Shoes

Not quite sure how to state this, so I'll just come out with it. I recently paid $200 for a pair of shoes. Now, a few items to clarify up top: 1. I NEVER would have imagined I'd spend that much money on a pair of shoes since my name is not Stacy London. 2. I don't make a great deal of money, so I don't really have $200 just lying around to spend on unneeded items.

Most people wouldn't think shoes are important to an airline pilot. Most pilots have just one pair of "flying shoes." Perhaps some have more than one pair, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most have just one pair. These shoes are likely on the feet of regional pilots at least 15-20 days per month. And, that means all day for those days as well.

Airports aren't usually small places. Getting through security and out to a gate, doing the aircraft walk-around, then swapping planes and walking back across the airport a few times a day, standing at the gate waiting for a late inbound flight, then walking all the way out of the airport, walking out to the shuttle area for your ride to the hotel, etc, etc. When you do this day in and day out, all year long, it really adds up. Especially if you're putting all this on a single pair of shoes whether it's hot, cold, wet, snowy, or whatever.

I used to wear cheap pilot shoes. After all, that's all I could afford. I got about a year out of each pair. I found that the soles became thinner and thinner, and then eventually began to split. I usually noticed the splitting part on an early morning walk-around on a wet ramp area. It really blows having a cold/wet foot for a 12 hr duty day.

Then, there is the important qualification of being "airport friendly." When pilots are in uniform, they are not required by TSA to remove their shoes when going through a security check point. The caveat to this is that the shoes must not have a steel shank in the sole which would set off the metal detector.

So, this year, I started considering some more expensive shoes rather than another $40 pair. Why? Well, it certainly wasn't because I would feel like a "better person" having spent more money on myself. I was looking for a pair of shoes that would last longer and perhaps, be more comfortable. This became paramount after my last trip. I had a new pair of shoes that I had bought for $40. They seemed OK. They felt a little tight, but they were leather, so they would likely break-in a little as had past shoes, or so I thought. They were miserable. They were a slightly new style for me, but still from the same maker that I had gotten my shoes from for the last several years. These were almost unbearable. At night, I was stuffing all my socks into the toes of the shoes trying to get them to stretch out some more. The results were marginal at best.

The shoes that I had were also advertised as being "airport friendly." Turns out they were not! So for 4 days, I had uncomfortable shoes that I had to take off every single time I went through security. I couldn't imagine spending a full year in these damn things. Also, since I had now worn them outside, I couldn't take them back either.

So, I went on a shoe-mission. I was considering trying to find a pair that would be comfortable, airport friendly, long lasting, and perhaps even resole-able. Not all shoes are resole-able, in case you were wondering. I ended up going to with a pair that had a really nice classic style, one that I wouldn't be tired of in several years, had a poly-urethane sole, were very comfortable and were advertised as airport friendly. The sales-dude was quite helpful, and also mentioned that he sells shoes to lots of pilots. He said they were guaranteed for 3 years. He also spoke of a 30-day return policy. He said "You don't have to only wear them inside or anything like that. Don't hold back. Do what you normally do for 30 days. If you don't like them, bring them back and we'll trade you for something else or give you a full refund." I really couldn't ask for more than that.

So, for the first time, I spent $200 on a pair of shoes. They indeed are airport friendly, they are quite comfy and supportive, too. Now, we'll see if they hold up for at least 3 years.