Ashland, OR (01/17/2018) – Massif, a world-leader in flame resistant, high-end, technical apparel for the U.S. military has received NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) approval for their new and revolutionary 2-Piece Flight Suit. Years in the making, Massif, a Pacific Northwest company located in Ashland, Oregon, designed their innovative 2-Piece Flight Suit from direct user feedback across multiple branches and platforms.
Armed with this invaluable user input, the Massif team set out to enhance the capabilities of the modern aviator and aircrewman with original design features unique to Massif garments. Intent on dispelling the age-old notion that the Flight Suit must be a standard one-piece, Massif’s designers came up with an athletic style garment, built from Burlington’s Sigma 4 Star™ fabric; certain to set the Flight Suit trend for decades to come.
Charles Sexton, Massif’s Government Sales and Business Development Manager, who worked with NAVAIR towards the approval had this to say about the recent Flight Suit news: “We owe this approval to our loyal customers within aviation, who demanded innovation of an outdated legacy item. Through years of detailed collaboration, we’ve revolutionized both functionality and performance with our new 2-Piece Flight Suit with the sole purpose of enhancing future mission capabilities of our U.S. Military aircrews.”
With flash fire events a potential concern on any jacket and pant separation, Massif engineered and patented a groundbreaking attachment system to connect the jacket to the pant. Neither the jacket nor pant has to be worn with the other in terms of sizing. Massif felt it important to allow mixing and matching of sizes for a better custom fit. This ingenious design allows flexibility and movement between the jacket and pant while still aiding coverage in flash events. The result is a more user-friendly, agile garment that allows men and women to handle their demanding jobs in comfort without sacrificing safety and performance.
To further ensure Massif’s technologically advanced garment met all the needs of the U.S. Military’s athletes-in-the-sky they designed the garment to mitigate heat-stress and enhance quick-drying capabilities by utilizing mesh-lined pocket configurations, yet more features of excellence and attention to safety that Massif is known for.
“We are honored to be able to support such an amazing customer. This approval affirms the dedication of the Massif team to continuously improve and innovate advanced gear that protects those who protect us each and every day.” Said Darci Knobel, V.P. of Sales at Massif.
Incorporating ergonomically designed seam placement, zippered lower legs on the pants for easier donning and doffing, durable ripstop FR fabric, and a modern, athletic fit, Massif left nothing untouched when revolutionizing the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Flight Suit.
Finally, the Flight Suit, available in both Men’s and Women’s sizing, is one hundred percent Berry Compliant.
Tags: Massif
So will this replace the standard green/tan Nomex flight sute CWU-27/P or is this just approved for purchase by individual squadrons/commands?
The other two piece Massif flight ensamble was also NAVAIR approved, but was never adopted by the Navy/Marine Corps and only worn when procured with squadron/wing operational funds. It was also reported to be VERY heavy and ill fitting…
Thanks!
Also others have shared the opinion that this two piece suit is a non starter in Tac-Air jet environment where a g-suit/ejevtion seat harness is worn. Can Massif reply to this?
That’s what the AFE community has asserted. However, I am unaware of any actual testing.
Charles here, from Massif – You are correct to assume that this new 2-piece design is only approved for flight in non ejection seat platforms pushing forward based on aircrew application and integration. As an option to the 27P, purchasing will be done by individual squadrons and commands at this time.
We always appreciate detailed conversation or listening to concerns the community may have with our kit, so please feel free to reach out to me directly if you’d like to chat further at Charles.sexton@massif.com
Thanks for the support!
I wear tested the drifire one and two piece flight suits 6 or 7 years ago, aside from quick access to take a dump with all your gear on, they weren’t worth the extra cost over the traditional one piece suits IMHO.
That being said:
The flight suit bottoms paired with a combat shirt were great with body armor for RW crews, kept you marginally cooler.
My problem with Massif has been the longevity of their gear. I have had multiple generations of their NAVAIR jackets and it always seemed that the stitching would constantly be coming apart somewhere on the garment.