Flying in sandals.. Opinion?

Mountains.
True...


What if you survive that accident and have sandals on in the snow waiting for someone to come rescue you...? True story...happened to a grad at my alumni school. Wearing sandals while flying just seems like you're asking for trouble...even if you aren't in mountainous terrain.
 
Attention to detail with small things usually means you're paying attention to the big things. I can hardly think of a situation where sandals(flip-flops or not) are appropriate foot wear in the world when you're not on the beach. Argument time! :)

I guess, for what it's worth, part 91 in a plane that isn't paying you to be there, whatever, I still would probably think less of you(if you don't look like a "pilot", sandals are NOT piloty, they just aren't), but that's your prerogative in that situation I suppose... For an activity that requires preparation for the unknown, sandals aren't displaying the best judgement IMO.
 
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Attention to detail with small things usually means you're paying attention to the big things. I can hardly think of a situation where sandals(flip-flops or not) are appropriate foot wear in the world when you're not on the beach. Argument time! :)

I guess, for what it's worth, part 91 in a plane that isn't paying you to be there, whatever, I still would probably think less of you(if you don't look like a "pilot", sandals are NOT piloty, they just aren't), but that's your prerogative in that situation I suppose... For an activity that requires preparation for the unknown, sandals aren't displaying the best judgement IMO.

I consciously wear slippers (that's what we call flip flops in Hawaii), shorts and a t-shirt, if I'm on the mainland I wear carharts and a t-shirt, a hoody if it's cold.

How I dress has very little bearing on how I fly. Also what the hell does a pilot look like, all my heroes wore carharts, XtraTufs, flannel, and a ball cap? Does that meet your standards?
 
I consciously wear slippers (that's what we call flip flops in Hawaii), shorts and a t-shirt, if I'm on the mainland I wear carharts and a t-shirt, a hoody if it's cold.

How I dress has very little bearing on how I fly. Also what the hell does a pilot look like, all my heroes wore carharts, XtraTufs, flannel, and a ball cap? Does that meet your standards?
If that's the expectation, fine.

It's compliance with the expectation. We've long worn the full uniform without the tie in my base even after the polo/shorts was approved. We're the only base in the entire company still wearing the pilot uniform in fact. The previous ACP hated it and expected otherwise. I strongly encourage/kind of expect the tie in addition at this point, at least in the terminal. I do expect one to wear the bars still. We're pilots, not camp counselors. @ItsAFunZone :)

Those that don't comply in both cases have not been good pilots. Again, attention to the small things translates to attention to the big things or, at the very least, disrespect if not complied with.

All that being said, sorry man, certain clothing/footwear, particularly footwear, isn't preparing you for the unknown enough in my mind... Maybe Adidas will melt to your feet, but I'm willing to bet a year's salary(admittedly isn't much...) that those melted tennis shoes are going to get you farther than wearing sandals that are kind of melted to your feet.
 
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Wearing sandals while flying just seems like you're asking for trouble...even if you aren't in mountainous terrain.

I think some guys here and elsewhere think this is a matter of fashion, rather than a practical matter (which is what it really is).

Like my Uncle used to tell me when I flew for him, "dress to egress". Always be dressed as if you suddenly found yourself outside the airplane and on the ground at some point enroute to your destination...because that's where you could end up under a variety of circumstances.

If I am flying anywhere besides walking distance from my local air patch, I don't want to be hiking away from the crash site in shorts and sandals.
 
Someone deleted their post...

@Groundpounder, I don't make anyone do anything. That's just how inspiring of a leader I am! :)

Some of it is "fasion", but as mentioned in another thread, most people respond to someone in a recognizable uniform. At the very least, the pilot uniform gets respect internationally, even when they hate your country. VZ HATES us right now... No problems with any one of my guys wearing a clean, perfectly pressed, full uniform WITH the tie. ;)

Aruba Airlines wears the coat even! No excuse to look like a bum pilot from bum airlines...
 
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Pretty soon it will turn into a contest of "who dresses least like an airline pilot on layover" and then finally "I hate talking about flying even more than you do" and someone will quote the "work work work" video.

I hear that crap 15 times a day on guard. Stop it. It's played out.

7 pages of arguing about fashion...
 
I think some guys here and elsewhere think this is a matter of fashion, rather than a practical matter (which is what it really is).

Like my Uncle used to tell me when I flew for him, "dress to egress". Always be dressed as if you suddenly found yourself outside the airplane and on the ground at some point enroute to your destination...because that's where you could end up under a variety of circumstances.

If I am flying anywhere besides walking distance from my local air patch, I don't want to be hiking away from the crash site in shorts and sandals.
I guess it varies for locations but regardless, with your feet exposed like that you're providing a potential threat for more injuries than if you had proper footwear on.

I understand the "look good feel good" attitude as I have that a lot for certain things but I feel so at home in the cockpit that I wouldn't ever wear something there for "style". Maybe after I land then it makes more sense. Maybe I'm just too pessimistic....?
 
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Mountains.
Yes. And my point is, hitting a mountain (or even a hill short of the runway in bhm) at 140 knots is very likely to kill you, wearing sandals in an airplane is not. Worry about the stuff that kills pilots all the time, not one-off survival stories from readers digest. Now of course over the Alaska Bush or the Rocky Mountains especially in a piston single you ought to be ready for a hike if that engine quits turning. But the reality is most folks spend most of their flying time within gliding distance of airports or at least roads and would be better served keeping up their proficiency in engine out procedures (or, say, fuel planning, improper performance of which causes a lot of [most? ] off airport landings) than in worrying their heads about sandals.
 
Attention to detail with small things usually means you're paying attention to the big things.

That's a fun slogan, but just not true.

All of us humans -- and aviators, especially -- know how to perform task management. Ergo, we can rack-and-stack tasks by significance and importance. Many times, the "big things" are significantly more important to get right than the "small things", and thus the "small things" get prioritized lower in the stack.

Imagine if we said that Al Haynes was an unprofessional pilot because he wasn't wearing his hat when he was extracted from the wreckage of United 232. Or if we said that Sullenberger and Skiles were obviously not paying attention to the big things because they did not hit the ditch button on their way into the Hudson. Those are both totally moronic statements, obviously...

Accomplishment of the small things sometimes means that we have a handle on the big things. Non-accomplishment of the small things sometimes means that we don't have a handle on the big things.
 
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Yes. And my point is, hitting a mountain (or even a hill short of the runway in bhm) at 140 knots is very likely to kill you, wearing sandals in an airplane is not. Worry about the stuff that kills pilots all the time, not one-off survival stories from readers digest. .

That's an incredible false dilemma -- there's no reason why you have to sacrifice "the stuff that kills pilots all the time" in order to prepare for "one-off survival stories from readers digest".

The military spends a HUGE amount of money on fire-resistant clothing for its pilots, and a HUGE amount of money and manpower on life support systems like ejection seats and parachutes. Plus incredible amounts of training for aircrew in survival in many different environments. All because of the possibility of one of those "one-off survival stories". It isn't like they have an unlimited line of credit, either -- it is a budget choice to do so.

I think that a lot of civilian pilots are lulled into a false sense of security when flying GA aircraft, and don't really wrap their minds around just how close at any moment they are to being pedestrians in a very inhospitable place to be (below wherever it is you are flying at any given time). I think a lot of them have also not ever actually been in a survival situation -- even in training -- to be aware of just what fragile sacks of meat we humans are when we are only slightly out of our comfortable and controlled environment.

Any GA flight I make that isn't in the general vicinity of home field, I dress and pack for as if I'm going hiking and camping. I'd rather look uncool on the ramp than never see my family again if the air-cooled flat 4 hanging on the front of my Cessna decides to suck a valve today.

It isn't that big of a sacrifice to make. Seriously.
 
Oh, how clueless you are.
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If that's the expectation, fine.

It's compliance with the expectation. We've long worn the full uniform without the tie in my base even after the polo/shorts was approved. We're the only base in the entire company still wearing the pilot uniform in fact. The previous ACP hated it and expected otherwise. I strongly encourage/kind of expect the tie in addition at this point, at least in the terminal. I do expect one to wear the bars still. We're pilots, not camp counselors. @ItsAFunZone :)

Those that don't comply in both cases have not been good pilots. Again, attention to the small things translates to attention to the big things or, at the very least, disrespect if not complied with.

All that being said, sorry man, certain clothing/footwear, particularly footwear, isn't preparing you for the unknown enough in my mind... Maybe Adidas will melt to your feet, but I'm willing to bet a year's salary(admittedly isn't much...) that those melted tennis shoes are going to get you farther than wearing sandals that are kind of melted to your feet.

Just so I'm clear, you are a AMF ACP, right?
 
My friend, you wear a backpack to work. There is no other subject on which you should be speaking less about than this one. Hush.


Ok, you two need a fashion duel..

Someone post a picture of each of these dudes from their FB and we can play a game. LOL
 
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