VIKING makes material breakthrough with YouSafe™ aviation suits
Esbjerg, Denmark, May 2021
First use of advanced protective material brings step change for safety, breathability and comfort.
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has launched the first pilot and air crew suits with the flame-retarding properties of GORE-TEX PYRAD® technology at their core and the intrinsic flexibility, breathability and durability aviators have asked for. Developed by the VIKING PPE design team after crew consultations and aircraft visits in the UK and Norway, the VIKING YouSafe™ Aviation suits are fully authorized by EASA.
The fabric’s flame-retarding properties are not based on a chemical treatment, but are inherent and last for the product’s lifetime. Lighter in weight than traditional flame retardant materials, the new high-visibility VIKING YouSafe™ Aviation suits are also antistatic, waterproof and windproof. As an added benefit, the material is in compliance with the ISO 20471 standards for high visibility work wear, eliminating the need for safety vests.
“Pilots and crew put themselves on the line year in year out in the cause of safety. It is vital that their views as professionals are reflected in suit design,” says Heather McManus, Global Sales Manager Aviation, VIKING. “Exploring their challenges brought out the best in our design team.”
Comfort is a major consideration for pilots in confined and often sweltering cockpits, even though suits must protect them against possible immersion in seawater as well as fire. Available in multiple sizes, the new figure-fitting VIKING YouSafe™ Rotary U and Rotary J pilot suits offer more room for movement in the shoulders, comfortable ‘low profile’ cuffs, and best in class immersion suit breathability. The ‘J’ and ‘U’ designations refer to zip preferences.
Rear crew face different challenges. In this case, the two new VIKING YouSafe™ Protector U and Protector J suits include removable protective knee pads for winch operators, while individual fittings ensure mobility for winch personnel to wear protective body armor underneath the suit.
Available as a rental package, VIKING YouSafe™ suits are supplied sealed, in pairs. Users unpack one and scan details into VIKING’s track and trace service to start its 12-month useability period. Alerted twice before year-end, users switch suits for year 2, returning the first for servicing.
Taking a lead on GORE-TEX PYRAD® technology and user input point towards VIKING maintaining its position as the number one supplier of Search and Rescue suits around the North Sea, also providing a platform for its ambitions to grow in other markets, adds Heather.
“Our designers also take pride that the VIKING YouSafe™ suits are the best-looking in the market; there is no reason why style should come at the expense of safety and practicality,” says Heather. “All suits are designed for easy donning and work seamlessly with VIKING lifejackets, while pocket positions ensure that tools are accessible when the pilots are wearing seatbelts in the cockpit or the crew are using their harnesses.”
About VIKING
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S is a global leader in maritime, offshore and fire safety solutions.
We manufacture, market and service safety and fire-fighting equipment for passenger and cargo ships, offshore installations, offshore wind turbines, fishing vessels, navies, helicopter services, fire departments and leisure yachts around the world.
VIKING’s products protect passengers and crew on many of the world’s largest cruiseliners and cargo ships, and we help to ensure safe conditions for workers on some of the world’s most advanced offshore platforms.
We also enable shipowners and owners/operators of offshore installations to focus on their business by managing their service tasks and ensuring the regulatory compliance of all their products and solutions.
VIKING is a privately held corporation, founded in 1960. In recent years, VIKING acquired the Norwegian company Norsafe, whose lifeboats have been used around theworld since 1904, and Drew Marine’s FSR division, one of the world’s three largestproviders of Marine Fire Service.
Headquartered in Esbjerg, Denmark, VIKING products are manufactured in Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece, China and Thailand.
www.VIKING-life.com
For further information please contact
Global Sales Manager Aviation, Heather McManus, +44 7766 147 990, hmc@VIKING-life.com
Global PPE Marketing Communications Manager, Elizabeth Pöckel, +45 2542 8209, edp@VIKING-life.com