Saul Goodman Posted March 2, 2019 Report Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) Dear Folks, I want to buy Nomex CWU 27/P Flight Suit in person. I live in Chicago. Is there any pilot shop that sells this flight suit in person? Preferably some place near Chicago. Worst case, some place near Oshkosh WI, as I'll be there for Air Venture 2019. I want to buy the following: Nomex CWU 27/P Flight Suit Anti-G pants CSU-13B/P USAF MBU-20/P oxygen mask HGU-55/P helmet Bates Leather Flight Edited March 2, 2019 by Saul Goodman Quote
David_H Posted March 2, 2019 Report Posted March 2, 2019 There could be some surplus stores in Chicago that possibly could have something. That said, Amazon looks to be the easy answer. Quote
Saul Goodman Posted March 2, 2019 Author Report Posted March 2, 2019 Flight suit size may vary, so wanted to get the right size in person. Quote
carusoam Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 A local racetrack ‘pro-shop’ may be a resource? finding one with Mooney artwork will be interesting. -a- Quote
EricJ Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 1 hour ago, carusoam said: A local racetrack ‘pro-shop’ may be a resource? finding one with Mooney artwork will be interesting. -a- Flight suits and race suits are very different. I know this partly because once in a while somebody tries to (or at least asks about) using a nomex flight suit for a race. They don't meet the requirements, and race suits generally aren't very comfortable when worn for long periods (e.g., they're kinda hot). They also don't have very many pockets, which most flight suits do. You don't write a lot of stuff down or dig out a chart during a race. 1 Quote
orionflt Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 8 hours ago, Saul Goodman said: Dear Folks, I want to buy Nomex CWU 27/P Flight Suit in person. I live in Chicago. Is there any pilot shop that sells this flight suit in person? Preferably some place near Chicago. Worst case, some place near Oshkosh WI, as I'll be there for Air Venture 2019. I want to buy the following: Nomex CWU 27/P Flight Suit Anti-G pants CSU-13B/P USAF MBU-20/P oxygen mask HGU-55/P helmet Bates Leather Flight Just curious why you want all of that? brian 1 Quote
MB65E Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 Gibson & Barns!! Order a few sizes and return what doesn’t fit. The helmets are on the small size order up. There are a few different mask sizes too. You’ll need a crew60 for most O2 applications too. The HG55 is an old school helmet. I can’t stand the visor operation. HG68 is a little better. watch the impeadance of the mics if your working with GA radios. It’s a pain in the butt. Have fun with whatever project you are working!! -Matt 1 Quote
Rick Junkin Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 +1 for Gibson & Barnes http://www.gibson-barnes.com They bought out Flight Suits LTD, and is where my company goes for our equipment. Their flight suits are true to size in my experience. The g-suit may be a little more difficult to come by. I'll ask at work. There is a considerable fitting process for the gear you're talking about that requires a level of expertise and experience. I would assume you were already working with someone with that training, but then again they would be able to tell you where to get the equipment so I won't assume. Good luck! Cheers, Rick Quote
carusoam Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 14 hours ago, EricJ said: Flight suits and race suits are very different. I know this partly because once in a while somebody tries to (or at least asks about) using a nomex flight suit for a race. They don't meet the requirements, and race suits generally aren't very comfortable when worn for long periods (e.g., they're kinda hot). They also don't have very many pockets, which most flight suits do. You don't write a lot of stuff down or dig out a chart during a race. Eric, 1) Expecting flight and driving suits to be different.... to some extent... 2) What I was wondering, or possibly expecting, is... are flight suits and driving suits made by the same companies..? 3) If Company A builds both driving suits and flight suits... In this odd possibility... the OP can try on a driving suit built by Company A for fit... and then, almost comfortably, buy the same size for a Company A flight suit.... 4) The Central Jersey Dragstrip has a proshop with these things for sale... helmets, gloves, shoes, balaclavas, suits etc... 5) The only time I’ve seen a flight suit... was on a pilot doing aerobatics or after the flight.... not in stores... 6) The buying process sounds as expensive as the suit... an amu here, an amu there... 7) not getting the right size up front... another amu... 8) I was picturing Sean D Tucker.... not sure, what he carries in those pockets.... 9) Backing up a few steps... Saul, Is the flight suit an everyday Mooney flying type of flight suit? Or something completely different? 10) Improving seat belts is also a possibility in the scheme of safety during and after the HARD landing... Best regards, -a- Quote
MB65E Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 I’ve worn my helmet in the m20 once! Lol -Matt Quote
EricJ Posted March 3, 2019 Report Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, carusoam said: Eric, 1) Expecting flight and driving suits to be different.... to some extent... 2) What I was wondering, or possibly expecting, is... are flight suits and driving suits made by the same companies..? 3) If Company A builds both driving suits and flight suits... In this odd possibility... the OP can try on a driving suit built by Company A for fit... and then, almost comfortably, buy the same size for a Company A flight suit.... 4) The Central Jersey Dragstrip has a proshop with these things for sale... helmets, gloves, shoes, balaclavas, suits etc... 5) The only time I’ve seen a flight suit... was on a pilot doing aerobatics or after the flight.... not in stores... 6) The buying process sounds as expensive as the suit... an amu here, an amu there... 7) not getting the right size up front... another amu... 8) I was picturing Sean D Tucker.... not sure, what he carries in those pockets.... 9) Backing up a few steps... Saul, Is the flight suit an everyday Mooney flying type of flight suit? Or something completely different? 10) Improving seat belts is also a possibility in the scheme of safety during and after the HARD landing... Best regards, -a- The main race suit suppliers in the US are names like Sparco, OMP, and Alpinestars. I checked all three and none seem to have any flight suit offerings. Doing a web search on "Nomex CWU 27/P flight suit" brings up several options, and one supplier is apparently a company called "Propper" that is a "tactical supply" vendor. Coincidentally, they're having a closeout on CWU 27/P Nomex flight suits for $49.99 if you get one in sage. Race suits are made to be compliant with a few different specs, particularly SFI (in the US) and FIA (internationally). Most sanctioning organizations have rule sets that indicate the minimum SFI or FIA suit spec for a particular class or application. e.g., road racing suits may be a different minimum spec than drag suits, etc. Drag rules often allow two-piece suits while road racing seldom does. Sometimes the different specs just give tradeoffs on construction, e.g., multi-layer suits used to be the norm but these days the more expensive suits are sometimes single layer and therefore lighter and not as hot to wear. Race suits also usually require closed-cuff ankles and sleeves, a collar that can close around a balaclava, and some have strong epaulets so that the safety guys can drag your butt away from the car that you just crashed. I think most flight suits don't have any of that stuff. Flight suits don't seem to be covered by too many specs, and I can't seem to find what "CWU 27/P" even means; maybe it's just a particular style. There is a MIL-C-83141A spec that some CWU 27/P suits are made to. Since Nomex is just a family of material types, anybody can make something out of Nomex and call it a Nomex suit. Good race suits these days are in the $800-$2k range, although you can get a decent, SFI-compliant suit for $300. Looks like the flight suits, even the mil-spec ones, run from $50-$200 or so. My understanding of the way that nomex works is that the fibers in the weave swell and close together to form a solid barrier when exposed to heat. In doing so they lose a lot of other properties, like the ability to breath, etc. They're one-time use only. In racing if the suit has been exposed to high heat it's done...a lot of safety gear is one-time use; harness, helmet, suit, seat, etc... It is interesting to compare the differences. Looks like flight suits are a lot cheaper in general, but I'd expect that. Edited March 3, 2019 by EricJ 1 Quote
steingar Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 OP is going to look like a boob getting out of him Mooney with all that on. Might as well get some epaulettes to go with it. If I had my choice of anything to wear in the Mooney I think it’d be Armani. 1 Quote
David_H Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, steingar said: OP is going to look like a boob getting out of him Mooney with all that on. Might as well get some epaulettes to go with it. If I had my choice of anything to wear in the Mooney I think it’d be Armani. Come on now... what if "Danger Zone" was also playing loudly in the background? Edited March 4, 2019 by David_H Quote
steingar Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 9 hours ago, David_H said: Come on now... what if "Danger Zone" was also playing loudly in the background? I'd still want Armani. Goes with anything. They say clothes make the man. Don't like to think about what my rags are making me. Quote
Air pirate Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 Hey Saul, not sure if it helps, there is a large Army/Navy surplus store on the fox river in south Elgin. maybe worth a ride to see what they have or can access for you. I second Gibson and Barnes. I have a few Nomex suits over the years, not sure what level of protection but better than nothing for the situation I was in at the time. I have had one tailored years back as I had a 50 inch chest and a 36 waist so I needed to have the middle adjusted so I wasn't moving around in a large green bag. The last one I bought is a size 48 long and with the Velcro hip adjustments it fits great. The helmet, check out evil bay, the G suit seems hard to come by. Best of luck 1 Quote
carusoam Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 About Nomex.... if you like Nylon / Aramid chemistry.... it is an interesting polymer... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomex PP thoughts only... -a- 1 Quote
EricJ Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 32 minutes ago, carusoam said: About Nomex.... if you like Nylon / Aramid chemistry.... it is an interesting polymer... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomex PP thoughts only... -a- Nomex paper is used as the honeycomb core in some composite sandwich structures. 1 Quote
Andy95W Posted March 4, 2019 Report Posted March 4, 2019 22 hours ago, steingar said: If I had my choice of anything to wear in the Mooney I think it’d be Armani. Not sure if any of these guys are wearing Armani. But it is “proof” you can put 4 adult, well-dressed gentlemen in a short-body Mooney! 2 1 Quote
EricJ Posted March 5, 2019 Report Posted March 5, 2019 13 hours ago, Andy95W said: Not sure if any of these guys are wearing Armani. But it is “proof” you can put 4 adult, well-dressed gentlemen in a short-body Mooney! It's proof you can take a pic that gives that impression. 1 Quote
tigers2007 Posted March 5, 2019 Report Posted March 5, 2019 That’s back when the average ‘murican wasn’t morbidly obese like myself...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
Rick Junkin Posted March 5, 2019 Report Posted March 5, 2019 On 3/3/2019 at 11:31 AM, Junkman said: The g-suit may be a little more difficult to come by. I'll ask at work. @Saul Goodman You can try here: https://lifesupportintl.com/collections/clothing/products/clo-1450-00 You will pay dearly, but they can help you. If you don't mind used gear, try here: https://www.flighthelmet.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=PRGS I'm curious as to what you're going to need the gear for too. Cheers, Rick 1 Quote
bradp Posted March 6, 2019 Report Posted March 6, 2019 Talk to your local aeromedical service- they probably have tons of gross and well worn nomex suits. Dont' forget gloves. What gives ... an L39...? That guy that used a DER to install a second alternator circuit in a J model wore a flight suit. I'm not sure how much it would actually help in an in cabin fire.... I prefer shorts in the summer. Quote
orionflt Posted March 7, 2019 Report Posted March 7, 2019 I spent the better part of 20 yrs living in a flight suit, was my uniform of choice Brian 1 Quote
Saul Goodman Posted March 16, 2019 Author Report Posted March 16, 2019 Thank you for your note guys. I hate to disappoint you, but this is for my ultimate halloween outfit. Right now trying to loose weight. I kid you not. 1 Quote
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