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Aircraft Products
Piloti Shoes
| | | About Piloti | | In his youth, hot-rodder and Piloti founder Kevin A. Beard followed the careers of some of the great names in auto racing -- Fangio, Moss, Gurney, Hill, Bondurant, McLaren, to name a few. Kevin graduated from Art Center in Pasadena with a degree in Product Design, concentrating on auto interiors. Kevin joined the Advanced Design Group at Adidas in Germany, where he became a respected member of its revolutionary biomechanical team and was instrumental in designing the first "Feet You Wear" concept. After a few additional years of developing top selling products for Reebok and K-Swiss, Kevin felt the desire to return to his racing roots... and he also had an idea for a new line of shoes. So in 1999, he left his director's post at K-Swiss to pursue a dream: Create a line of high-performance driving shoes that would be not just innovative in how they perform in fierce racing conditions, but that would also be stylish and comfortable enough to serve as street wear. This unique confluence of skill, vision, understanding and passion set the stage for Piloti. | | |
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 | | Legendary flying duo Steve Oliver and Suzanne Asbury-Oliver, renowned both for beautiful aerobatic performances and skill at the nearly-lost art of skywriting... show off their Pilotis along with their modified DHC Super Chipmunk, better known as the Oregon Aero SkyDancer. Suzanne writes, "I received my shoes and they are great! Thank you so much." | | |
Most pilots expect the highest level of performance out of their aircraft, as well as the equipment that they take with them. However, an aircraft can only perform as well as the pilot flying it... so doesn't it make sense to equip yourself with the best equipment possible for the job?
Piloti shoes were developed to meet the unique needs of competitive race car drivers -- who are constantly trusting not only their success on the track, but their very lives, to their total ability to perform at the highest possible level. As you may know, driving a race car isn't just a matter of stepping on the gas... drivers must often have a very fine touch on the pedals, balancing the clutch, throttle and brakes in just the right way to win the race... or to avoid disaster. In addition, the severe vibrations of a race car require that the driver's footwear is also properly cushioned to prevent undue fatigue or even injury. Competitive racers have learned that just as having the right gloves and helmet contributes to their ability to perform, the right shoes are necessary as well.
It is a natural extension to go from the demands of the racetrack to the needs of aerobatic or other high-performance flying. Pilots need to have a fine touch on the rudder pedals, the ability to hit the toe or heel brakes smoothly, and need to be able to do this in comfort while under physical stress. Since pilots often land somewhere away from where they took off, it also follows that the ideal flying shoes should also be good for walking around once you get to your destination.
Piloti shoes meet all these requirements, and more!
Key Features of Piloti Shoes:
From the beginning, Piloti shoes were designed for people who want only the best in high-performance footwear. These are people who want a high-performance shoe for fancy footwork on pedals. But what makes Piloti really special is the unique blend of styling and comfort for everyday use on the street as well as in the cockpit.
Here is a short list of what makes Piloti shoes so special:
- Roll ControlTM Heel:
Piloti's patented Roll ControlTM spherical heel provides unique cushioning behind the heel bone while in the cockpit, extending the cushioning up the heel and onto the sides of the shoe, especially at the forefoot to cushion the contact with the sides of the footwell. Why is this important? Well, in one NASCAR race in California, the fourth-place finisher had to seek medical attention because he forgot to put his heel liners in his racing shoes, causing his heels to blister from the vibration and movement during the race. If he had worn Piloti Driving Shoes, he would have been a much happier man. When flying, discomfort is a safety issue... no pilot needs any extra distractions in the cockpit, especially when flying a high-performance aircraft requiring precise rudder or brake inputs. Even better, once you're outside the plane the special heel design supports your natural stride with a rubber heel wrap for durability and grip. No matter how fast you fly, drive, or walk, your feet will perform beautifully when you're wearing Piloti!
- Cushioning:
Athletic construction offers you good cushioning under the foot; unlike other racing shoes or driving moccasins that have little or no cushioning. Piloti shoes are designed to fully support the midfoot, heel, and medial and lateral sides of each foot (in other words, the whole foot!) The unique "Toe Spring" aids in all-day comfort in and out of the aircraft, so you won't have extra fatigue on the flight back home. - Driving Reinforcements:
Many pilots are also "serious" automobile drivers. Piloti shoes feature a reinforced lateral side of the right shoe for easy heel-to-toe downshifting while driving. Plus, the reinforced upper and outsole rubber wraps up the side of the midsole to help with manipulating the pedals. | | - Fire Safety:
The Race Performance line of shoes has a NOMEX® lining for fire retardant safety. Nobody wants to think about having an incident, especially one involving fire, but if the worst does happen, you need every bit of protection you can get... it could end up saving your life or preventing a serious injury.
- Superb Quality:
Piloti shoes are constructed with only the highest-quality suedes and leathers with pigskin and tongue facings. This ensures that they're not only functional, but are durable and attractive as well. You wouldn't buy a poorly-made aircraft or automobile, so why would you buy poorly-made shoes that you're going to wear around every day?
- Great Styling:
Nobody wants to wear ugly clothing or personal equipment, yet everyone has different tastes. Piloti shoes feature a variety of attractive styles to suit every pilot... from the low-key "normal looking" styles to shoes that can be color-coordinated with brightly-painted airshow airplanes, there is a version for you! When you look beyond the colors, every single Piloti shoe shares the same great features that make them uniquely suited for high-performance usage.
See the Styles we offer
- Configurability:
Piloti's removable sock liner supports orthotic needs. - Affordability:
For all these great features, one of the most amazing things is the price... Pilotis are comparable in price to many well-known athletic shoes. Great looks, unique features, and a reasonable price... that's a combination that's very hard to beat!
Purchase Piloti Shoes in our Secure Online Store
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Who Wears Piloti Shoes?
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Drivers: - Robby Gordon - NASCAR winner
- Johnny Benson - NASCAR winner
- Phil Hill - Formula One World Champion
- Sir Jack Brabham - Three-time Formula One World Champion
- Colin McRae - World Rally Champion
- Ron Fellows
- Oliver Gavin
- Johnny O'Connell
- Jan Magnussen
- Kelly Collins
- Turner Motor Sports Team
- Bob Bondurant
- 20+ Instructors - Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
- 50 Clear Channel Sponsored Monster Truck Drivers
- Marc Bunting
- Randy Pobst
| | Industry Authorities: - Freeman Thomas - Strategic Design Dir., Ford Motor Co. (designer of the Audi TT)
- Tom Matano - Former Exec. VP of Design, Mazda
- Frank Saucedo - Dir. of Design, Calif. Studios, General Motors
- Peter DeLorenzo - Founder & Publisher of Autoextremist.com
- Don Taylor - Sr. Director, National Technical Operations, NHRA
- Ed Justice, Jr. - CEO & Pres. of Justice Bros. Inc. (http://www.justicebrothers.com)
- Alan Taylor - Host of CAR & DRIVER Radio & automotive media personality
- Designers and Engineers at all major car companies
| | Celebrities: - David Letterman
- Jay Leno
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Chad McQueen - Son of Steve McQueen
- 2 Fast 2 Furious - Movie
- Fast Lane - Television Show
- Gear Headz Garage - Television show
Musicians: - Linkin Park - Band members
- Aerosmith - Band members
- Social Distortion - Band members
- The Scorpions - Band members
Trade Journal Editors: - Sport Compact Car
- European Car
- Automobile
- Max Power
- Evo
- Car Audio
- Robb Report
- RACER
- C16
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