I’m new to GBFans and just started making my first uniform.
There were a lot of things to consider but mostly finding an appropriate flight suit to fit my budget. I bought mine through PilotShop.com and am wondering how, in general, they should fit. The website only offered sizes S-XL or XXL but with a price tag of $37.99 (Black) I figured it was worth the money.
Once it arrived I was happy and it appeared right. But as I adjust to wearing it I cannot help but feel maybe the legs are arms are a bit baggy. The funny thing is that I have a slightly difficult time getting into it; So, thinking of going a size down I can imagine would make things very difficult.
I would consider myself and average body type. I’m 5’6" and at 170 lbs, in researching flight suits I see others in the same situation as me. So, is there a “right” way these suits should fit. I keep reminding myself that flight suits are made to go over clothes and not hug the body.
Flight suits fit most people like a parachute. The one thing you don’t want is a suit that’s too small. My rule is if it’s uncomfortable in the crotch to sit down in, it isn’t gonna work out. So unless it’s ridiculously baggy, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I’m 5’7" and 176 lbs and fit a 44S nomex flightsuit perfectly! Try to measure your chest and see what you come up with… I measured around 40 something, but most of my military uniforms are 44, so I just stuck with that… Also, if you give the flightsuit a hot wash (like really hot) and dry it on the high setting, it will shrink the suit a bit if you truly need to… Tru-Specs will shrink a lot after like 3 hot washes, Nomex will shrink a little bit, but not much, but sometimes that is all you need…
(Am I the only one that had to “Copy Image Location” and paste to see the pic? :whatever: )
And that’s cool, I like that combo pretty good myself. One reason why I never got in a rush to replace my black belt and black elbow pads for my khaki uniform till now.
My Lifegard II came just a bit too late to complete my uniform for some Halloween parties I was attending.
As you can see it is a bit banged up from use as expected. So, I decided that I will attempt to restore them to look as brand new as possible.
I first started by gutting the Lifegard II. (Not pictured).
Next, I took apart the Lifegard II and washed the main shell as best I could with warm water and dish soap. That way I could do away with any dirt, debris and ash that remained.
With a sanding block of Fine and Extra Fine grit I sanded A few rough edges around the corners to smooth them out. Along with some Loctite I filled in a few cracks and etched numbers carved into the device.
I’m still working on sanding those as smooth as I can but not sure how it will turn out.
With some Loctite adhesive putty I filled in the cracks around the screws and a dent. I plan to sand and smooth the edges before giving this piece a coat of paint before moving onto the main piece.
Ahhh, yeah, I know what you mean. The ones I have were pretty beat up, but I just left 'em like that. Just a personal preference thing, I guess. Looks good!
