Air Canada pilots are finally allowed to fly while bearded
Sep 14, 2018, 11:18 am
#1
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Air Canada pilots are finally allowed to fly while bearded
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2...-pilot-beards/
Air Canada pilots are now allowed fly bearded thanks to a study conducted in Simon Fraser University’s hypobaric chamber atop Burnaby Mountain.
Until last year, Air Canada and several other airlines required pilots to have a clean-shaven face, reasoning beards would interfere with the seal on an oral-nasal oxygen face mask.
Air Canada pilots are now allowed fly bearded thanks to a study conducted in Simon Fraser University’s hypobaric chamber atop Burnaby Mountain.
Until last year, Air Canada and several other airlines required pilots to have a clean-shaven face, reasoning beards would interfere with the seal on an oral-nasal oxygen face mask.
Sep 14, 2018, 11:48 am
#3
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Silly me, and all this time I thought this was a Lamoriello rule at AC. Makes sense now that he's with NYI. 
Sep 14, 2018, 12:17 pm
#4
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So..... I guess that begs the question: does my beard put me at additional risk if I ever need to use an oxygen mask?
Sep 14, 2018, 12:42 pm
#5
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"...the airline has changed its facial-hair policy to allow aircrew to wear neatly trimmed facial hair up to 1.25 centimetres in length."
Step right up, those of you who'd like to be the person who pulls beard hair against the enforcement ruler.
AC has anticipated this approval for some time now, and have instituted some guidelines for its Vancouver-based pilot group, stipulating the various styles of facial hair permitted. As seen on the notice board within the crew duty room, here are some of the regional styles we may soon see on the terminal concourse:
The "last-minute call-up off Reserve List" beard
The Powell Street hipster beard
Bowen Island 787 captain commuter beard
The Jericho beard
West End / Davie Street beard
Main Street / Fairview beard
I Flew with Grant McConachie beard
Main Street / 49th Ave beard
West Van Caulfeild 'beard'
Commercial/Grandview beard
Certain Rouge aircraft are also scheduled to be bearded:
You read it here first.
Step right up, those of you who'd like to be the person who pulls beard hair against the enforcement ruler.
AC has anticipated this approval for some time now, and have instituted some guidelines for its Vancouver-based pilot group, stipulating the various styles of facial hair permitted. As seen on the notice board within the crew duty room, here are some of the regional styles we may soon see on the terminal concourse:
The "last-minute call-up off Reserve List" beard
The Powell Street hipster beard
Bowen Island 787 captain commuter beard
The Jericho beard
West End / Davie Street beard
Main Street / Fairview beard
I Flew with Grant McConachie beard
Main Street / 49th Ave beard
West Van Caulfeild 'beard'
Commercial/Grandview beard
Certain Rouge aircraft are also scheduled to be bearded:
You read it here first.
Sep 14, 2018, 12:54 pm
#6
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Interesting. It has been standard procedure in most industries for decades that if you're going into an area where the use of a breathing apparatus might be necessary, men (and women, I suppose) must be clean shaven so as not to interfere with the fit of a face mask. As recently as last year I had to have a fit test for a full face mask before being allowed onto a major construction site. Same when entering the bleach plant at pulp mills, firefighters, rescue workers, confined space entry, etc.
In the case of pilots, containing enough oxygen within the mask might be possible with a short beard. Keeping toxic gases out would be a different matter. What if there's a fire on board?
In the case of pilots, containing enough oxygen within the mask might be possible with a short beard. Keeping toxic gases out would be a different matter. What if there's a fire on board?
Sep 14, 2018, 1:42 pm
#7
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Most breathing apparatuses (apparatui?) are more about excluding the surrounding atmosphere then they are about delivering O2. From that... IDK, I got nothing. I'm hardly a gasologist.
But if the pilots don't have custom fit (or at least sized) masks and are doing the banana smell test, then I would conclude that the otherwise very anal aviation industry doesn't care that much about mask fit.
But if the pilots don't have custom fit (or at least sized) masks and are doing the banana smell test, then I would conclude that the otherwise very anal aviation industry doesn't care that much about mask fit.
Sep 14, 2018, 4:00 pm
#8
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As someone that has to regularly practice wearing various types of respirators and breathing apparatus it's perfectly possible to form a seal with a beard. Not always but in most cases. Interesting fact in times of war the Royal Navy issues a clean shaven order for this reason
Sep 14, 2018, 4:17 pm
#9
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Not just the Royal Navy. HMAS SYDNEY Persian Gulf. I remember 15 January 1991 particularly well as that was the day our Task Group commander sent out a signal "Hostilities are imminent. Shave off -R- Shave off." There went my beard of 12 years. Bloody painful taking it off too......I suspect a gas mask though requires a perfect seal whereas a supplemental O2 mask...maybe not so much. Are the pilots masks more of a "demand" type" or are they "Positive Pressure"?
Sep 14, 2018, 4:37 pm
#10
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As someone that has to regularly practice wearing various types of respirators and breathing apparatus it's perfectly possible to form a seal with a beard. Not always but in most cases. Interesting fact in times of war the Royal Navy issues a clean shaven order for this reason
Sep 14, 2018, 4:41 pm
#11
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Interesting. It has been standard procedure in most industries for decades that if you're going into an area where the use of a breathing apparatus might be necessary, men (and women, I suppose) must be clean shaven so as not to interfere with the fit of a face mask. As recently as last year I had to have a fit test for a full face mask before being allowed onto a major construction site. Same when entering the bleach plant at pulp mills, firefighters, rescue workers, confined space entry, etc.
In the case of pilots, containing enough oxygen within the mask might be possible with a short beard. Keeping toxic gases out would be a different matter. What if there's a fire on board?
In the case of pilots, containing enough oxygen within the mask might be possible with a short beard. Keeping toxic gases out would be a different matter. What if there's a fire on board?
Of course, there is a big difference between simply delivering supplementary oxygen to a non-contaminated environment and providing a supply of pure air in a contaminated one.
Sep 14, 2018, 7:10 pm
#12
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...lots-1.4825104
Air Canada commissioned a team from the university to test the efficacy of respirators on bearded pilots after receiving an application from an experienced pilot who is Sikh.
"They were Sikh and were not going to be clean shaven. That brought up the question to Air Canada that is this policy still a valid policy or is it just a carry-over from the old days," said Sherri Ferguson, director of SFU's Environmental Medicine and Physiology Unit and head of the study.
Air Canada commissioned a team from the university to test the efficacy of respirators on bearded pilots after receiving an application from an experienced pilot who is Sikh.
"They were Sikh and were not going to be clean shaven. That brought up the question to Air Canada that is this policy still a valid policy or is it just a carry-over from the old days," said Sherri Ferguson, director of SFU's Environmental Medicine and Physiology Unit and head of the study.
Sep 15, 2018, 6:49 am
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