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

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

Joseph "Jeb" Burnside

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

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

Key Takeaways:

General aviation aircraft lack inherent crashworthiness, making the proactive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) essential for pilot safety in high-risk flying scenarios.
Helmets provide critical impact protection from cockpit structures and offer practical benefits, while flame-resistant clothing (e.g., Nomex suits, gloves, balaclavas) is vital for mitigating the high fatality risk of post-crash fires.
Pilots should also consider modern safety enhancements like multipoint harnesses, drawing lessons from advanced PPE standards proven effective in other high-risk environments like Formula 1 racing.

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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.