Flight Deck Clothing and Duties

The Navy and Coast Guard use standardized clothing color schemes for flight deck personnel. This allows crew members to quickly identify personnel by duty on a busy flight deck. The Table shows these standardized color schemes.

Standardized clothing color schemes

GENERAL

a. The vest type life preserver (US Navy, Mk-1) is designed for prolonged use while the wearer is engaged in flight deck activity. It is available in colors identical to those in Table F-1.

b. Combination cranial helmets for the personnel listed below shall be marked with three vertical reflective international orange stripes. The stripes will be one inch wide, evenly spaced, and placed on top of white reflective tape.

• All officers.

• Flight and hangar deck chief petty officer and leading petty officer.

• Crash and salvage chief petty officer and leading petty officer.

• EOD team members.

• Squadron's ordnance officer.

• Ship's air gunner.

c. Helmets for all other personnel shall be marked with a 6-inch square (or equivalent) of white reflective tape on the back shell. It will have a 3-inch by 6-inch piece (or equivalent) of white reflective tape on the front shell.

d. At night, the ordnance arming/safety supervisor will carry two red standard wands. These wands will be banded with two 3/4-inch bands that are equally spaced on the cones.

FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE WALKDOWN. These walkdowns are conducted before, between, and after flight operations. Personnel who are not standing watch will form a line across the width of the flight deck and walk slowly from bow to stern in search of solid particles, bolts, screws, and so on that could be ingested into the intake of an aircraft engine and cause severe damage or engine failure. FOD is a major safety concern on all flight and hangar decks.

DUTIES

a. Yellow Jerseys.

(1) Aircraft handling officer. The ACHO or "handler" controls all movement of aircraft on the flight and hangar decks from flight deck control. He also maintains a running maintenance status of every aircraft on board and coordinates with weapons, hangar deck control, intermediate maintenance, supply, and air operations personnel. Because of limited space on the flight deck and hangar deck, he coordinates both space allocation between other departments and the use of the aircraft elevators.

(2) Flight deck officer. The FDO directs, plans, and oversees the parking and security of all aircraft and mobile fire-fighting and ground support equipment on the flight deck. He also supervises a large division that includes all aircraft directors, plane handlers, tractor drivers, elevator operators, and crash and salvage personnel as well as his administrative staff.

(3) Landing signal enlisted/aircraft director. Under the supervision of the air officer, the LSE is responsible for visual signals to the helicopter pilots which help them make safe takeoffs and/or approaches and landings. He directs the pilot to the desired deck spot and ensures that general safety conditions are maintained within the immediate helicopter landing zone. He ensures that, on signal, helicopters are started, engaged, launched, recovered, and shut down safely. The LSE also ensures that all tie-downs are removed before lift-off and secured properly after landing. Except for the wave-off and hold signals, which are mandatory, the LSE's signals are advisory in nature. As crew director, he is in charge of aircraft handling crews and ensures that aircraft movement on deck is conducted safely and according to NATOPS procedures.

b. Red Jerseys.

(1) Crash and salvage. The flight deck "fire department" fights aircraft fires and rescues personnel on the flight deck. They operate all mobile fire-fighting and crash/salvage equipment.

(2) Ordnance officer. The ordnance officer is responsible for the safe movement, handling, and loading of aircraft ordnance. His jersey has a black stripe and the words"Ordnance Officer" printed on the front and on the back.

(3) Explosive ordnance disposal officer and crew.These personnel dispose of, disarm, and neutralize defective ordnance. Their jerseys have the letters "EOD" printed on the front and on the back.

(4) Ordnance handlers. The ordnance handlers or "B-B stackers" move, load, and unload ordnance on the aircraft. Their jerseys have black stripes and their squadron designator or ship billet printed on the front and on the back.

c. White Jerseys.

(1) Safety officer and crew. The safety officer and crew are responsible for the overall safety of flight operations. They make sure that all flight deck activities are conducted according to established safety procedures.

(2) Combat cargo officer. The CCO coordinates and executes the loading, unloading, and movement of all air cargo and passengers. The back of his jersey has the words "Combat Cargo" printed on it.

(3) Medical. Medical personnel provide immediate medical assistance and treatment to any flight deck personnel casualties. Their jerseys have a large red cross on the front and on the back.

d. Purple Jerseys. Known as "grapes" because of the color of their jerseys, these personnel fuel and defuel aircraft using fuel stations located on the flight and hangar decks.

e. Blue Jerseys.

(1) Aircraft handling crew. The "blue shirts" are responsible for handling and tying down all aircraft with chocks and chains. They also operate the handling equipment, including tractors and electrical power units on the flight deck.

(2) Elevator operators. The EOs operate the ship's aircraft elevators, which move aircraft to and from the flight deck and hangar deck. They wear blue shirts and white helmets.

f. Green Jerseys.

• (1) Squadron maintenance crew. The squadron maintenance crew maintains the Navy and Marine Corps aircraft on the ship. Their jerseys are marked with their squadron designator and a black stripe on the front and on the back.

• (2) Ground support equipment maintenance crew. These personnel maintain the ground support equipment that is assigned to the flight or hangar deck.

• (3) Photographers.These personnel photograph and videotape flight operations for documentation and media requests.

g. Brown Jerseys. Plane captains, both Navy and Marine, wear brown jerseys. They ensure that the aircraft are inspected properly and serviced before and after each flight. They also supervise ground starting procedures and are responsible for the cleanliness and general condition of their aircraft. Their jerseys are marked with their squadron designator on the front and on the back.

Source: Operational Medicine 2001,  Health Care in Military Settings, NAVMED P-5139, May 1, 2001, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20372-5300