Facial Hair For Airline Pilots

[Joe]

Southwest Airlines had a ramp agent job fair at T.F. Green (PVD) that I attended. It was back in October, but from what I can remember, you can have a mustache, but it has to be short and neat. No beards. Also something about hair not being longer than where your shirt collar is. And no weird body piercings, or colored hair, anything like that. I would imagine the appearence code is the same or similar for pilots.

 

[mrivc211]

[ QUOTE ]
You're not allowed to have facial hair that will interfere with the seal on an oxygen mask

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn it! I there goes my idea of growing a long beard and wearing a white turbin on my head while flying! Just kidding!

Can you imagine that......I seriously doubt anyone would get on that plane with all the paranoia going around.

Has anyone seen the picture of the first officer wearing the white mickey mouse gloves and holding the throttles?
I still get a chuckle when I think of that picture. Its sad to think that the humorous side to aviation is really gone.

 

[A300Capt]

Our FOM explicitly prohibits beards and goatees. Mustashes are allowed if neat and trim and don't extend beyond the corners of the mouth. Also, sideburns can't extend below the middle of the ear.

Now, I've seen some of our guys stretch these guidlines a little and one of our pilots sports a trimmed beard for medical reasons and the approval of the company. Don't ask, I don't know the medical reason but I'm sure it's legit.

 

[I_Money]

Omar you will need you turban extension on your headset.

 

[mrivc211]

hahahahha,

Hello ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain, Mulluh Omar. I could probably hear the people in the back swallowing a big "GULP".

 

[Snow]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, sideburns can't extend below the middle of the ear.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awww, that sucks, plus it's technicaly not a sideburn unless it extends at least to the bottom of the ear!

 

[I_Money]

Oh come on Omar, you definately need a good Mohammed in there too! You only sound like half an arab without one! It is like the Arab version of Smith!

 

[Dubbs42]

Doug-

Thanks for the insight...It's funny, cuz whenever I wear my red wisconsin hat backwards, I've had a few different people say I look like Fred Durst! Too bad it'll probably have to go until I find some company relaxed enough not to care. I hope I can at least hang on to it throughout my training! thx again...

 

[derg]

Yeah, i think the rule is a mix between the conservatism of the profession and the regulations about a oxygen mask having a tight, unobstructed seal over your face when using it.

 

[MarineNav]

I agree!

This is a picture of the blunderous Civil War Major General Burnside, from which the term is dervived.

 

[derg]

And he's be dead, dead, dead if he had a smoke in the cabin emergency!

 

[HAL_Pilot]

Beards are allowed at Hawaiian Airlines. I know of at least one Captain with a full beard and many pilots with goatees.

 

[Dubbs42]

Huh, maybe I need to get with them!! haha...

 

[Androol]

I remember going through customs one night in Montreal last summer behind a British Airways crew. The captain a had full and BUSHY beard. He looked like an old sea captain rather than an airline captain.

 

[Louie1975]

I flew Czech Airlines to Prague in 1999(Airbus 310) and the Captain had a very long and bushy beard as well. Just like a sea captain. And his hair was something from the Roman empire, with curly locks. It looked weird but pretty cool. How would he get the oxygen mask on?

 

[stultus]

How 'bout a sole patch--would the airlines look down upon that? That wouldn't interefere with the oxygen mask. Just need a little change in facial hair sometimes.