What to Wear During Army Flight Graduation Week
Your aviator is getting ready to graduate! How dang exciting. No doubt you’ve been counting down the days to the celebration! Whether you’re a parent who has been searching for flights and hotels to make your way down to Alabama, a spouse who is juggling kids + a PCS move that is very quickly approaching, or just a local friend who is coming to support someone in your community, there’s probably a little bit of stress involved with all the moving pieces!
If you aren’t familiar with flight graduation week, let me give you a quick run down!
For all helicopters, you will have some time the day before graduation to see your pilot’s aircraft. This is called Family Day! The evening of Family Day, there will be a Flight Graduation Ball. Your aviator is in charge of securing tickets to this. The main event goes down on Thursday — Army Flight School Graduation at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum!
One of the biggest questions I get asked by clients is what to wear to the different events during flight graduation week. I’m going to break down each event for you with photos and recommendations to hopefully make deciding what to wear a breeze!
What to Wear to Family Day on the Flight Line
If you’ve ever stepped foot on a flight line, you know one thing — there is wind! There are typically helicopters flying around the airfield, so you can expect some significant gusts during your time. Your aviator will be in their ACU’s (everyday camo uniform). Typically, families who are not doing professional photos wear casual clothing such as shorts, a nicer top, sandals, etc. Alabama is quite HOT from March to around October, so be prepared! This will be the most casual event of flight graduation week.
If you are hiring a professional photographer for your family day, here are my top clothing tips!
Ladies — midi dresses are great to avoid the worry about a shorter dress flying up. Cute shorts or “date night” attire is also a solid choice. I love the look of dresses on the flightline (especially if you are the aviator’s significant other) because it creates a super romantic vibe! Some of my favorite places to shop for these outfits are Piper & Scoot, Roolee, Bohme, and Ivy City Co!
Men — a polo and some shorts or pants work nicely! Check out Old Navy, H&M, and Target for some good finds!
Kiddos — choose mom’s outfit first then build the kid’s outfits off that. Usually shorts and a simple patterned or solid shirt work well! You can find outfits at Rylee + Cru, Roolee, Amazon, and Quincy Mae.
Colors — I highly recommend not wearing colors such as bright red or any form of neon on the flight line for photos. These colors stick out like a sore thumb, draw attention away from your family, and can cause color casting on your face. Colors such as creams, earth tones (rust, earthy greens, mustard yellows), or black are your best bets as they all pair well with the camo uniform.
What to Wear to the Flight Graduation Ball
Here’s where most spouses / moms tend to get stumped! Little information is often communicated about the flight graduation ball and knowing what is appropriate to wear to a military ball in general is info hard to come by — ”Can I wear a strapless dress? Is cleavage allowed to show? Does it need to be floor length?” The list goes on and on!
For context, the hosts and guest speaker at the ball will usually be in “mess dress,” which is essentially the Army’s version of a tuxedo! Now don’t worry — your aviator probably doesn’t have mess dress, nor is there any expectation for brand-new lieutenants and warrant officers to have that uniform. However, your aviator’s Army Service Uniform (ASUs or “blues”) or the newer Army Green Service Uniform (AGSUs or—you guessed it—“greens”) are formal attire. Keeping this in mind, let’s dive in to help you find the perfect dress!
Keep it classy — choose an elegant style that you love. A little cleavage is totally fine as long as it’s tasteful and doesn’t draw attention away from your aviator.
Length — Full-length gowns are the standard for the flight graduation ball. A classy high-low is also appropriate!
Color — While there is no strict rule about color, sticking to classic colors such as black, navy, red, and jewel tones is common. Bright or neon colors aren’t against the rules, they are just less common, therefore stand out a bit more. Choose a color that best fits you!
Hair & Makeup — Some people choose to have their hair and makeup professionally done for the ball while others choose to do it themselves! This is totally your call and you’ll probably see a mix of up-do’s and other ladies’ with their hair down. Aim for elegant makeup that compliments your dress and isn’t too heavy!
Where to buy a dress:
If you are local to Fort Novosel and have a military ID, you have an incredible resource at your disposal called Operation Deploy Your Dress! Every calendar year, you can choose 2 dresses (one long and one short) at the shop for zero cost. Visit their facebook page to see their monthly operating hours and stop by the shop to try on all the dresses that you please!
Department stores such as Belk, Dillards, and Macys all carry formal floor length gowns that are appropriate for the flight graduation ball!
Online stores such as Baltic Born, Lulus, and Amazon are good choices as well. Just make sure you read their return / exchange policy as some do not offer free returns if your dress doesn’t fit quite right.
For men, a suit and tie is appropriate!
What to Wear to Army Flight School Graduation
The big day is here! After a busy family day and the graduation ball, you’ve made it to the Army Aviation Museum! Well, what are you wearing? Let’s dive in!
Graduation is business casual or Sunday church attire. I do not recommend jeans if you can help it. If you are pinning your aviator, you will be walking in front of the crowd to the front. It can be a little nerve wracking, and wearing something you might be self conscious or feel like you’re underdressed in isn’t a way to help those nerves.
Ladies — choose a nice dress (whether mini, midi, or maxi), a jumpsuit, or a nice pair of slacks! Some women choose to be a little fancier with silky fabrics while others choose simple dresses they would wear to church on Sunday. Some of my favorite stores / brands to find dresses for military celebrations are Piper & Scoot, Roolee, Bohme, Rylee + Cru, Adrianna Papell (sold at Belk, Dillards, Nordstrom, etc), and Aidan Mattox (sold at Dillards, Nordstrom, etc).
Men — a nice pair of khakis and a button down or polo will work great! Some men choose to wear suits, but it’s not necessary. My go to men’s stores: Target, Old Navy, H&M, and Amazon.
Kiddos — if you’re doing photos, just like with family day attire, choose mom’s outfit first then build the kid’s outfits off that. I recommend a cute dress for girls and pants/shorts with a nicer top for boys! I recommend checking out Rylee + Cru, Roolee, Amazon, Old Navy, and Jamie Kay!
Colors — If you are having professional photos done, creams and earth tones will always be my top recommendation! However, I also love pops of yellow, Americana blue, or a pretty pink on graduation day! Bright colors, if done well, look beautiful with dress blues and the pinks/greens uniform! As with family day, I’d be wary of anything that leans too neon or tomato red.
I hope this guide was helpful as you prepare outfits for your aviator’s Army flight graduation week! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my other resource What to Expect at Your Army Flight School Graduation and Family Day for a more in depth look at the run of show for both events!
If you are interested in booking me as your flight school graduation or family day photographer, you can learn more about investment options here or reach out to me here!