Flight suit

These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical (plenty of pockets), and durable (including fire retardant).

It is sometimes used by Special Forces as a combat uniform in close quarters battle or visit, board, search, and seizure situations, for its practicality.

Various types of flight jackets and trouser coverings were developed, and two-piece outfits were common among pilots to ward off the chill caused by slipstream and the cold of low-oxygen high-altitude flying.

Leather quickly became the preferred material due to its durability and the protection it offered against flying debris such as insect strikes during climb-outs and landings, and oil thrown off by the simple rotary and inline motors of the time.

He recreated the effect by three layers: a thin fur liner separated from a Burberry [gabardine] outer by airproof silk which he had made up by Robinson & Cleaver in London and advertised under the Sidcot name at 8 guineas (£8 8s).

When its effectiveness became known orders for leather coats were cancelled in favour of the SidCot [3] In extreme conditions thigh high fur boots could be worn with it, and on long flights it could be enhanced with electrically heated waistcoat, gloves and boot inner soles powered by a windmill generator (though flexing broke the wires in the gloves, and over voltage caused burns) [4] In the mid 1930s RAF standard flight suit was a variation on the Sidcot made of rubberised linen in a grey-green colour with a detachable fur collar; a zip had replaced buttons.

[6] By the time World War II started in earnest, electrically heated suits were introduced by Lion Apparel in conjunction with General Electric for patrol and bomber crews who routinely operated at high altitudes above 30,000 feet (9,100 m), where air temperatures could get so cold that flesh could freeze instantly to any metal it touched.

When the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was introduced in the fight against Japan, along with remote-controlled coordinated gun turrets, the fully pressurized crew cabin made bulky flight gear obsolete.

Flak jackets were also developed to give bomber crews some protection from flying shrapnel, though these increased the overall weight of the airplane and reduced the effective bombload that could be carried.

As the pilot executed high-G combat maneuvers, their blood would be pulled from their head and shift downwards into their lower body, starving the brain of oxygen and causing a blackout.

Members of the United States Marine Corps wore flight suits during most vehicle patrols and ground combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, because their standard camouflage utilities were not flame-resistant.