Retro helmets (modern helmets with oldtimer look)

Message 3393, Jul 10, 2001
Cher Monsieur Rivegauche: This is a topic which kept me busy too for some time. My idea was to create a compromise of period looks and safety for flying the 60s era T-28B. On the flight suit I decided that nomex is indispensable. This was easy as Flight Suits had my measurements already, so I ordered a suit in tan colour. Gloves: I do have the original leather gloves in the dark brown and the later light brown colour - but most of the time I wear brown nomex gloves, again for safety. Helmets: I have converted two APH-5s to this point. The first was a HGU33 shell, fitted with an APH-5 visor cover, hardman receivers, MS-22001 mask with M101 Micro and a Flight Suits external amplfier for the civilian avionics. I put a medium TPL liner in and a ANR set from www.headsetsinc.com. Sounds easier than it really is... The micro is an M-80 from www.sigtronics.com. This combination is the result of a longer trial and error process - but it works really well together with a high noise vox intercom from sigtronics.
The second helmet I restored was again an APH-5 (on the pic with the suit) but this time I took an original "fixer upper", sanded and painted the shell, put in all the comm hardware including ANR and fitted a M-80 micro inside the original, gutted M6AUR micro and voilà, trés facile!
Additionally I found two Mark-2 vests in very nice condition, a yellow earlier one and the orange one which is on a pic.
This all adds up to a semi original look but with modern avionics and good safety.
If anyone would like to know more about this - perhaps on the avionics side (I did similar "retro-look" surgery on this too), please let me know.
Amicalement, Downwind28
03393 APH-5+oxy2_tn.jpg (24205 bytes)03393 APH-5+suit_tn.jpg (21602 bytes)03393 65MK-2vest_tn.jpg (20098 bytes)
Pictures © Downwind28