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A-10 mask w/ "Juliet" harness from Santa!


Sabrejet
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I was pleased to find this beauty under the tree. It's a '42 dated A-10 demand Oxygen mask complete with "Juliet" harness in overall great shape for a 71 year old item! I'm not surprised it was a short-lived piece of kit because it really is a confusing jumble of straps and hooks. Putting it on / taking it off must have been a nightmare! It's displayed here as it might have been typically worn with a B-2 shearling cap, HS-33 Headset, AN-6531 "comfort cable" sunglasses and a T-30 throat mic.

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Looks like these would have been a pain in the wazoo just to get sized for your noggin and finally put it on where it fit right and wasn't uncomfortable. No wonder it didn't last long.

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The masks themselves are sized...this one is marked "Small". The harness itself is elasticated and multi-adjustable. I suppose the idea was you let out the straps until they fit your noggin then clamped them permanently in place. However, putting it on in a hurry would be all but impossible. It would require the kind of skill and dexterity which women exhibit when fastening a bra from behind!! Also, there's a wire clamp to seal it across the bridge of the nose which, according to vets who wore them, chafed the skin in that area very badly. Consequently, the rubber strap between the eyes was often cut off and the mask hooked directly onto a flying helmet without the harness. A modified version with such features was in production for a short time.

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a10front.jpg

As worn with B5 flight helmet. The B6 which followed was essentially a B5 with added hooks for the attachment of the A10 without the Juliet harness. (photo courtesy of Bells Aviation)

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Nice example, clean and complete! I like it.

 

PS, Ian maybe Santa left it behind because it wouldn't fit over the beard?

 

RC

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Nice example, clean and complete! I like it.

 

PS, Ian maybe Santa left it behind because it wouldn't fit over the beard?

 

RC

 

Hey Rusty...the regulations actually stated that all airmen wearing this (and similar) masks must be clean-shaven to ensure a good seal! :D

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Very nice item. Pass on to the Mrs that from what I can see her Christmas decorations look wonderful.

 

You silver-tongued Texan, Gary! Will do! :P

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If the straps are elastic, I don't think it would be that hard....the gas mask we had when I was in the Air Force (MCU2P) had a harness similar to this one...you basically pulled the harness forward over the mask and kept it that way. When you needed to don the mask, all you did was place the mask against your face with your right hand, and pull the harness up and over your head with your left hand...it took less than 2 seconds to do that....then you pulled the chemical protective hood over in the same manner and tightened it up...you could easily get the whole thing on and sealed within 9 seconds..

 

 

Mark sends

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I hear what you say but that's not the case with this harness....trust me! One of the reasons the design was short-lived was because users found it too cumbersome in practice. The harness itself is actually made of cotton webbing. The elasticated sections are confined to the attachment straps on the mask itself.

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Wow ,That is a beauty!

I am currently looking for a A9 of A10 oxygen mask.

Your display in the first pic is exactly what I am looking to do.

Just outstanding.

 

Semper Fi

Phil

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Wow ,That is a beauty!

I am currently looking for a A9 of A10 oxygen mask.

Your display in the first pic is exactly what I am looking to do.

Just outstanding.

 

Semper Fi

Phil

 

 

Thanks....and good luck with your quest!

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