No more black steel toed boots

[ChuckMK23]

Nice to see the Navy getting away from the unneccessary concept of steel toed boots for aviators :

Desert boots are probably way more practical for evading, combat ops, etc. The Air Force and Army never saw a need for the dorky steel toes...

 

[Fly Navy]

I like my steel toes. I invariably kick something either in the cockpit or on pre-flight.

 

[squeeze]

Nice to see the Navy getting away from the unneccessary concept of steel toed boots for aviators :

Desert boots are probably way more practical for evading, combat ops, etc. The Air Force and Army never saw a need for the dorky steel toes...

uhm... they make tan boots with steel toes now

 

[Schnugg]

Yup...steel toed desert brown.

 

[jamnww]

Aren't they designed to slice through your boot and toe in case something falls on it...so you can get away?

What are you talking about?
I don't know about others but I love my steel toe boots...though glad to see them switching to tan...

 

[TheBubba]

Aren't they designed to slice through your boot and toe in case something falls on it...so you can get away?

?? Explain, please. I am once again baffled.

 

[ChuckMK23]

uhm... they make tan boots with steel toes now

My bad - It looked like they were plain desert boots - ground pounder type!.

Tan boots with regulation steel toes - someone is thinking at Navair afterall!

 

[Gatordev]

However....

There was HAZREP out a few months ago from a Marine squadron that bought desert Bellevilles for everyone. Turns out they were having a huge outbreak of athlete's foot, which they contributed to the environment plus boots. I've never had a problem w/ mine, but kind of interesting to read about.

 

[Pags]

Guess they should have bought some gold bond too.

it's like a breath mint for your....feet.

 

[phrogpilot73]

However....

There was HAZREP out a few months ago from a Marine squadron that bought desert Bellevilles for everyone. Turns out they were having a huge outbreak of athlete's foot, which they contributed to the environment plus boots. I've never had a problem w/ mine, but kind of interesting to read about.

I know the squadron that wrote that hazrep. They've been complaining about the boots since they were issued them, even during Desert Talon. I don't have a problem with them, especially since they have insulated and non insulated ones in the supply system. I got athlete's foot several times in Iraq, but I attributed it to taking showers in water that we couldn't drink because of the fecal coliform, rather than my boots.

 

[skidkid]

I dont like the tan desert bots so much they are wider than the black ones or the extra cool kid brown ones that some of us have. The tread on the desert boots suck too, I have almsot slipped a couple time pre-flighting.
Good idea but yet again made by the lowest bidder

I would never go near a flightline without steel toe however.

 

[Goober]

As long as theirs an instrument panel for my feet to hit, riding the rails in an ejection, I'll be wearing steel toes.

You're looking at instant-onset G's in the neighborhood of 30 G's (or more) when the motor ignites, so there's no prospect of keeping your feet held out - your feet are coming backward. However, waiting on Airman Timmy to run over your foot with a tow tractor, nitrogen cart, or any similar crisis du jour is enough for me to want to keep the steel toes.

Knew one guy whose foot was saved from the top of the escalator on the Kitty Hawk while it was running. Peeled the leather right back off the cap of his black flight boot. Strange sh!t on the boat will make a believer out of you regarding steel toes...

 

[Fly Navy]

Was I unclear? I was under the impression that it wasn't intended to withstand the weight of something on your foot, rather it was there so you wouldnt get stuck with your foot caught...it would just slice through your toe....I was just wondering if that was true or not.

If it's heavy enough to cut through your toes, it's heavy enough to crush your toes.... urban legend I would say just by intelligent guess.

 

[gaijin6423]

At the risk of stealing further thunder from the urban legends thread: The rumor floating around was always that the boots were designed to cut off one's toes in the event something really heavy fell on the foot, as it's much easier to sew toes back on than it is to reconstruct crushed ones. If there's any truth to that, I have no idea, but I've dropped plenty of heavy stuff on my feet (both as a maintainer and as a STUD) and was thankfull each time that I had steel toes.

 

[ChuckMK23]

As long as theirs an instrument panel for my feet to hit, riding the rails in an ejection, I'll be wearing steel toes.

So how come the AF has never seen the need for steel toed boots (nor the Army) - certainly not anything to do with ejection seat aircraft. Just curious.

As an IP at Whiting I had an Air Force F-15 pilot that went through a Helo transition. He said the Navy was no wear near on par on the quality and comfort of flight gear issued to aircrews. It looks like we are catching up - the new universal survival vest, integrated body armor, new HGU series helmets.

Navy PR's as good as they are - always seemed to do a great job about the basic functionality of gear and escape systems - just not real great on whether stuff fit, was comfortable, and clean/well kept cosmetically.

When you look at the SV-2 I could see where he was coming from. Why in god's green earth did we hold on to such a piece of sh!t for so long. Same for the dry suits.

But from recent pictures - aircrew survival systems look like they have taken a drastic change for the better.

Now if you guys can get the white reflective tape OFF your helmets.