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Flight Suit


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I've been exploring this idea from day 1 of my build.  Ultimately gave up. 

I decided to find pants with removable pockets...which led me to cargo style pants with external pockets that can easily be seem ripped away.  But after trying the pants on with the armor in mind I came to the conclusion that the plastic faux utility belt portion of the armor kit actually rides above the waist line of the cargo pants.  Which means you'll have a waist line visible if wearing the belt and cummerbund in their recommended locations on your body.   

I think the lady TB's probably have an easier time with the 2 piece suit.  Finding womens pants in black with no pockets and high waistlines doesn't seem to be a problem.

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If you can sew, I'd suggest using a pair of pants that fit as a pattern to fabricate a pair of custom pants from scratch with a higher waste.  If I can ever wrap my head around operating this sewing machine without bleeding and creating giant balls of tangled thread I may attempt that myself.

Seeing how you are in a chair, maybe just finding black pants that fit would be sufficient enough for general approval.

As for a shirt that mimics the concealed zip front that most of the coveralls/flight-suits have, I came across this:

https://www.firsttactical.com/products/mens-tactix-series-long-sleeve-bdu-shirt

I would guess the lapels can be easily flipped with a flap added to create the choker style mandarin collar that most sew on to the commonly used RedKap suits.

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It just needs to have the appearance of a one-piece flight suit once you have everything on.   I imagine with a pair of Dickies pants and a zip-up work jacket you could probably achieve the same look.  

This is popular with the female Scouts as it makes it easier for them to do bathroom breaks.   I've seen instances where they've purchased a flight suit and then cut it in half.  I'll see if I can find some threads.

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3 minutes ago, Dustin Gunter said:

Is there a certain material the suit needs to be made of? Like if I try to piece together a 2 piece suit is there something I should stay away from?


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There's no requirement for materials for basic, and where they are required for Level 2 they are listed.  

You may want to go for cotton as opposed to polyester just for comfort, but that is up to you.  

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Here's an example of how one person did a two-piece undersuit

 

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2 minutes ago, Dustin Gunter said:

It says I don’t have permission to open that link


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I just checked and "PFD Recruits" definitely have permissions for that forum.  I'm thinking it's an issue with Tapatalk.  I have that problem sometimes when I use it.  

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I just checked and "PFD Recruits" definitely have permissions for that forum.  I'm thinking it's an issue with Tapatalk.  I have that problem sometimes when I use it.  


Is there another way to open it?


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I would try just opening the link in your phone's browser rather than Tapatalk  

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My wife and our friend both bought a wampawear suit and cut it in half. My wife is very short, though, and had to mod it so heavily that she almost wished she'd done something from scratch.  Cutting it in half did help them adjust the torso length, since it was too long on both of them. In the end, the flight suit ended up working for both of them, though.

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My wife and our friend both bought a wampawear suit and cut it in half. My wife is very short, though, and had to mod it so heavily that she almost wished she'd done something from scratch.  Cutting it in half did help them adjust the torso length, since it was too long on both of them. In the end, the flight suit ended up working for both of them, though.


Ya I wish the single piece flight suit was an option but because I’m in a wheelchair a 2 piece would be a better option.


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Thax's wife here :) Note I am not yet approved, but it's not due to my flight suit! Awaiting better fitting torso armor and remaking pouches, etc. to fit me as a short person.

It was pretty simple. I bought a Wampa Wear flightsuit, got the zippers positioned in the downward position (safety pinned down to keep from losing them), and just cut it at the waist with a pair of fabric scissors. I cut right beneath the elastic on the flight suit, so that stayed with the "jacket".  I used a serger to finish the edges on jack and pants, though you could probably do pinking shears or zig-zag stitch if you don't have access to a serger. 

For the pants I used some spare knit fabric to form a little tube to attach some elastic at the waist to keep the pants up better... as an alternative to this I could have cut *above* the elastic on the flight suit and it probably would have worked out great for the pants! I hand sewed around the zipper to close it off at the top. I also got some clip-on suspenders to keep pants up, but if you are typically seated in a wheelchair this may not be as much of a concern for you.

For the jacket, I attempted to install a new zipper... but I was pressed for time and didn't plan it out properly so it was poorly implemented. I am going to remove it and just sew in 1" velcro on the front for a closure. I attached the butt flap just above the elastic on the jacket.

I did make additional mods to make this fit me better (the XXS was small for some dimensions but swallowed me in others), but if general flight suit fit isn't a problem it's really almost as simple as chopping the thing in half and adding a closure on the front. You will have fabric that's commonly used by many 501st members and the mandarin collar will already be there for you, top and bottom will match, etc. Oh, and sewing the patches onto mine (with just pants) was MUCH less cumbersome than the same for my husband's (full flight suit).

Happy to grab some pictures later if it helps.

 

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Thax's wife here  Note I am not yet approved, but it's not due to my flight suit! Awaiting better fitting torso armor and remaking pouches, etc. to fit me as a short person.
It was pretty simple. I bought a Wampa Wear flightsuit, got the zippers positioned in the downward position (safety pinned down to keep from losing them), and just cut it at the waist with a pair of fabric scissors. I cut right beneath the elastic on the flight suit, so that stayed with the "jacket".  I used a serger to finish the edges on jack and pants, though you could probably do pinking shears or zig-zag stitch if you don't have access to a serger. 
For the pants I used some spare knit fabric to form a little tube to attach some elastic at the waist to keep the pants up better... as an alternative to this I could have cut *above* the elastic on the flight suit and it probably would have worked out great for the pants! I hand sewed around the zipper to close it off at the top. I also got some clip-on suspenders to keep pants up, but if you are typically seated in a wheelchair this may not be as much of a concern for you.
For the jacket, I attempted to install a new zipper... but I was pressed for time and didn't plan it out properly so it was poorly implemented. I am going to remove it and just sew in 1" velcro on the front for a closure. I attached the butt flap just above the elastic on the jacket.
I did make additional mods to make this fit me better (the XXS was small for some dimensions but swallowed me in others), but if general flight suit fit isn't a problem it's really almost as simple as chopping the thing in half and adding a closure on the front. You will have fabric that's commonly used by many 501st members and the mandarin collar will already be there for you, top and bottom will match, etc. Oh, and sewing the patches onto mine (with just pants) was MUCH less cumbersome than the same for my husband's (full flight suit).
Happy to grab some pictures later if it helps.
 

Awesome that sounds like it would work great com me. And yes if you have time to send some pictures that would be greatly appreciated


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  • 2 weeks later...

OK, took some pics the other night :) Hopefully it helps illustrate. 

 

Top half/jacket, with attached butt flap.

ejDKHAh.jpg

 

Pulling the butt flap up to illustrate that it is sewn on just above the elastic waist of the separated flight suit

iYiNmjN.jpg

 

 

I sewed a rectangle of knit fabric along the pants as a casing for a piece of elastic to help pull the pants in at the waist

l9Pln4A.jpg

 

Outside of the elastic casing

5tXCMPy.jpg

 

I sewed across the top of the zipper on the pants to keep the zipper from coming off.

P353LQQ.jpg

 

Clip on suspenders to hold the pants up

I97cy92.jpg

 

Can't tell it's not one piece when I wear the jacket!

U0k5AmC.jpg

Andddd the butt flap looks legit. Sewn onto the jacket. And source of much pain that I have received downvotes on this pic on Imgur prior to posting here!!

Nl4fgBD.jpg

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OK, took some pics the other night Hopefully it helps illustrate. 
 
Top half/jacket, with attached butt flap.
ejDKHAh.jpg
 
Pulling the butt flap up to illustrate that it is sewn on just above the elastic waist of the separated flight suit
iYiNmjN.jpg
 
 
I sewed a rectangle of knit fabric along the pants as a casing for a piece of elastic to help pull the pants in at the waist
l9Pln4A.jpg
 
Outside of the elastic casing
5tXCMPy.jpg
 
I sewed across the top of the zipper on the pants to keep the zipper from coming off.
P353LQQ.jpg
 
Clip on suspenders to hold the pants up
I97cy92.jpg
 
Can't tell it's not one piece when I wear the jacket!
U0k5AmC.jpg
Andddd the butt flap looks legit. Sewn onto the jacket. And source of much pain that I have received downvotes on this pic on Imgur prior to posting here!!
Nl4fgBD.jpg


Thank you


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