The flight suit is the coverall worn by the Ghostbusters as their working uniform. In both films the costume is built on a military-style flight suit, fitted with a "no-ghosts" shoulder patch, an embroidered name tag over the left breast, and the various pouches, belts, and accessories that hang from the Pistol Belt. The suits read as grey on screen but are actually khaki, a difference caused by lighting and film stock rather than the fabric itself.
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The uniforms worn in the first film were CWU-27/P style flight suits made from a khaki ripstop with brass zippers. The patches consist of a "no-ghosts" logo on the right shoulder and the wearer's last name across the left breast. A rubber connector, possibly cast from an industrial valve stem seal, is sewn above the left knee of the suit, and a transparent yellow leg hose runs from it to the back of the belt. The pant legs are tucked into ten-inch Carolina jump boots fitted with aluminum side-zippers.
The suits are clearly khaki in person and in production stills, but they take on a slightly grey hue in the finished film because of the lighting and the film stock used. The photo below gives a fairly accurate depiction of the true color of the suits as they appeared in 1983; note the skin tones, containment grid, and leg hose as color reference points.
The first-film suits carried a fairly elaborate set of pockets and closures: chest pockets, a left sleeve pocket, a pleated action back, a storm flap, hook-and-loop sleeve and waist tabs, a two-way front zipper, a knife pocket, leg zippers, a left vertical thigh pocket, a right horizontal thigh pocket, side-entry zippers, and zippered leg pockets.
The khaki and dark grey uniforms worn in the second film were custom-made by Flight Suits, Ltd., the company now trading as Gibson & Barnes. Both versions were close to the first-film suits, with a handful of changes:
The dark grey uniforms lacked both the leg hose and its connector entirely.
Several of these uniforms, both screen-used and production-made (extra costumes made for the film but possibly not used on-screen), have ended up in private collections or on display, with examples reported at Planet Hollywood and at Sony Studios. Ernie Hudson kept one of his charcoal grey second-film suits, complete with its black web belt, belt gizmo, and trap holster, but his khaki first-film uniform went missing from his hotel room at a New Jersey convention. One original screen-used uniform was sold at a 2008 Profiles in History auction.1
Several original uniforms survive in collections. These pictures give a good view of an original nametag and no-ghosts patch, and also show the khaki ripstop fabric used to make the suits:
Another original uniform from a private collection, shown here with a GBII-styled belt:
An original Ghostbusters uniform showing the construction and fit:
The uniform auctioned by Profiles in History in 2008:
An additional original screen-used uniform from a private collection:
Several companies sell grey and khaki flight suits that work as a base for a costume. The off-the-rack color is usually close but not exact, and many builders dye their suits to bring them nearer to the on-screen tone. Reasonably accurate patches are also available from costume dealers and online retailers including eBay.
For the fan wishing to put together their own uniform, plenty of companies currently sell both grey and khaki flight suits. The colors of these suits, while close to the originals, can be altered through a dyeing process to match those seen on screen. Patches that are fairly accurate are also available from dealers on the internet and eBay.
Gibson & Barnes, formerly Flight Suits, Ltd., made both the khaki and dark grey uniforms for Ghostbusters II. They offer standard Nomex flight suits as well as custom suits that can be specified down to the zippers, pocket layout, and color. Custom work of this kind is expensive, especially if having a fully custom suit made.
The CWU-27/P issued to U.S. Air Force pilots is the most accurate off-the-rack option. It is made from the fire-resistant synthetic Nomex and shares the pocket configuration used in both films, apart from the side-entry pockets. Builders looking for more accuracy sand down the black metal zippers to expose the brass underneath. The suit comes in desert tan, black, and olive drab. Nomex suits can cost up to $200 brand new, though used or "defective" suits can be found on eBay or at military surplus stores for $20 to $40. The first-film-style uniform Bill Murray wore to the 2010 Scream Awards appears to be a Nomex suit.2
The Tru-Spec suit is a civilian-made polyester and cotton twill version that is close to the Nomex. It lacks the knife and lap pockets but does have the side-entry pockets and brass zippers, and it breathes a little better than the Nomex. These suits are readily available online or at surplus stores for about $35.
Cockpit USA produced a reproduction modeled on flight suits issued before the move to Nomex coveralls in the early to mid 1960s. Tailored to the CWU specification, it featured six large zippered pockets, a pen, pencil, and cigarette pocket with hook-and-loop closures at the waist, sleeve cuff, and leg cuff, a full zip closure at the leg cuff, a regulation-size identification patch on the left chest, and unpainted brass zippers. The earlier version, made of 100% cotton, came in khaki and black and was very close to the first-film suits, but it was discontinued. As of 2017 the company offered a different suit in a more yellow khaki, with non-zippered side pockets, some zippers painted black, and a high waistband, priced at about $90.
Fox Outdoor's coverall is a step up from the cheaper poly-cotton suits. Its khaki has less yellow, the chest pockets sit higher, and it includes both the lap and side-entry pockets. It is not as well made as the Nomex or Tru-Spec suits, and these are readily available online or at surplus stores for about $35. As of 2010 the first-film-style uniform Ernie Hudson wore to conventions and signings appeared to be a Fox suit, supplied by Ryan Fear along with patches and accessories.
Various companies make cheaper polyester and cotton suits, the most common being Rothco. These can serve as a starting point, but the zippers are plastic, the fabric is thin, the storm flap is missing, and the color skews yellow, so dyeing is usually required to get a film-accurate khaki. Online listings sometimes use a generic stock photo and omit the manufacturer, so it is worth confirming the brand before buying. These will cost about the same as Tru-Spec suits but will be of lesser quality.
The full uniform is more than the coverall. It is built up with the pistol belt and its hardware, including the belt gizmo, the Lifegard II PASS alarm, and the leg hose that connects to the suit above the knee. Over the top sits the Proton Pack, with a Ghost Trap carried on the belt.
