Pilots are seen as amazing authority figures of the air. With the position of authority comes a certain number of rules and responsibilities, including some rules that don’t seem to make sense. The rules around a pilot’s appearance are fairly strict, and that includes tattoos.
The answer to whether pilots can have tattoos may be disappointing if you like ink and aviation. Commercial pilots cannot have tattoos that are visible when wearing their uniform, although they can have hidden tattoos. There are also strict rules for other parts of a pilot’s appearance, including hair, facial hair, and piercings.
Here is your guide to body modification for pilots and other ins and outs of the pilot’s uniform.
Can Pilots Have Tattoos?
Although the public attitude toward tattoos in most countries is changing, some conservative fields such as aviation still have restrictions on visible tattoos. While pilots can get tattoos that aren’t visible when in uniform (after all, there’s no way for an employer to check), almost all airlines ban visible tattoos for pilots.
Some people may wonder about this ban because it’s not as if tattoos affect a pilot’s ability to land a plane. However, they affect the confidence passengers have in the pilot. Even though public attitudes are mellowing toward tattoos, people still rate people in high-pressure jobs, such as pilots, as less trustworthy if they have tattoos (This study on another set of uniformed workers, police officers, proves the point).
Airlines don’t want to make passengers who are already nervous about flying even more nervous, so they want them to trust their pilots. That is why projecting a confident, polished appearance, which includes no visible tattoos, is important for pilots and cabin crew.
Where Can Pilots Have Tattoos?
If you want to be a private pilot and just fly for sport, then you can get a tattoo anywhere you want. However, if you want to be a commercial pilot, be careful that you get a tattoo somewhere that you will be able to cover with your uniform.
The safest areas are on the back, torso, and upper legs. Some pilot uniforms come with a winter and summer variation, and in the summer, arm tattoos will be visible in the short-sleeve uniform. Even if a tattooed pilot plans to wear long sleeves to cover up a forearm piece of ink, some airlines conduct arm checks to make sure pilots are following uniform policy.
However, if a pilot already has a job with an airline, that pilot can check the airline’s uniform policy because every company has variations in its policies. For example, Air New Zealand allows visible and even face tattoos to respect Maori cultural heritage. On the other end of the spectrum, Qatar Airways bans all tattoos, even non-visible ones (although it is questionable how they plan on enforcing that).
What About the Cabin Crew?
Most rules around appearance and uniform are even stricter for flight attendants and cabin crew than they are for pilots. With the exception of a few notable airlines, such as the aforementioned Air New Zealand, flight attendants cannot have visible tattoos. Cover-ups with makeup and bandages while in uniform are not allowed.
At least the days when flight attendants had strict age and weight limits are mostly gone!
Can Pilots Have Piercings?
Tattoos are not the only form of body modification that are popular. Facial and body piercings are also becoming more popular, although the road to total acceptance is not complete yet.
Commercial airlines are fairly strict when it comes to piercings. Female pilots can wear discreet earrings, but male pilots cannot. Facial piercings, multiple ear piercings, and gauges are usually forbidden for pilots of any gender.
One solution is to remove earrings while flying or interviewing for a position, but some airlines will notice piercing holes and deny candidates a job. However, the commercial airline sector is by far the strictest when it comes to piercings. Pilots with piercings can usually freely fly for private planes, smaller regional carriers, or other parts of the aviation sector.
Can Pilots Have Beards?
Pilot uniform regulations for commercial airlines cover almost all aspects of a pilot’s appearance, including facial hair. Amazingly, most airlines don’t allow beards, only neatly trimmed mustaches. Others only allow very closely trimmed beards.
While this rule may seem superficial, it actually has the aim of protecting the safety of the pilot (and all the passengers on board). For years, regulators thought that beards could affect the fit of oxygen masks and banned them just in case to ensure pilots had enough oxygen in case of emergency.
Can Pilots Have Long Hair?
For female pilots, long hair is okay as long as it is tied up and out of the face while on duty—loose strands of hair could impede a pilot’s duty. However, perceptions concerning men with long hair are still negative in some circles, and many airlines don’t allow their male pilots to grow their hair out.
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