During the period of rapid development of Soviet aviation, pilots were faced with the need to use special clothing to protect themselves from low temperatures, wind, and oil splashes.
The brave men who went to conquer the sky were dressed in all the best that the industry of the 1930s could provide. Their uniforms mostly consisted of leather jackets, pants, and high fur boots.
At one point, pilots started to rave about leather jackets, which even became somewhat of a symbol of an aviator. A leather jacket kept the body warm for a long time and prevented the pilot from freezing even at high altitudes, where the air was quite cold. It was the pilot’s jackets of the 1930s that first featured a zipper.
Flight boots lined with dog fur were worn by pilots not only in winter but also during long flights. The collar of the boots was lined from the inside with thick, soft felt or padding, and the feet in warm knitted socks were warmed by sheepskin. Soft socks-boots sewn from thin sheepskin could be worn on top of the socks. The flight boots ended up weighing a lot, yet at the same time, they were not intended for fast walking.
The brave crew led by Valery Pavlovich Chkalov wore such uniforms on their famous flight through the North Pole to America in June 1937. Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov wore polar clothing: they put on silk underwear, then woolen underwear on top of it, then a sweater, breeches, peacoat, and leather trousers with eiderdown. On the feet, they had silk socks, fur socks, and high fur boots.
General George Marshall met the Russian pilots at the American airfield and invited them to his house for some lunch and rest. However, it turned out that the crew could not go down to the table in what they were wearing: they asked an interpreter to tell the host that they would have the food in their room. There, in the bedroom, the pilots dined in their underwear.
The hospitable general, however, shared with the local atelier that the pilots did not have civilian clothes, and despite the fact that it was Sunday and the store was closed, the staff still brought 60 suits over to the pilots, as well as boots, socks, cufflinks, and ties — all that was necessary. Right there, in Marshall’s house, the tailors adjusted the suits for Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov, getting the pilots ready for all the ceremonial receptions and meetings ahead of them.
The brave men who went to conquer the sky were dressed in all the best that the industry of the 1930s could provide. Their uniforms mostly consisted of leather jackets, pants, and high fur boots.
At one point, pilots started to rave about leather jackets, which even became somewhat of a symbol of an aviator. A leather jacket kept the body warm for a long time and prevented the pilot from freezing even at high altitudes, where the air was quite cold. It was the pilot’s jackets of the 1930s that first featured a zipper.
Flight boots lined with dog fur were worn by pilots not only in winter but also during long flights. The collar of the boots was lined from the inside with thick, soft felt or padding, and the feet in warm knitted socks were warmed by sheepskin. Soft socks-boots sewn from thin sheepskin could be worn on top of the socks. The flight boots ended up weighing a lot, yet at the same time, they were not intended for fast walking.
The brave crew led by Valery Pavlovich Chkalov wore such uniforms on their famous flight through the North Pole to America in June 1937. Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov wore polar clothing: they put on silk underwear, then woolen underwear on top of it, then a sweater, breeches, peacoat, and leather trousers with eiderdown. On the feet, they had silk socks, fur socks, and high fur boots.
General George Marshall met the Russian pilots at the American airfield and invited them to his house for some lunch and rest. However, it turned out that the crew could not go down to the table in what they were wearing: they asked an interpreter to tell the host that they would have the food in their room. There, in the bedroom, the pilots dined in their underwear.
The hospitable general, however, shared with the local atelier that the pilots did not have civilian clothes, and despite the fact that it was Sunday and the store was closed, the staff still brought 60 suits over to the pilots, as well as boots, socks, cufflinks, and ties — all that was necessary. Right there, in Marshall’s house, the tailors adjusted the suits for Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov, getting the pilots ready for all the ceremonial receptions and meetings ahead of them.
