no

Heard a story years ago about training a helicopter pilot who grew up barefoot. Some days he could fly some days he couldn't. Turns out he ended up with a solo endorsement that said barefoot flying only. Feet were so tough with boots on he just couldn't fly worth a darn. No idea how it turned out for the rest of his flying career.

I am in sandals (Chacos) all summer, we own a whitewater & canoe& kayak co. among other outdoor stuff. I am in and out of the water on a daily basis, usually multiple times a day, so that is my summer 24/7 footwear (Well maybe 18/7 I typically don't sleep in them unless I have had too much Bourbon). I also fly in them all summer and they are my favorite footwear for that. Mostly because the soles are kind of sticky and don't slide off the rudder pedals like my Asolos, plus they are just plain comfy. With that said, I am aware that in the event of a crash I am at a huge disadvatage. At this point I am willing to accept that risk, although I haven't had my feet mangled or on fire yet. Interestingly enough I do carry a set of booties in my dry bag when guiding whitewater trips, as the open toed Chacos would be completly ineffective for any sort of in-river rescue situation. I also strongly encourage our guides to do so, as MTV encourages us to wear decent footwear when flying. I alway find it interesting that people that are professionals in their craft almost always have a very different outlook than the weekend warrier (Which I am on the pilot side). I cringe multiple times a year watching recreational kayakers & rafters make decisions or use equipment I wouldn't dream of on a commercial trip, as I am sure many of the professional pilots here cringe when reading about some of our actions/choices. That is one of the reasons I like this forum so much. I really value the real world experience level here.

Pete

My apologizes to the OP. I'll admit to being a bit "flippant" with my initial response due to the point of view "decreed/mandated" by the Skywagon "guru".......

“If you show up here in hiking boots, you’re going to be flying in your socks”

As other's have subsequently said, wear what makes YOU comfortable NOT the guru. Footwear is a seasonal thing in many of the regions that BCP community members frequent.

What Mapleflt said times 2!

Honestly, if it matters to me at all, it's mostly about the brakes. I can put the nose where I want it by looking out the windshield. But big, clunky boots inadvertantly mashing the brakes is something I'd like to avoid.

I used to have the exact Salomons Zane mentioned. Never considered the waterproof ones for winter. Not a bad idea.

Holy crap, guys, here’s a flash for you:

I’ve flown a few thousand hours with heel brakes, and a few thousand with toe brakes, always wearing boots, and most always big boots.

I am definitely NOT the Ace of the Base when it comes to flying tail wheels. I consider myself a moderately capable tail wheel guy.

As I said, if I can fly tail wheels with boots on, I’m betting YOU can.

Seriously, engines fail, bad shit happens, and when it does, and you crawl out of that mess, you’re gonna need those feet.

Sermon over, carry on.

MTV

Dress for the crash….got it. Better get me some fins and a dry suit.

Good grief is right.

I went flying once with a friend in his 180 on wheel skis. We were AT skiing on a glacier. At the end of the day, we piled back in the plane and I look down and notice that he's still wearing his AT boots. I'm thinking that there is no way in hell I would fly my wagon in ski boots. I say this to him and he says "no problem". We take off the glacier on skis and land back home on the pavement with about a gusting 15 knot quartering crosswind. It was a little ugly.

I do not recommend this footwear.

Squash wrote:I went flying once with a friend in his 180 on wheel skis. We were AT skiing on a glacier. At the end of the day, we piled back in the plane and I look down and notice that he's still wearing his AT boots. I'm thinking that there is no way in hell I would fly my wagon in ski boots. I say this to him and he says "no problem". We take off the glacier on skis and land back home on the pavement with about a gusting 15 knot quartering crosswind. It was a little ugly.

I do not recommend this footwear.

Hahaha. Telemark boots maybe.

That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Basically, let's eliminate ankles.

I fly in socks when I'm in the 140 but wear whatever I'm normally wearing in the 182. The rudder peddles in the 140 are too small and close for anything other than light footwear.

I've had a few pair of minimalist boulder boots from Lems https://www.lemsshoes.com/collections/mens-boulder-boots-all that work well in aircraft.

Zzz wrote:

Squash wrote:I went flying once with a friend in his 180 on wheel skis. We were AT skiing on a glacier. At the end of the day, we piled back in the plane and I look down and notice that he's still wearing his AT boots. I'm thinking that there is no way in hell I would fly my wagon in ski boots. I say this to him and he says "no problem". We take off the glacier on skis and land back home on the pavement with about a gusting 15 knot quartering crosswind. It was a little ugly.

I do not recommend this footwear.

Hahaha. Telemark boots maybe.

That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Basically, let's eliminate ankles.

Oooh! I think we found the last remaining area where telemark beats AT gear!

(Still saving up for an AT setup)

It does depend on the aircraft and pedal design. I agree the primary driver is "walking away" from a crash site or surviving on-site.

I've had bad experiences flying in both flip-flops and really heavy duty hiking boots. Both can safely used to fly mind you, you just have to think about what you're doing and keep your laces loose enough. If you get sloppy they can catch you, especially if good rudder work is required to land.

If one was learning or flying in challenging weather, or a plane that actually needs good rudder inputs to land, then considering footwear choices isn't a bad thing.

Real pilots fly taildraggers, real skiers telemark-always.

mbdave wrote:Real pilots fly taildraggers, real skiers telemark-always.

They also fly fish and use Linux desktop distros.

I took some flying lessons from an aerobatic instructor at Amelia Reid Aviation in his Kitfox. He wore bowling shoes when flying the kitfox. It took me about a hundred hours in my kitfox to know where my feet were and could then wear any shoes I wanted, which are leather boots at least over the ankle high.

Having been a passenger in forest service operated aircraft for 45 years and required to wear nomex clothing, leather or nomex gloves, and high top leather boots when flying, I shudder at the thought of those that wear shorts and tennis shoes.

Had a new foreign helicopter student (Russian princess type) show up for her first lesson wearing vampy sky-high heels. Like that "Romancing the Stone" scene where he chops them off with a machete "those were Italian - now they're practical", our first confined area was a shoe store, only then followed by the flying lesson.

Summer in the Pitts I prefer a light thin-soled shoe, winter in a helicopter whatever keeps your feet warm, when you're rolling a drum at -30 in wind. In-between are hiking runners.

This 35 year old pair of shoes stay with my 180 and I make darn sure they are tied good and tight. I might wear boots when flying floats or skis but I'm paranoid of landing with brakes on or not being able to make a quick adjustment for directional control.

Within reason no

I go between skateboard shoes (tuff but also breathe well and take a beating) in the summer, and logging boots in the winter, it takes like .1 to recalibrate your brain to the different feeling on the pedals.

Happy feet, happy life

I changed golf shoes to bowling shoes in my last post.