n287hg

Again I am new and young here so excuse the elementary questions. In my travels I have noticed that many pilots are clean shaven or have bairly any facial hair and very low hair cuts. Is this buy choice or airline standards? I am starting to realize that my college flight student facial hair might not fly with the airlines.

pxm21

I think that all of the airlines have a military style uniform code when it comes to facial hair. At Comair and delta only moustaches can be worn and the cannot be lower than the corners of the mouth. (bad cop stache) Hair cannot touch the collar of the shirt, and sideburns cannot be lower than the ear.

Theonemarine

Would you trust your life to the hobo down the road with your life and family? We are professionals. Many with military backgrounds. Let's try to keep it that way for everyones sakes. Well groomed hair of one color, shaved and clean.

captain152

There a few reasons for being clean shaven...

A. As mentioned above, what would you think if you walked up to the gate and saw the Captain/FO boarding the plane having not shaved in a week? You'd be a little apprehensive. Take that same situation and have the Captain and FO clean shaven and looking professional... which flight would you rather take?

B. You're representing a professional company in a professional environment. You're not going to do a very good job of representing if you look like you've been living on the streets for the last week.

C. Probably the most important one right here. In the event that you lost pressurization at altitude and had to dawn the oxygen mask, it's not going to do you a lot of good if you've got a ton of facial hair and the oxygen is leaking out because if cannot get a good grasp around your face. Being clean shaven allows the oxygen mask to fully grasp your face to make an airtight seal to give you 100% oxygen flow in the even of an emergency.

cencal83406

Or the crew room. But if more parents basements weren't available this might be the case.

rickair7777

If you don't mind flying small turboprops for a bottom-feeder on island routes, you can have a beard, goat, or flavor-saver and not have to wear a tie.

Actually, you're in luck...even the most rigid airlines do take grooming to military extremes. No white-walls required.

ksuav8r

Along the same lines as the oxygen mask...even if you were able to use it, once you're on the ground, do you really want to be running toward a cabin fire with a beard full of pure oxygen?

As for the beard, there's always furloughs...you should see mine.

~ksuav8r

rickair7777

Old wives tale...plenty of corporate pilots have beards. The Navy allowed beards in the '70s...the trick is to trim it carefully around the edges.

But I suppose a beard would burn quite nicely if it were O2 saturated...

Pilotpip

How many people do you see in the professional sector that aren't well groomed and for that matter even have facial hair? Rolling out of bed, throwing on some wrinkled clothes works in college. It doesn't work in the real world. I did it too, but as soon as it came time for a real job the hair got cut and the beard went away.

Keeping the hair short makes it low maint. in my mind. Roll out of bed, take a quick shower and shave, throw a little gel in it or just make sure it isn't sticking up everywhere (mine usually is so the gel keeps it from having a mind of its own) and off you go.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but JetBlue allows goatees.

dojetdriver

They have a name for that, it's not "metro sexual", it's "hobo sexual". You know, looking like a hobo that doesn't shave.

I'm just kidding, I'm not making fun of you.

And like the other guys said, the beard and the mask isn't truly accurate. Go to Europe and see how many beards you see on airline pilots. It's pretty common.