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Flight suits are specialized clothing worn by military and civilian aviators, as well as astronauts. They have evolved over time to include features such as warmth, flame retardancy, and pressurization. Modern flight suits are typically made of durable and flexible materials and feature multiple zipper closures.
A flight suit is a piece of clothing specially designed to withstand the rigors and demands of flight. These garments are worn by military and civilian aviators, as well as astronauts. While flight suits historically consisted of multiple pieces, modern designs are generally made as jumpsuits or one-piece coveralls.
Purpose-designed flight suits date back to World War I, as open-cockpit flying demanded warm, padded clothing that could keep pilots comfortable in a wide range of conditions. The most common World War I flight suit was a two-piece leather design. By World War II, bomber and fighter planes could reach altitudes of over 30,000 feet (9,144 m), but they were not pressurized. Electrically heated flight suits were introduced to keep bomber crews and pilots warm. Later, the development of pressurized cabins meant that cabin crews no longer needed to be as protected from the elements, and the flight suit evolved to become less bulky and more form-fitting.
As jet engines were introduced into civil and military aircraft, increased speeds and increased potential hazards associated with fires led to the development of flame retardant flight suits. In addition, a special type of flight suit, known as the G-Suit, was introduced to help pilots maintain awareness during extreme maneuvers. These worked by compressing the body and making it harder for fainting or blackouts to happen. The most complex flight suits are fully pressurized and are used by pilots flying planes at the edge of space.
Subjected to even greater extremes than other aviators, astronauts wear tailored flight suits, known as launch and entry suits, during the initial launch into space. Each suit is supplied with a number of safety features, including a supplemental oxygen supply, emergency parachute, life raft, water supply and homing beacon. During normal operation, once in space, modern astronauts typically wear lightweight cotton clothing instead of a flight suit.
The most common modern flight suits are made of a lightweight nylon-based material, known as NOMEX, which is highly durable and flexible; or a blended material of cotton and polyester. These garments typically feature multiple zipper closures to prevent stored items from falling out during the flight. While civil and commercial aircraft pilots don’t typically wear flight suits, they are fairly standard among helicopter pilots. In the United States, pilots in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps use the same model of flight suit, designated the CWU-27/P by these military branches.
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