Is a pilot allowed to have ...................... (if you are a man)?

Question

Long hair (neat and straigttened) (but not too long)

Piercings

Facial hair

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Answer 1

Not my pilots.

Answer 2

Facial hair is usually taboo due to the oxygen masks not being able to seal assuming your flying an A/C which is pressurized.

Answer 3

Most of the airline pilots I know are fairly "military" in their grooming standards; not quite that stringent, but close. Most of the "majors" have fairly strict grooming standards. The worst I have seen is a pilot who looks like he is just a little overdue for a haircut. The average passenger doesn't want to see someone who looks like their neighborhood skateboarder flying their plane.

Corporate may be different for some. Each has their own set of standards. But again, most of the guys I know flying corporate look about the same as described above. There could always be exceptions though.

If I were going for a job interview, I would determine the grooming standards for any company to which I was applying and conform to them beforehand. I do a lot of interviews/hiring and I know when someone walks in to an interview not groomed/dressed properly, it counts against them.

Answer 4

When I flew some of our guys had long hair tied up in a pony tail and a couple of guys had beards (me a mustache)  BUT we weren't a major we were strictly small time and mostly cargo.

If you want a job with the majors you have to look the part of Mr Clean and upstanding.  So that means NO tats showing, NO piercings showing, a neet and trimed mustache or beard (but I think I'd loose the beard if going for an interview).

One has to look the part on the job what you do on your own time is your business.

Answer 5

basically

NO

NO

YES

Answer 6

No

No

Yes

Answer 7

Airlines are very conserative businesses, and want to protray a very stong professional image. To do this, many require very clean cut looks from the crew. Long Hair will never be seen on a airline crew, unless the pilot is female, and most airlines. Piercings, are usually not worn by men either as they do not portray a professional image.

Facial hair, is allowed, but usually only a mustache. The reason for this is safety. A thick beard will not allow a oxygen mask to form a seal on the face, which is a safety concern in emergency situation.

Another reason, is in the past many of the pilots were from the military and the grooming, and hair styles were adopted from military guidelines.

Tattos are common among pilots, but they are always concelable under a shirt or uniform and never visiable.

Answer 8

Well if you are going for a job interview , you will never be getting on that controls.

Well a pilot must be decent, clean shaved and good to look at. He represents a big company and flies something bigger than your car.  He must have the best influence and he incfluences wannabe pilots (kids) and he must show a right impression.

And ofcourse he must look handsome to the flight attendents.

So Tattos,Piercings,Facial hair is out of the question

Answer 9

Facial hair is allowed within the limits of the General Operating Manual (GOM).  Some airlines GOM does not allow for any facial hair period.  If the company writes a policy or procedure in their GOM by law they have to follow it.  This includes all of the personal grooming stuff.  

The reason for not allowing facial hair is it may not seal around the oxygen mask, which could be concern in emergency situation.  However I have facial hair and scuba dive with a mustache and beard.  I don’t have a problem with water getting in.  However if you have a beard or mustache and use the wrong kind of grease to hold it in place it can ignite with oxygen.  This would not be a good situation at 30,000 feet having you face on fire.  This is why I only use bee’s wax on my facial hair and airlines don't like facial hair it the risk they want to avoid.

Airline GOM’s also have standards for grooming, hair length, dress, and weight its part of the company image.  If a pilot wants to look like the local bus driver they would not get the job with their shirt tail hanging out, belly covering their belt buckle.  Pilots have to pass a medical exam and be in fairly good condition to pass this exam to keep flying.

Keep in mind pilots and flight attendants represent the company they work for.  If a person looks like a slob the company looks like a slob.

As for body piercing sorry not in aviation.  Body piercing rings, bolts, chains, and etc. would interfere with emergency equipment.  However small earrings are allowed by some airlines for female flight attendants each airlines sets their own code of rules on this.  This is not to say you cannot wear them when not working.  At work its not allowed.

All airlines allow for tattoos among pilots, but not exposed.  Again each airline is a little different on how they look at it.  It will come up in the pre-employment interview.  

I spend a lot of time flying and have not had a pilot with a ponytail in 30-years on a commercial aircraft.  The same goes for corporate operations its all about image.

Answer 10

LMAO I met a pilot once for US Airways who belonged to a mullet club.  I was talking to him during our layover due to sever t-storms.  He is a former navla pilot but it was strange to see one who belonged to a mullet club

Answer 11

If it's your own aircraft,yes.

If it's an airline,almost always no.

Answer 12

Would you ant a pilot to have long hair, piercings and facial hair?

How about the little old lady next door?

Or, the business person who flies every week?

Professionalism is part of the job.

Answer 13

well, if you want to look extra bad in an interview and look bad in-front of passengers that wear piercings, long hair, excetera. So if i was you, dont have tatoos, and if you do cover them up or get them removed, take out piercings, and have short, well cropped hair.

Different airlines have different rules.