Dragon Rider's Flight Suit
The flight suit of a Dragon Rider on Lore is a combination of a pilot's flight suit and a cowboy's riding gear. This is, perhaps, logical given that a Dragon Rider rides a Dragon much like a horse, but with all the added dangers of flight.
The flight suit consists of:
- a loose, breathable shirt made of Iron Reed fiber
- short pants made of a moisture wicking material (to prevent chaffing)
- heavy canvas pants with multiple pockets
- chaps made of Dragon Leather
- a Dragon Leather flight jacket
- a Dragon Leather helmet with a chin strap and full or partial face cover
- Dragon Leather boots
- Dragon Leather gloves
History and Major Changes
The flight suits began as nearly identical to piloting flight suits for planet-bound vehicles. However, there were several problems with the design that immediately arose. Firstly, piloting flight suits are designed for chair-sitting pilots, though the chair or helm designs might vary widely. Dragon riders are, however, riders first. The lack of support and protection for the skin of the inner thighs and groin proved to be incapacitating on any journey of more than a few days. Worse, the sand-filled air of the Badlands also contained extremophile fungus spores that caused infections. Sufferers of Saddle Spores were equally likely to die, become permenantly disabled, or fully recover. Because of this, chaps and undershorts were added to the flight suit. Secondly, the heat of the Badlands is significant, so a lighter shirt was switched out to allow for some breathability when the flight jacket is opened while on the ground. This counters much of the weight of the dragon rider's outfit. Since the atmosphere does not trap heat quite as efficiently as Earth, the excessive heat is not as much a factor during flight. Dragon Leather itself was one of the earliest adjustments. The creation of Giant Pangolins and the discovery of Pepper Cactus peppers combined to create a soft but durable leather without any added chafing. The additional discovery of Iron Reeds allowed for the nearly indestructable but soft fabric for the undershirt. This allowed dragon riders to require less clothing space in their pockets while traveling. Finally, the elimination of the parachute lead to the modern version of the flight suit. The thinner atmosphere, primarily composed of a less-dense mixture of gases, requires a larger parachute for the person using it. For a dragon rider, the amount of space taken up by the huge parachutes was too big a trade-off for the limited need they have for the 'chute. The chances of a rider falling off a dragon in-flight is extremely low. Additionally, a well-trained dragon will likely attempt to catch their rider unless the rider has adversely affected the dragon-rider relationship. Such a rider often lose their dragon before any accidental fall - the dragon simply leaves the rider. Rarely, a dragon might remain loose long enough to become feral.Mechanics & Inner Workings
A part of a dragon rider's training is learning how to live out of their flight suit. They always have their pockets full of their few personal and hygene items.
Significance
Only a trained dragon rider who has earned a dragon wears the flight suit.
Item type
Clothing / Accessory
Current Location
Current Holder
Owning Organization
Raw materials & Components
The majority of the material is Dragon Leather. The rest is heat resistant metal grommets, buckles, etc.
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This is excellent sci-fi worldbuilding! You have a very practical approach to alien world problems and requirements of human needs and needs of a profession. Excellent work!