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Is That What You’re Going to Wear in the Air?

Pilots should think in terms of crashworthiness when dressing for flight.

Pilots need to integrate PPE into their higher-risk flying to be better prepared when something happens. [Adobe Stock]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • General aviation aircraft lack inherent crashworthiness, making pilots vulnerable to injuries from cockpit structures and the high fatality risk associated with post-crash fires.
  • Pilots should utilize Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as crash helmets for impact protection and flame-resistant Nomex clothing (suits, gloves, balaclavas) to significantly enhance their chances of surviving accidents and fires.
  • Enhancing aircraft safety through modern designs (e.g., airbags, knee bolsters) and retrofitting essential features like multi-point harnesses is crucial, with regulatory policies now facilitating such upgrades.
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Anyone who paid attention to news coverage during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic likely is familiar with personal protective equipment (PPE). In the medical profession, PPE can include masks, gloves, gowns, booties, and more. But PPE isn’t only for doctors and nurses.

Construction workers wear hard hats, steel-toed boots and Day-Glo vests. Many motorcyclists have adopted the initialism ATGATT, standing for “All The Gear All The Time”—helmets, boots, gloves, leathers, whether riding on the street or off-road. No shorts, flip-flops, or tank tops, even if it’s only a quick trip to the corner store. Motorcyclists refusing to wear helmets often are referred to as “organ donors” behind their backs.

Joseph "Jeb" Burnside

Jeb Burnside has served as editor in chief of Aviation Safety magazine. He’s an airline transport pilot who owns a Beech Debonair, plus the expensive half of an Aeronca L-16B/7CCM Champ.

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