Nomex or Nylon?

[TXFlyGuy]

After being advised by my P-51 Mustang owner/pilot friend that nomex would be a wise decision, I found a nice example on the Bay. The Cockpit Authentic MA-1 was purchased to wear while flying my Mustang, but now nomex will be the jacket of choice, unless I'm wearing the leather A-2, of course. Both are size L, but the Alpha is cut on the small side.
This is an Alpha CWU-45P (nomex) on the left. Very nice, very warm. MA-1 on the right.

 

[bn1966]

I prefer nylon for its texture, but if I flew I think it would be Nomex every time for its fire retardant properties. I've owned quite a few CWU jackets & am now down to three vintage 'action back' versions. I'll soon thin this down to one (my favourite CWU-45) & hopefully have some funds towards a Cockpit USA made MA-1. The MA-1 is my favourite nylon jacket style, followed by the L-2B & N-2B (for the Fall).

 

[Monsoon]

Dude, nomex. If you're flying, wear it. Nylon will melt and drip and you sure don't want that when you're trying to battle your way out of a burning plane. Cotton is ok because it will "just" char.

And don't forget leather boots. I use to wear jungle boots when I flew, but then read a report where and Army helicopter crashed and the two guys had to run thru some fire to get out. One wore leather flight boots. Some of the stitching was burned and that was it. The other wore nylon Magnum boots. They melted and shrunk onto his foot. Nuff said for me; I went to supply and got leather flight boots that day.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Dude, nomex. If you're flying, wear it. Nylon will melt and drip and you sure don't want that when you're trying to battle your way out of a burning plane. Cotton is ok because it will "just" char.

And don't forget leather boots. I use to wear jungle boots when I flew, but then read a report where and Army helicopter crashed and the two guys had to run thru some fire to get out. One wore leather flight boots. Some of the stitching was burned and that was it. The other wore nylon Magnum boots. They melted and shrunk onto his foot. Nuff said for me; I went to supply and got leather flight boots that day.

Oh yes...I have the full flight suit in nomex, plus the underwear ( top / bottoms / socks). My P-51 pilot friend wears nomex racing shoes (and a helmet). I am looking for some good leather boots. Bought a real nice pair from Chippewa, but could not get my foot into the boot because I have a high instep. I have not found one pair of boots that my foot will go into. The problem is the tongue is stitched almost all the way up, not allowing the boot to "open" enough for my foot to slide in.

My particular aircraft has never had a fire in it's history, inflight or on the ground. I'm just being cautious.

 

[Edward]

For me, the MA1 is the final USAF jacket which interests me. I don't fly, so the nomex offers no advantage. If I did, I guess I'd go looking for a Nomex version. Much prefer the earlier look.

 

[Deacon211]

I personally like the style of the Nomex better. The collar and useful pockets appeal to me stylistically and I like the flatter sheen of the Nomex.

Still some of that is the general quality of the after market nylon. The older, flatter ma-1s look much better to me.

Nothing wrong with caution. It's comforting to know that your aircraft isn't prone to fires.

But you never want to be the first and you bust open a fuel cell and that thing is as likely to burn as the rest of them.


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[TXFlyGuy]

I went back and took a good close look at these two. The sheen on both of them is almost identical. The material is different, and the color is not quite a match, so that may be throwing us off at first glance.
The Cockpit MA-1 is a more comfortable jacket, for sure.

I only need a few seconds to get out of the cockpit...if I need more than that, it's too late anyway!

 

[Ralph_Phillips]

I've been on fire once and wouldn't care to be on fire again. Nomex is cheap compared to medical bills. Remember though, Nomex only gives you a few extra seconds to get away, but those seconds are worth it. Don't forget some Nomex gloves either, they're not for protecting your hands so much as for covering your face.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Leather is very good in protection during a flash fire. So, wearing my A-2 (during warmer wx) does not concern me. But...the cuffs and waistband might burn easily.
I also have good leather gloves.
The CWU-45/P is insulated quite well. Combined with the nomex flightsuit, and underwear, I should be toasty warm. Even at 11,000 feet in the winter!

 

[Deacon211]

Yeah, just remember that it only takes you a couple seconds to get out of the cockpit...now.

I've seen more than a few accidents where they had to cut the guy out. If you're in a flaming ball of wreckage, you are right in that it won't matter. For something less than that, you might just save yourself a couple months in a skin bag.


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[Ralph_Phillips]

The most time you'll get to get out of it is whatever you can do on one gulp of air.

If you get leather, you want wool cuffs/waistband and for the liner, cotton or silk or Bemberg rayon (not to be confused with the highly flammable type of rayon). Bemberg rayon is the one that has the flammability characteristics of natural silk. Anything that has a fire retarding treatment can be considered to have a service life of five years, at which point it has to be replaced. I am not certain, but I believe that five year lifespan may apply to Nomex as well.

My time in a fire was at most two or three seconds. The medical bills were $18,000.