Lt. Col. Thomas Jacobson, 53rd Test Management Group commander, wear-tests a flight suit designed to resist fading and pilling. (U.S. Air Force photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. — Early feedback from airmen testing an improved version of the fire-retardant fabric used in the Air Force’s flight suit indicates that the material “seems to hold up better, but there’s still a long way to go,” Capt. Saje Park, a spokeswoman for the squadron collecting the test results, said Monday.
“So far, this flight suit has resisted pilling and shade differences,” which have plagued airmen who wear the current version of the one-piece uniform, said Parks, a member of the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., that is conducting the six-month wear tests that kicked off June 1.
A total of 54 airmen in 20 different locations are testing flight suits made of the new fabric, along with two new prototype T-shirts to wear underneath the flight suit.
Flight suits are worn by Air Force personnel who work around and aboard the service’s many flight platforms.
The suits come in two issued colors: green, the most commonly worn shade; and tan, which is for wear in desert environments.
But the fire-retardant, static-reducing Nomex fabric the suits are made of “has a problem with pilling and shade variations,” Park said.
The sloppy appearance the suits tend to take on after multiple trips through the washer and drier “is a professionalism issue,” Park said.
The T-shirts airmen are wear-testing, meanwhile, are candidates to replace the 100 percent cotton T-shirts that flight crews are required to wear while flying.
Aircrews aren’t allowed to wear polyester-blend tees, because the fabric is flammable and can melt into the skin, causing serious burns.
Still, Air Force officials are hoping to find something cooler for the undergarment than cotton, Park said.
The testers are trying two new versions of the tee: one made of 100 percent wool, and the other made out of Nomex, the same flame-retardant material used in the flight suit.
Got a comment about Air Force uniforms you would like the Air Force to see? The service has set up a special feedback e-mail address: uniformfeedback@pentagon.af.mil
