I love the parka too I must say; after about 5-6 years at the company you will accumulate enough jackets for just about any occasion... the parka works great as a rain jacket one day and ski jacket the next too!

 

The parka is a perfect coat. With the liner, you can pretty much withstand exceptionally cold weather (ANC and Incheon in winter). Without the liner, it is highly functional as a coat and does a fair job of repelling moisture.

There is only one person that I've seen in infrequent visits to the MEM crew room in cooler weather that likes the long overcoat. I would guess that person does not fly to different climates on the same trip, therefore there would be no need to carry the heavy thing in a warm climate when you departed from a cold one.

Now, talk is going around that the long overcoat magically transforms us into a more "professional" looking crew force. That style coat has no epaulettes, no stripes, nothing to identify you as a "professional" airline pilot any more than the parka. Yet, some contend that the parka is not "professional." Furthermore, what is the functional status of a long woolen coat in precipitation?

I'm just not sure how one non-functional and utility inhibited woolen coat can be even seriously considered. I am just hoping that, if the long woolen coat is forced through the pipeline, that the parka is not removed from the list of acceptable options.

I'm not sure how this initiative fits in with the stated goal of better correspondence, openness and transfer of ideas between mgt and the line guys. Many line pilots want the parka, yet the mgt march seems to be toward outlawing it.

 

I'm good. I tried on the parka OVER the woolen coat, and it fits nicely. Vital on those non-MEM "World on Time" cold weather preflights...

 

After you've been here a while you can easily get the uniform allowance to buy you both or all three jackets for that matter. I started with the leather (no parka option at the time), then blouse, then parka, then wool overcoat. I'll probably wear the parka most of the time. In all cases FDX is picking up the tab... You certainly don't need to try and buy them all at once.

Good luck.

 

[QUOTE=Flaps50;1156677]After you've been here a while you can easily get the uniform allowance to buy you both or all three jackets for that matter. I started with the leather (no parka option at the time), then blouse, then parka, then wool overcoat. I'll probably wear the parka most of the time. In all cases FDX is picking up the tab... You certainly don't need to try and buy them all at once.

The issue that I am seeing here is the removal of the leather jacket and the parka and the replacement by the woolen overcoat. Totally senseless and indicative of a lack of the concept that "we are all one team, let's have some hot tub harmony" concept offered by Mgt.

 

At a recent class, the SCP said that he wasn't a fan of the either the parka(actually said he like the parka just not as a uniform piece) or leather jacket as part of the uniform. However, he also said there was no replacement on the table but they were looking at options including something about a new outer garment with some new fabric that would make it a very useful alternative to the current items. The overcoat wasn't specifically mentioned.

My take was that while he'd like to change the uniform, it wasn't going to happen overnight and it wasn't 100% going to happen. Take it for what it's worth.

Frankly, he seemed much more concerned with the lack of professional appearance of that 2% of the crew force that has been discussed previously.