At some point during ground you get fitted for M&H uniforms. Bleh. Last job, a blazer wasn’t required so a lot of us could easily get away with good off-the-rack slacks, and our own shirts. You’ll be fitted for a blazer, pants, and a tie, all will be payroll deducted. You will have the option to buy a sweater, hat, trenchcoat, but don’t expect any of those to demo in the fitting. Just some tired coats in various sizes and some pants so you can feel the tropical (thinner) vs sharkskin (heavier) material.

As far as shirts go, technically any brand pilot shirt. I have cut above, and ordered a few more during class (I’ll get to that in a second). Others like jetseam, or the stock M&H shirt. Whatever. Also during ground school, a particular base chief pilot will come talk to your class and make a big deal about uniform compliance. A very specific and unnecessary amount of time and focus may be given to 2 specific things: no eyelets on the shirts (since wings only go on the blazer), and a crusade against the striped tie.

I have a couple shirts I ordered from cut above a year ago, which due to the delays didn’t arrive till summer so I only got a few months use before coming here. They’re in great shape but they have the dreaded eyelets! Which are very inconspicuous but whatever. So I ordered a few more, just to be compliant. Delayed, of course, so whatever. Under a blazer they’d literally be covered, and even without a blazer you’d have to look hard to notice.

Get whatever shirt you like, God help you if it has eyelet holes. Use the standard tie or get a striped one on your own dime. I think most of my class did. You have 30 days from receipt (package at your doorstep) to exchange uniform items. Already swapped my blazer down, I was drowning in it. Kept debating the pants but ultimately kept the originals, looking into getting them altered. Fit of the waist is good but the seat and legs, not so much.

The way I heard it, the stripe was the official tie and by way of grandfathering, it’s an “approved” uniform item. Or in other words, only officially allowed if you were hired prior to a certain date. How long ago was that? If so. Aside from camping out at KCM and demanding to see the DOH on your badge, how would you know who even know you were worthy of the tie or not?

Thanks for that, very informative. Is there a certain dollar amount of M&H stuff you're required to buy? I understand getting a blazer and the 'right' tie, but I don't want to buy subpar shirts and pants if I can help it. I was planning on ordering several JetSeam shirts because I went through a lot of trial and error to find a brand/style that fits well. I get that they don't want shirts with eyelets. Pants I am a little less picky on, but it is still nice to be able to pick whatever fits/feels best as long as they match the style and colors the company requires. I realize I'll learn all this soon enough in class but I'm hoping to get all the shirts and pants I needed ahead of time so I don't have to worry about it before OE. I'm coming from 91 & 135 where I just threw on a pair of slacks and a polo and shaved once a week, so this is all new to me....

You will be required to buy, via payroll deduction, 1 blazer 1 tie 2 pair of pants. The “fitting” process was pretty basic, but what I’ve experienced more or less at a previous job. Walk into a room, they have a bunch of sizes of coats laid out. I think it was all even numbers, 38 40 42 44 etc, some Regular some Tall (or long, I forget). The pants, I think I remember they just measured with a tape for inseam and waist and wrote that down. No trying on pants. There was also a standard length tie and a long tie.

If you’re going to buy anything outside, I’d just stick the shirts. You’re going to have to get all the items anyway. And in the cooler months blazer is required (with a carve out for certain cities/domiciles where the winter is warm and a coat would be uncomfortable; I have yet to experience personally how liberal that discomfort rule is applied). I’d rather just have the pants match the jacket this time around, and the kind of charcoal-ish black-ish color is different enough from my favorite black slacks anyway, probably would stand out too much anyway.

By the power vested in me by internet anonymity, I hearby declare you "striped tie worthy"

I’m blushing! I’ll send you a vamlumtine’s

Get the striped tie.

We already look like CFIs with no wings on the shirt. Add in a plain black tie and it's pathetic.

Ship sets are nasty as ****…

Best part is she was hired after that group, yet claims she wasn’t as if it makes any difference.

Lol. Fair.

I showed up to IOE with my wings on my shirt and the check airman said we don't do that. I thought he was kidding me. Nope. All summer long, no wings. Makes no sense to me but we also fly a plane with a Prarie Dog on the tail so you just never know