Gloves??

[mhorowit]

I questioned someone as to why they wore gloves when flying.
They said it cut down on the vibration.
Does anyone wear gloves while flying, and if so, can you push buttons i.e. on the GPS? = Mike

[AndyDuke]

Re: Gloves??

During the sumemr months I tend to wear a left glove only, this prevents my hand slipping due to sweat (it's humid in England) and leaves my right hand free for those fiddly buttons. During the winter months two gloves are required to prevent frost bite!

p.s. the single glove is not homage to Michael Jackson.

[jgerard]

Re: Gloves??

I also fly with gloves on when its cold. I like the soft Deer vs' the Cow leather. When my hands get too cold, I take the gloves off and lay them on the floor open end twords the heater duct to warm up for a few minutes. I try everyone on that is on the rack and buy ones that are just a bit too small and streach them out for a custom fit. Some of the places I go in my plane you need a good set of gloves to protect your hands while you clean up the strip to make it more usable and safer to operate from.

Jason
N43643

[Steve Green]

Re: Gloves??

Mike,

When I wear gloves for warmth, I usually wear heavy winter gloves/mittens, or whatever I have available to keep my frost-nipped hands from becoming useless. Then take them off briefly to operate the buttons and knobs.

Sometimes, however, when the temperature is not too cold, I wear the military style nomex/leather glove. A little warming effect, protects them from excessive heat (supposedly), and does reduce vibration a bit. No problem using buttons or switches while wearing them.

[alwaysoar]

Re: Gloves??

Army chopper pilots of my vintage wore leather gloves for protection in case of fire and door handles etc got too hot to handle

[Robert Lees]

Re: Gloves??

The principle of wearing leather gloves because of fire risk is sound, in my opinion. I always try to wear either denim trousers & cotton shirts (or in the winter, a nomex flight-suit...colloquially called a "grow-bag" over here).

Unfortunately, one commonly finds oneself driving past the airport in good, warm, spring or summer weather...wearing modern plastic-ingrained trainers, poly-cotton T-shirt, less-than-100%-cotton-socks, and NO FLYING GLOVES.

One still finds oneself dropping in for a quick flight, nonetheless. One wonders about the fire protection in these seasons.

Back to the subject: In the winter, I use black kid-leather RAF flying gloves...even these are too bulky to press the buttons accurately on my Icom hand-held...so if it is REALLY cold, I just go non-radio.
Rob

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Gloves??

Good thread!
Straight leather gloves were banned from USAF flying because in a fire the leather tends to shrink like cheap bluejeans and really burns your hands. The nomex gloves with supple leather palms are good gloves and available for a price and in several colors other than green. In a fire, the leather palm still shrinks, but the knit back will keep the gloves from totally encasing your hands in a hot shrink to fit inferno. From painful experience I can assert that flying gloves prevent burning the $%^& out of your hands on various cockpit lights. Those durn little 12V and even 5V bulbs in the old Grimes push-to-test sockets will leave a lasting impression on your fingers.

Nomex is one one of a very few man-made materials that will char and NOT MELT when it gets hot. Cotton chars, silk also chars, nylon melts and sticks to flesh leaving a tattoo the color of the nylon. Polyesther melts, dacron melts. Melted stuff is not nice to skin.

The standard joke about Nomex is that is is designed to keep you warm in summer and cold in winter. One layer of Nomex offers some protection if you wear cotton or nomex underwear with it. NASCAR drivers and drag racers wear a double layered Nomex suit.

Good safety discussion!

[jCandlish]

Re: Gloves??

BMW motorcycle has a line of clothing including fine gloves that have kept my hands from becoming hamburgers on more than one occasion.

They are designed to withstand the heat of prolonged friction with pavement and yet are very supple. You can fiddle the knobs while wearing them.

They make gloves for all climate ranges.