Army Surplus Nomex fire protection suits
 

Anyone know if the army surplus flight suits provide any decent protection? The ones I have seen are 92% Meta Aramid Fiber and 5% para Aramid fibers? They seem like a low cost way to get into some basic fire protection. :bigbye:

I've seen a few people use them for DE's, but it seems no club or racing body allows them.

I have one in my closet from my years in the Army. They are very comfortable and lightweight. They give minimal fire protection and I would not wear them for DE's. They are surplus items for a reason. The Army has gone to much heavier fire resistant suits. The old ones that you are looking at probably have hundreds of hours in them. You would be best served to use this one on Oct 31st and not on the race track.

Would they satisfy the requirements for an enduro fireman in club racing? The rules simply state that the fireman has to wear a fire retardant suit. Might be a good way to commandeer a helper who doesn't have a suit.

While no substitute for a full race suit, the Army flight suit will provide more fire protection than the standard cotton shirt and jeans most drivers wear during DE's. IIRC, the flash point for nomex is more than twice as high as cotton and even if the garmet is well-used, the material retains much of its fire-resistant properties. Plus, they are quite comfortable.

You certainly want to stay away from any polyester or nylon material. In a fire, this stuff will melt to your skin.

From the PCA Racing Rule Book

15. A one piece fire retardant driving suit is required. (Two layer or one layer plus fire retardant underwear, minimum - three layer or the special two layer with SFI rating of 3.2A/5 strongly recommended. Military flight suits are not acceptable substitutes for fire retardant driving suits.) Fire retardant socks and gloves are required. Driving shoes of fire retardant material are required. Drivers with mustaches and/or beards must wear a balaclava.

Those rules don't apply to PCA Drivers Ed events I assume??

I started wearing Army Nomex flight suits in 1968, ending with retirement in 2001. First two piece then one piece. They would suck for racing, besides looking like a moron. Flight suits are made to be worn 16 + hours a day, and have compromises for that purpose. There no knitted sleeve ends or leg ends. The neck is not turtle neck, etc. You can buy a one piece GForce suit for around $100, and their $300 multi-layer suit is great. Many other companies offer the proper suit, and you will look like a race driver, not a military pilot or crewmember that got lost. (By the way, for the most part, all branches of the sevice use the same flight suit. Though the Army did try to make a Camo 2 piece, that I hope they got rid of after I left the service.)

Go with a real drivers suit, you will be safer. By the way, SCCA specifically bans military flight suits. One thing I do use though, is the military nomex flight jacket. If it is cold (like Barber last Nov.) I wear it over my drivers suit, and it keeps me warm, and is the only nomex jacket I know about. The military had at least two. The sage green nomex (not to be mixed up with the old nylon jacket, with the bright orange lining, if you catch fire in that one, you will go up like you are dipped in gasoline) and the OD tankers jacket. Both are nomex, and are warm.

Bill Seifert

1987 944S Race Car

The military also issued nomex long john underwear (two piece) and that under the flight suit would give you more protection.

It still is not a race suit, but better then nothing for a DE.

That PCA rule 15 is for the driver.
I was told you can use the flight suit for the crew in an enduro for fueling. They also need to have gloves an full face helmet

I'd be more comfortable making sure that my crew was wearing decent fire protection. I would think that the chances of a fire are probably greatest during refueling versus driving around the track. With that said, I've never seen a fire on pit row during enduro pitstops, but with all that fuel and hot rotors, wheels, etc, better safe than sorry.

If you're so concerned about your crew, you'd stop using Pete's low-rent, lawnmower gas cans. My gloves still reek of gas. Also, I'm sure my business would suffer if I had to work with a metal claw with my charred hand. :) FYI, I didn't spill a drop for Woody, Skip or Todd with their real racing fuel jugs.

[QUOTE=Mark in Baltimore]If you're so concerned about your crew, you'd stop using Pete's low-rent, lawnmower gas cans. QUOTE]

That's why I made sure you had the proper clothing :)

Here's a question? Why do flight suits have what appears to be velcro on the left/right chest pocket area?

That is where the name tag goes. That, and the rank areas on the shoulder, is removeable so you can be de-idenitied when flying combat missions. Then you can get less intelligence from a downed airman..... until the torture starts!!!



As an aside. If you let pit crews use flight suits for refueling with K-mart gas cans rather then real racer gas cans..... if the car catches fire the crew could "de-identify" themselves so it would be harder for the driver to find them afterwards!!!!

Or the crew could just go AWOL when Manny and Pete Tremper are assigning duties for a fueler...