Indian_flyboy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (10 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 8484 times:
Hi Jgore ,
This has already been discussed in one post in the civil ops . The reason behind this is that white is the symbol of purity and is very widely used in the south east asian countries as a good luck charm .
Delta-flyer From United States of America, joined Jul 2001, 2676 posts, RR: 7 Reply 6, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 8048 times:
I once heard that the old style pushbutton switches can get very hot -- but then all pilots would be wearing gloves, unless the Japanese have more sensitive fingers.
AA61hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13975 posts, RR: 59 Reply 8, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 7873 times:
GotAirbus From Singapore, joined May 2001, 851 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks ago) and read 7792 times:
That's because CX pilots are Chinese or European ...we do not see our pilots handling planes (Chinese taxi drivers too) with white gloves than more Japanese/Korean people do get "obsessed" with symbols of purity and the like.
(gotAirbus?)-(Got Commonality?)-(Have A Nice Flight!)
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411A From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 1826 posts, RR: 9 Reply 10, posted (10 years 6 months 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 7613 times:
Gloves...and not just white.
Years ago was assigned an aircraft PC (sim not yet approved) in a Lockheed TriStar. The aircraft was just out of 'D' check and located in Jeddah, and the day was very hot...42C.
During maintenance, the nosewheel tiller had been painted with the shinyest of black paint. This resulted in not only it being very hot, but slippery as well.
A golf glove on the left hand saved the day and has been used by yours truly ever since.
Cx flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6364 posts, RR: 56 Reply 11, posted (10 years 6 months 6 days ago) and read 7576 times:
I flew with a Captain just 3 days ago that wore white gloves, although only until top of climb, and from top of descent to after landing. Not sure why. Looks silly, plus Boeing have designed each knob on the MCP panel to have a different feel to it with different shapes and different grooves. This is to give a distinction between them, especially when there may be smoke in the cockpit and you may have to feel your way around. Wearing gloves makes it all harder in my opinion. I imagine trying to type an e-mail wearing gloves. It just wouldn't work.
Bravo45 From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2165 posts, RR: 12 Reply 13, posted (10 years 6 months 4 days ago) and read 7485 times:
Other than the "sign of good luck" thing, is there any thing else that the gloves help? Secondly are their any special pilot gloves? I have seen a PIA 747 pilot and First officer in the same cockpit using the gloves (weren't as white as in the pictures above and besides the sign of good luck is not the case in Pakistan). I was curious too and wanted to ask, but forgot it as I got absorbed in the on going events.
Zeke From Hong Kong, joined Dec 2006, 7767 posts, RR: 73 Reply 15, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 6374 times:
Quoting AA61hvy (Reply 8): I havent seen CX pilots wear gloves.
Quoting Cx flyboy (Reply 11): I flew with a Captain just 3 days ago that wore white gloves, although only until top of climb, and from top of descent to after landing. Not sure why. Looks silly, plus Boeing have designed each knob on the MCP panel to have a different feel to it with different shapes and different grooves. This is to give a distinction between them, especially when there may be smoke in the cockpit and you may have to feel your way around. Wearing gloves makes it all harder in my opinion. I imagine trying to type an e-mail wearing gloves. It just wouldn't work.
Few about, some ex-military chaps just never left their previous life, others do it on medical advice becuase of the risk or disposition to skin cancer.
We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking – Santosh Kalwar
Jetlagged From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 2462 posts, RR: 17 Reply 16, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 6290 times:
Quoting Zeke (Reply 15): Few about, some ex-military chaps just never left their previous life, others do it on medical advice becuase of the risk or disposition to skin cancer.
It used to be pretty much standard to wear flying gloves in the RAF. Not the enormous gauntlets of WW1, they are thin, soft and flexible leather gloves, designed for maximum feel. The ones in the photo look more like something you would wear for a round of golf. The main reason is that the military fly war planes in war situations, so may need to operate controls which are hot, or even burning. They also provide a sure grip when the palms are sweaty. You can also right "LEFT" and "RIGHT" on them in case you get easily confused.
Not normal encountered on a civil airliner, but old habits die hard for some.
The glass isn't half empty, or half full, it's twice as big as it needs to be.
Blackbird From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 6194 times:
Well, as one member here said, it's got to do with the fact that white is often in asian cultures viewed as a symbol of purity. I remember hearing at Buddhist funerals, everybody wears white... not black.
Also the Japanese (as in from Japan) are OBSESSED with cleanliness (not that that's a bad thing, but it is notable)
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15904 posts, RR: 66 Reply 18, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 6176 times:
Quoting Cx flyboy (Reply 11): Looks silly, plus Boeing have designed each knob on the MCP panel to have a different feel to it with different shapes and different grooves. This is to give a distinction between them, especially when there may be smoke in the cockpit and you may have to feel your way around. Wearing gloves makes it all harder in my opinion. I imagine trying to type an e-mail wearing gloves. It just wouldn't work.
As Jetlagged mentions, flying gloves are thin enough to give good tactile sensation. They also help you not slip. Not that the latter is a big problem in airliner ops.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
Jetlagged From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 2462 posts, RR: 17 Reply 19, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 6157 times:
Quoting Blackbird (Reply 17): Also the Japanese (as in from Japan) are OBSESSED with cleanliness (not that that's a bad thing, but it is notable)
Is there another kind of Japanese? In their case I understand it's more about not transferring their germs so others can pick them up, not just simply avoiding other people's germs. The first time I saw people in Tokyo wearing masks I assumed it was because of polution, but a local told me it was probably because they had a cold. You keep your germs to yourself in other words.
Quoting Starlionblue (Reply 18): They also help you not slip. Not that the latter is a big problem in airliner ops.
Only if you lose your grip on your glass in the bar after the flight.
The glass isn't half empty, or half full, it's twice as big as it needs to be.
KELPkid From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 5962 posts, RR: 4 Reply 20, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 6155 times:
Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 14): Could it also be Hygenic point of view of the Individuals & better grip.
regds
MEL
Well, from my high school and college days in the marching band and the ROTC colorguard, white, especially on gloves, is an extremely hard color to keep clean. I probably averaged about 1 pair of gloves a month...
The band ones were pretty cool, though. They were 100% cotton and had these tiny little rubber dots on the inside of the fingers and on the palm that improved your grip I wonder if Japanese pilots use that style of gloves...
Celebrating the birth of KELPkidJR on August 5, 2009 :-)
The ones in cartoons. Seriously though, I have two friends with Japanese wives. Neither girl has ever lived in Japan for more than a few months. But they most definitely see themselves as Japanese. And yes, they have a very different outlook on life.
Quoting KELPkid (Reply 20): Well, from my high school and college days in the marching band and the ROTC colorguard, white, especially on gloves, is an extremely hard color to keep clean. I probably averaged about 1 pair of gloves a month
I feel your pain. The French Foreign Legion has white hats for their dress uniforms. The basic rule is: never touch the white part. Thankfully the brim is black.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64 Reply 22, posted (6 years 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 6046 times:
Cockpits can be extremely manky. Often I don't understand the pilots. It is them whio have to sit for 8+ hours in there, I don't understand why they leave the cockpits so messy, with food crumbs etc. thrown all over the place. I know some pilots, who bring a desinfectant spray or desinfectant wipes and wipe all swiches, armrests and controls with them when they take over an aircraft.
Quoting Jetlagged (Reply 16): Few about, some ex-military chaps just never left their previous life, others do it on medical advice becuase of the risk or disposition to skin cancer.
It used to be pretty much standard to wear flying gloves in the RAF. Not the enormous gauntlets of WW1, they are thin, soft and flexible leather gloves, designed for maximum feel. The ones in the photo look more like something you would wear for a round of golf. The main reason is that the military fly war planes in war situations, so may need to operate controls which are hot, or even burning. They also provide a sure grip when the palms are sweaty. You can also right "LEFT" and "RIGHT" on them in case you get easily confused. Smile
Not normal encountered on a civil airliner, but old habits die hard for some.
In the military there is another reason: In combat the aircraft might catch fire and then it is advisable to have as little skin as possible exposed to the flames. Thus the flight suit is made out of a fire retardant material (Nomex today, in WW2 it used to be leather or wool). The oxygen mask also has a secondary purpose to protect the face (in WW2 the pilots wore their goggles inside an enclosed cockpit. Some fighters had a fuel tank between the engine and the cockpit. Shot down pilots were often terribly disconfigured by burns.
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15904 posts, RR: 66 Reply 23, posted (6 years 2 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 5967 times:
Quoting MD11Engineer (Reply 22): Cockpits can be extremely manky. Often I don't understand the pilots. It is them whio have to sit for 8+ hours in there, I don't understand why they leave the cockpits so messy, with food crumbs etc. thrown all over the place. I know some pilots, who bring a desinfectant spray or desinfectant wipes and wipe all swiches, armrests and controls with them when they take over an aircraft.
I can well imagine it. The problem with "communal usage" like cockpits is that no one feels responsible. It's not theirs after all. Most of us were taught to leave such places in a better state than we found them. But then again...
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
BuckFifty From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 1314 posts, RR: 21 Reply 24, posted (6 years 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 5923 times:
Quoting MD11Engineer (Reply 22): Cockpits can be extremely manky. Often I don't understand the pilots. It is them whio have to sit for 8+ hours in there, I don't understand why they leave the cockpits so messy, with food crumbs etc. thrown all over the place. I know some pilots, who bring a desinfectant spray or desinfectant wipes and wipe all swiches, armrests and controls with them when they take over an aircraft.
They took out a RMP in front of me once. Looked in the hole, and I swear I can see cockroaches running around.
25 Molykote: Could have been. Most carriers that I am aware of do place insect traps throughout their aircraft.
26 HAWK21M: With our Freighter arriving from BLR.Mosquitoes are a problem so regular repellant is used. regds MEL
27 Tt737fo: The Japanese white glove thing is simply this: courtesy and cleanliness. Train workers and taxi drivers also wear white gloves. Many KAL pilots wear w
28 YYZYYT: Had the same thought, wore white gloves for five years in the army cadet corps. The gloves were quite slippery and useless at gripping anything (such
29 Starlionblue: Lol. Those dots need to be way bigger to give any decent grip. My daughter has the bruises to prove it.
30 Uscgc130: The difference is that Nomex flight gloves are worn by military pilots for a reason that's readily apparent.
31 Bond007: I guess I'm missing the part where wearing gloves is hygienic ??? So they go to the bathroom, wash their hands, and then put their dirty gloves back
32 HAWK21M: That way to ensure Germ free washing use a photocell operated basin,as touching a dirty hand on a tap,washing ones hand & closing that tap handle tra
33 Starlionblue: That's why you grab a paper towel before you start washing, so you can close the taps with it. I think the whole bacteria scare in the US is totally
34 YYZYYT: Surely not just then? But at least they're getting their own germs on their hands and not everybody elses' germs. Or passing their germs on.
35 Starlionblue: Well, no. But that is the most important time for most people. What's the big deal? There are germs all around us and inside us. They do fly around i
36 KELPkid: If cleanliness is your thing, then aviation is the wrong industry to be in Even as a pilot, you have routine contact with greasy parts and fuel (pre-f
38 Starlionblue: At least most carriers in North America and Europe have banned smoking in the cockpit nowadays.
39 David L: This is something I've believed for years and now more doctors are confirming it. Anecdotal, perhaps, but it agrees with many such examples I've witn
40 Bond007: Why is that? Why is wearing gloves ANY different than wearing skin? However the germs got onto your bare hands, can just as easily happen on gloves.
41 Starlionblue: Agreed. Also, if there is grease or sticky gooey ectoplasm on anything in the cockpit, it may be easier to wear gloves that absorb rather than skin t
42 MD11Engineer: There exists a theory among doctors, being supported by statistical analysis of the number of occurences of allergies in rich industrial countries wi
43 KELPkid: Indeed. Cigarette Smoke is bad for not only the lungs, but avionics, gyroscopes, and the cloth and plastic in the interior.
44 Starlionblue: I have read much of the same. Now my wife and I have the chance to ruin (ahem, I mean raise) a new generation. We are hoping that she will not have t
45 HAWK21M: I don't notice the Avionics guys there Thats the worst you mentioned. regds MEL
46 BAe146QT: Hear, hear. Seems to me that the West is bringing up a generation of sickly wimps. Ironic, given that it's being done in the name of keeping them saf
47 Starlionblue: Going off topic here, but this is true of psychology as well as physiology. With the current crop of "nothing but the best to make my child a success
48 YYZYYT: Because you can take off the gloves when you need to scratch your face, thus leaving all of those other germs behind on the gloves rather than on you
50 Bond007: Aaaah ... that's what they do right? Every time they touch any other part of skin, they take their gloves off? ....of course I hope they only take on
51 Ha763: Nope. If you look closely, the pilots are actually wearing white golf gloves. I've seen batting gloves and even fingerless gloves being used by Japan
52 Trent1000: "Good luck"? Don't think so. taxi drivers, train drivers, you name it... part of the uniform (in Japan). The little theatrical hand movements are quit
53 HAWK21M: Are you sure. Or do you mean Batting inner gloves. regds MEL
55 YYZYYT: Let me say again that I am not a germophobic type... but I CAN'T resist playing devil's advocate. Germs on your skin may not necessarily be a problem
56 Bond007: I don't disagree .... but I'll ask again ... how is this different whether I wear gloves or not?? Jimbo
57 Starlionblue: Hehe. Well, the likelihood of someone with any dangerous disease having touched the doorknob/elevator button AND it being transmitted is pretty low.
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Seriously though, I have two friends with Japanese wives. Neither girl has ever lived in Japan for more than a few months. But they most definitely see themselves as Japanese. And yes, they have a very different outlook on life.
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