When did the RNZAF first start wearing flying overalls?

[Dave Homewood]

When did the RNZAF first start wearing flying overalls rather than just battledress or normal uniform with a leather jacket?

Did the flying overalls get introduced with the Vampires? Plots seem to wear grey overalls when flying the Vampires, but were they used prior to the jets with the Mustangs, Mossies, etc? And were they issued right across the board to all pilots and aircrew right at the start? Just curious.

[tbf25o4]

Dave, it depends on what definition of flying overalls that you want.
For example RAF style "flying suits" were worn in the 1920s and 1930s, and on entry into the war, some RAF type flying overalls (including white ones ala Keith Park) were worn. In the SWPA, fighter pilots wore a mixture of USN/Marine type flying overals (tropical lightweight). Post war the RNZAF reverted to RAF style of flying overalls the grey ones you refer to. These arrived around the time of the major purchases of the 1950/51 era. I had a set of them given to me by a CMT signaller who did his course in the early 1950s which indicates that all aircrew were issued with them. The grey overalls were replaced by the nomex ones in the early 1960s, around the time the Orions and Hercules were introduced.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Paul.

[vansvilla]

The aircrew in Singapore on 41 Sqn in the mid 60's were a light weight, light green flight suit, overalls.
Possibly UK sourced?

[tbf25o4]

The 41 Squadron lightweight tropical flying suits were indeed RAF/RN issue. I have a pair of ex-RN ones which I wore in Singapore in the 1970s, but found back in NZ they were a little too thin when
flying on SAR missions in Devons with the door off!

[davidd]

The RNZAF introduced the first locally designed and manufactured flying overalls in (I think) early 1945. Unlike all previous "Flying overalls", these were two-piece (jacket and trousers), and one of the Corsair squadrons heading for the "Forward area" was issued with them to carry out "tropical evaluation". Unfortunately I do not have to hand the squadron number although I think it was about April 1945. Nor do I know the official name of these overalls (probably just considered "experimental" at the time), and I do not know the type of material it was made from, nor the colour of it. I have never even seen a photograph of it. The entire production run was probably this first batch for the one squadron, so perhaps just 27 sets (pilot establishment for a Corsair squadron) were made, and the end of the war would have been the death knell for this suit. Of course the RNZAF even now has a two-piece flying suit, still in use so far as I know, introduced perhaps 15 or so years ago - comments anyone? Incidentally during WW2 in the Pacific, some RNZAF pilots managed to "score" some of the USAAF flying overalls, which were a rather dark olive green colour. Also RNZAF Hudson crewmen flying from Henderson Field in 1943 were issued with a one-piece "flying suit" manufactured from olive green HBT (Herring Bone Twill) material. However these were actually USAAF Mechanics' overalls, and were originally intended for use only in temperate climates, so were not very popular with aviation mechanics in the tropics. I have always presumed that these circumstances were the reason the RNZAF was offered them in the first place, but I could be wrong. In the RNZAF stores system, these suits were referred to as "Bomber flying suits", or "Flying suits, Heavy". I think they were more suited to NZ Winter flying conditions, where they would have been greatly appreciated. Another type of American (US Navy) flying suit offered to the RNZAF in about 1944 for flying boat (Catalina) crews was a lovely looking thing with a shiny finish and in various colours. Unfortunately these were manufactured from nylon (like the latest American parachutes), but they had already fallen from favour with American aircrew as they had been exposed as highly dangerous when exposed to fire, so were not usually worn at all. The RNZAF Museum has several sets of these overalls as a consequence, most still in excellent condition. "Flying suits" were introduced in the first place as an issue item for just two-reasons - to protect any official uniform worn underneath from flying castor oil (as well as engine oil), and secondly, to provide the wearer with at least some protection from the slipstream, and even more importantly, from the cold of a European winter. Incidentally the "Battledress" was adopted by the RAF from about late 1940 onwards (I think) as a Flying Suit, and was given a new name and received a new stores reference number. The RNZAF itself adopted NZ-manufactured Battledress (BG colour) in 1942 as a flying suit as well as a second uniform, but never designated it as a flying suit. These NZ suits differed from those made in UK, Canada, etc in many ways, although the most obvious was the replacement of the complicated "hook & eye" fastener at the throat by a much simpler (and easier to use) tab and button.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for all the great replies.

[30sqnatc]

The wearing of battle dress would have provided a good level of fire protection due to the high wool content. All I remember of wearing BDs was itch, itch, itchie