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Air force Flying Helmet Type P 1B


seebee1
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I think someone already mentioned Bells Aviation as a good source for parts. Ebay is a great place as well...it just takes a bit longer to find the right parts. Over the years I have seen just about all the parts you need come up. Right now there are several P helmets up. One even has the chrome receivers I was talking about earlier. Another has the later white receivers. These P helmets were in service a long time and went though many changes, and upgrades......Tom.

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  • 11 months later...

Just saw this..... The helmet shown here is a P-3. No matter what the label says, when looking at the P series helmets, the modifications to it dictate what it is. To restore this to a factory P-1B, the visor has to go.

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  • 1 month later...

Clive,

 

As many of them, your P-1B had been upgraded in 1955 to the P-4 version. Visor has been certainly added while originally the P-1B had not any visor. This visor is the type II which was for P-4. P-3 helmet was made at the same time of P-1A and was only the P-1A with a visor.

An Hardman kit (often called "Christma tree") had been added on your helmet replacing leather tabs to attach the mask.

 

I believe you could have two ways to restore it:

1) P-1B version: unscrew the two brown plastic cylinders on each face of the helmet; they were added to attach the earphones on the P-4 model; find the correct "dough nut" earpads with U/75 plug and brown radio cable that's going out from the rear of the helmet. Also you will must find two leather tabs for the mask.

2) P-4 version: you must find a H-75/AIC radio set for this version (not very easy, I guess) and the Hardman kit or leather tabs as well for the P-1B.

 

Some good links have been well provided by members above in your post? Thank you to them.

 

Good luck for you project whatever you decide to do!

 

Franck

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Does anyone know a source for reproduction decals for the front? I got a broken P-1 about 50 years ago, glued it back together, covered the seams with plastic wood and repainted it as a 12-year old. I did a good job on it and It has been on a shelf without a decal for a long time.and it would look better with the decal.

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northcoastaero

flightgearparts.worldpress.com has P series helmet reproduction parts and possibly the decal.

garciaaviation.com may have the replica USN/USMC and USAF helmet decals.

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A warning re vintage decals! I acquired a few sets of 50s vintage helmet liner water-slide decals...mint condition, still in their little paper packets. I thought I'd apply a couple to a spare liner. I followed the instructions printed on the carrier-paper, basically immerse them in water for a few seconds before carefully sliding them into place etc. However....as soon as the decals came into contact with the water they began to break up! Obviously, with the passage of time the inks used must dry up or simply chemically deteriorate. Therefore, if you wish to replace or add a decal, I would urge caution if you plan to use an old original. A safer option would be to use a modern copy!

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The ebay seller is Sabre business or sabre_business or similar. he can do much of the stuff needed for restoration.

I regret selling my helmet now ( shown here in this thread) but fancy making one from the ground up!

anyone know if any cottage industries do fiberglass molds of the shell as a starting point?

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The ebay seller is Sabre business or sabre_business or similar. he can do much of the stuff needed for restoration.

I regret selling my helmet now ( shown here in this thread) but fancy making one from the ground up!

anyone know if any cottage industries do fiberglass molds of the shell as a starting point?

 

 

The one featured at the beginning of this thread has a few hours to run on ebayUK.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281060913316?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

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scored this one at 71 bucks

 

121062563362

 

should I consider a strip sand and repaint with a sabre business decal?

 

I'm sorry to tell you that this helmet seems to be not an original one. Too more strange mounted stuffs on the helmet and I believe taht painting is not very old...

 

Franck

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I agree, the price is such that I don't mind a strip and repaint at the same time filling any holes that should not be there.

I think that paint job is recent.

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