Sim recurrent training : In uniform or not ?
Maybe, but as we all are super clever girls and boys we like to be given an explanation for things we are supposed to do. They tell us that we need to wear the uniform they buy us (or that we have to buy ourselves in more companies that one may think...) because of the passengers. There is no other reason. Not even the CEOs and other executives of many airlines are required to observe any dresscode as long as they are in their offices. Some of them not even outside their office (I have not yet seen a picture of Richard Branson wearing a jacket and tie...). And as there are no passengers or other clients around the simulator the only reason for a uniform is no longer there.
Any sighting of Richard Branson in a tie is definitely an imposter
Never been in uniform for sim sessions, cargo ops, Channel Express and EAT.
Used to use an Air France A300 sim at Orly 15 to 20 years ago, and the in flight meals for the AF crews included a small bottle of wine. Does this still happen?
Used to use an Air France A300 sim at Orly 15 to 20 years ago, and the in flight meals for the AF crews included a small bottle of wine. Does this still happen?
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I always felt I could perform a little better in uniform. Which is why I always wore it on POS flights. But in the sim??? That is another story. Another story again when all sim trg is done on your days off! But just another example of how you are all a slave to your master? Wearing 4 stripes and being branded a Captain means.... nothing I am afraid. 'Still a blue collar worker? I wish it were different.
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I've seen about every variation over the years. At Pan Am in the closing days if you wore faded jeans and dirty running shoes in the sim building you were a line guy. If you wore a tie you were an instructor. And if you wore a dark suit you were in the building for a newhire interview sim ride.
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We started wearing uniforms some time ago (European Flag Carrier) and I am quite happy about it because of :
A) It does help realism
B) Don’t have to wear my clothes while seating on sweaty/dirty seats.
C) You have “work clothes” and “time off” clothes, which, if You spend 15 days + a month in the SIM is good.
D) If I get ink/coffee stains on my uniform shirt/trousers I don’t care, if it is washable good otherwise I order a new one. If that happens on personal shirts and trousers I get annoyed. And no, I never wore cheap jeans and t-shirts in the sim, it’s still a workplace.
A) It does help realism
B) Don’t have to wear my clothes while seating on sweaty/dirty seats.
C) You have “work clothes” and “time off” clothes, which, if You spend 15 days + a month in the SIM is good.
D) If I get ink/coffee stains on my uniform shirt/trousers I don’t care, if it is washable good otherwise I order a new one. If that happens on personal shirts and trousers I get annoyed. And no, I never wore cheap jeans and t-shirts in the sim, it’s still a workplace.
Having been at airlines that do both I much prefer to wear uniform in the Sim. I have always found it strange when they tell you ‘treat it like the real aircraft’ and ‘try and forget you are in the sim’ while the person next to you is in civilian clothes. Being in uniform helps with the realism and it is easy. Lots of people at my current job just end up wearing their basic uniform pants and white shirt without all the bling.
Large regional airline in Australia. We can do either. Check Captain has always in my experience worn business attire, unless they have come to the sim immediately after an operating duty. I wear uniform if i can for the simple reason that I just like it to be as close to a normal day at work as possible, as I tend to perform better that way. Most often the person next to me is in uniform as well.
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Not any more. Full uniform required for Jet2 sim duties.
I’ve done both and for me I find wearing the full uniform actually helps a little. Psychologically puts me in the mindset before I even step in to the sim. Just like the walk to the crew room for a flight - if I was in civvies I don’t think I would ‘feel’ what I needed to feel before a flight.
Everyone is different I guess. On the other side of the coin I don’t think I could chill out on the sofa with a beer wearing a tie and epaulettes.
I’ve done both and for me I find wearing the full uniform actually helps a little. Psychologically puts me in the mindset before I even step in to the sim. Just like the walk to the crew room for a flight - if I was in civvies I don’t think I would ‘feel’ what I needed to feel before a flight.
Everyone is different I guess. On the other side of the coin I don’t think I could chill out on the sofa with a beer wearing a tie and epaulettes.
We used a sim centre with a variety of aircraft and airlines operating 24/7
never saw anyone wearing a uniform apart from some cadets, though not in airline togs were all dressed the same, black trousers, white shirt and dark jumper.
never saw anyone wearing a uniform apart from some cadets, though not in airline togs were all dressed the same, black trousers, white shirt and dark jumper.
Sorry to say, but a uniform does not make me a better or worse pilot, flight tests, ferrying 737's round the globe, Sims all done in normal clothes. I don't need the uniform to put me in right frame of mind. Must be an old crusty then.
I flew with a South East Asia company back in the 90s with a lot of my former colleagues from a disappeared UK carrier. Then we had to wear uniforms in the Sim. What really amazed me was that we had to do a wet dinghy drill ( we flew over a lot of water, even on 'domestic' flights') and we had to be in uniform for that as well!! Do the instructor/examiners have to be in uniform as well? Shades of discrimination here!!
In BA the wearing of uniform for sims was mandated with the BOAC merger with BEA. We had to be seen to share some SOPs, to keep everyone happy. Bit silly really, as was our adoption of their Monitored Approach SOP,
Apparently BEA Management reckoned that you fly a better ILS in uniform.
Apparently BEA Management reckoned that you fly a better ILS in uniform.
Last edited by cessnapete; 11th Dec 2019 at 10:03.