone for the many of us who are fat.
adios
snowman

That's why the Independence Air jackets are the best in the business.

 

[snowman]

which jacket does indy wear.

 

[Xtremepilot]

Every time I see a pilot in a leather jacket, I can't help but think of the Sporty's Pilot Shop catalogs. I mean, for some reason, our (airline pilot's) management has used "allowing" us to wear certain trendy uniform articles (i.e. no hat, leather jacket, etc...). These trends from the younger generation, of which I am a part, are daunting to the professionalism of the industry. I am tired of seeing pilots carrying around their suitcase with a backpack swung over their shoulder, wearing Doc Martin's or some other thick-soled boot. But I don't know what is worse; that, or the guys that have scuffed up shoes that are never polished, or a shirt that is not ironed. Sure the leather is durable and maybe more durable than the suit jacket. I just hope we don't let the ties go next year and switch to cargo pants the year after that. This profession is continually getting "dumbed down"; I hope that this does not come up in the minds of company men and women at the negotiating table around contract time, as I am sure that it does. Kudos to Delta for not dumping the uniform for a trendier look.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Independence Air jacket

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3966824320