Private Pilot Flight Training and Instruction Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM Shirt Tails There has been a long tradition in aviation related to cutting off the shirt tails of newly soloed student pilots. One story has it that the practice began because of the student need to clean his goggles. Pilots had scarves to use in keeping their goggles clean but the student had to use a shirt tail. The cutting of the shirt tail was giving the student the symbolic scarf of a pilot. Written by Gene Whitt Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM