Myth Busted: Pilots Can Totally Rock Beards Now
Meg Butler September 19, 2018
Calling all beard lovers: Air Canada recently announced that it would allow its pilots to rock full beards when they’re on duty.
The policy change comes thanks to a new study conducted by Simon Fraser University that found that beards do not interfere with the oral-nasal oxygen face mask as previously suspected.
They put participants with beards of a variety of shapes and sizes in their hypobaric chamber and simulated altitudes from 10,000 to 25,000 feet above sea level. And no matter how high those bearded fliers got, the masks provided protection.
But don’t expect to see Hagrid in the cockpit on your next flight. Grooming standards still apply and pilot’s beards must be neatly trimmed and no longer than 1.25 centimeters in length.
No word on whether any other airlines will be following suit but, at least according to this study, its no longer a safety issue.
[Image Source: Pexels]
