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#1
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Stupid helmet question
I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51
Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap? As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance aircraft with anything less? I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft. Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.) |
#2
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On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:36:18 GMT, Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51 Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap? As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance aircraft with anything less? I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft. Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.) What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness." In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet. But, they do make you feel cool when you put it on and drop the visor--at least until the hot spots start showing up forty-five minutes into a ten hour ocean crossing. Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" www.thunderchief.org www.thundertales.blogspot.com |
#3
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Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote in message ... I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51 Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap? When was the photo taken? |
#4
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On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:15:59 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
postulated : When was the photo taken? Don't know. There is a series called "P-51" over in alt.binaries.pictures.military. Difficult to tell time frame. |
#5
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Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote in message ... Don't know. There is a series called "P-51" over in alt.binaries.pictures.military. Difficult to tell time frame. I can only view 3 of the 11 images, the one showing a pilot with cap is not available to me. |
#6
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On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:55:14 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
postulated : I can only view 3 of the 11 images, the one showing a pilot with cap is not available to me. E-mailed it to you.... Regards, Greasy |
#7
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Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote:
I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51 Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap? As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance aircraft with anything less? I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft. Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.) Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to help him in a crash? |
#8
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On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:14:08 -0400, Ragnar
postulated : Top speed of a P-51 is over 400 mph. Exactly which helmet is going to help him in a crash? So... all crashes occur at top speed? |
#9
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In the early 1970s the USN was very insistent about aircrew wearing the
helmet - with the visor down - anytime while out on an active flight line, or on the flight deck when the ship was at Flight Quarters. The safety point was one of vision and hearing conservation. This was a major culture change for many of the lower Rocket numbers, who had grown up in more relaxed times; and a minor one for the rest of us. For me it simply meant keeping my ****cutter and Ray-Bans in my G-suit pocket until leaving the flight line. Of course the helmet was, and is, excellent protection for your head when doing 0-dark-30 preflights on a dimly lit flight deck. The USN also got very big on good general "industrial safety" practices during that era as well (for example, no rings or jewelry that could accidentally amputate a body part if you were a wrench-turner). This predated the onset of similar OSHA stuff in civilian industry. -- Mike Kanze "If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?" - Lily Tomlin "Ed Rasimus" wrote in message ... On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:36:18 GMT, Greasy Rider© @invalid.com wrote: I was browsing a newsgroup just now and saw a gentleman flying a P-51 Mustang with what appears to be just a common ball cap. I got to wondering if he is that secure in his abilities and crash worthiness of the air frame to simply wear a ball cap? As a motorcyclist I feel very strange if I'm not wearing the very best helmet that I can afford. Why would a pilot operate a high performance aircraft with anything less? I know that a high dollar helmet and other protective gear has no guarantees whether it's a car, motorcycle, pony or aircraft. Am I missing something? Is the pilot simply exercising his freedom to take his chances? (The law won't let me do that in some states.) What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness." In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet. But, they do make you feel cool when you put it on and drop the visor--at least until the hot spots start showing up forty-five minutes into a ten hour ocean crossing. Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" www.thunderchief.org www.thundertales.blogspot.com |
#10
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In article ,
Ed Rasimus wrote: What you may be missing is recognition of the fact that the helmet in modern, high-performance aircraft functions primarily as an anchor mechanism for electronics and an oxygen mask. It does shield the noggin from the canopy bangs that potentially result from abrupt maneuvers, but it doesn't add all that much to "crash worthiness." In fact, most states will not accept a military flight helmet as a substitute for a certified auto/motorcycle helmet. Here's a quote of the flightsuits.com website in reference to one of the helmets: Caution: HGU-55 helmets have been designed for use in fixed-wing aircraft and offer limited impact protection. Users with different applications should consider helmets with greater impact protection designed specifically for their applications. -- Dale L. Falk There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing around with airplanes. http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html |
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