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Collection from Italy: #6 F-104 Pilot, Italian Air Force


BlueBookGuy
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BlueBookGuy

Hello again.

Despite being an Italian pilot, this is virtually 95% USAF as for clothing and equipments. To be more precise, this F-104G pilot could stay in a restricted timeframe, say 1962-63.

Some shots:

 

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BlueBookGuy

Italian-made integral flight suit + anti-G suit is a "Giusti - made, model G-4B", an almost copy of USAF D. Clark G-4B. Rather coarse fabric, and in my opinion a lesser quality degree than its American counterpart.

Late variant of the USAF B-5 Life Vest, license-made by italian "Aerostatica" with added a reflective "collar" section, for more visibility in a emergency by night.

Many stamping of revisions, with dates even into the late '60s.

 

(continues..)

 

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BlueBookGuy

Details of oxygen connections.

Of course in this timeframe the breast connector isn't yet the more familiar CRU-60/P, rather it is the older CRU-8/P. The mask is a MS-22001 but with added the 3-pronged bayonet-connector, a feature from the newcomer MBU-5/P (adopted in the USA in 1959, maybe in 1958) and will be seen on the MBU-3/P, little different basically from the MS-22001.

 

Parachute is a early variation of the BA-18, equipped with the so-called "blast handle" for manual opening. It is dated 1963 and made By "Pioneer Recovery Systems".

 

More photos will follow. (continued..)

 

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Great pilot setup ! and excellat quality and detail item's it's made up of .... but I thought that by 1963 a , HGU-2 helmet would be correct .. at least for a USAF pilot .. but, I guess NATO pilots might still be using the older P-4 helmet ... thanks for post the pictures .. .

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BlueBookGuy

Hi cepilot, thanks for the appreciation.

Yes I made this pilot by virtually copying from a 1963 color photo, by then in I.A.F. the HGU-2/P didn't even have made its first appearance - saw many a photo of pilots up to 1967 - 68 still wearing the old P-4B helmet (by then, updated with addition of the "Hardman" retention system).

This pilot could be literally lifted and put into a Starfighter cockpit, with the 110% fidelity to the original photo picked up.

 

(continues..)

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Closeup of P-4A helmet, made by GenTex Corporation and somehow arrived to an Italian fighter pilot. The red lightning bolts were the insignia of an I.A.F. (Aeronautica Italiana) Fighter-Bomber Group wich didn't have the F-104G airplane in 1962-63, but helmet model and features are exactly the same of the photo I took as a guide.

A portion of B-5 Life Vest's upper collar is seen lighting up as an electric white, this is the reflective fabric treated as a reflective tape wich lights up if hit by camera's flash.

 

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Detail of the "Blast Handle" of the BA-18 Automatic-opening backtype parachute, the first subvariant fitted when this parachute arrived on the scene in very early '60s (this BA-18 is dated 1963). The more usually seen "T-handle" subsequently replaced this, and is still today the standard handle in BA-22 and BA-24 series parachutes.

 

The distinctive anodyzed red hook from the so-called "Zero-Delay Lanyard" is clipped to a ring in this "Stowed Position", in wich being held after surpassing the 8,000 feet altitude and before returning below the 8,000. At less than 8,000 feet it was clipped to the "T-handle" so that in an emergency low-altitude ejection it automatically (and directly) pulled away the handle - this way it bypassed the delaying F-1B system (time-controlled) contained inside the parachute, without losing any vital seconds so precious when ejecting at very low altitudes.

 

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Detail of the lanyard (kept in somehow coiled shape, inside the elicoidal spring) wich links by a "golden ring" the parachute's opening system to the pilot's safety belt (more precisely, the MA-2 lap belt of the Lockeed C-2 ejection seat).

 

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Detail of the tight-fitting leg pant of the Giusti-made G-4B, integral anti-"G" garment.

Also visible one of the "spurs" wich attached pilot's feet to the retracting steel cables under the seat. A split-second before ejecting, they forced the feet to stay firmly against and under the seat itself. This in order to avoid any serious traumas if touching the instrument panel or windshield's frame.

 

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In this case, flight gloves were the same as for more "casual" wearing in ground duties.

Made of soft cabretta leather, with wool lining.

 

(continues..)

 

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BlueBookGuy

A good look at the parachute from a different angle. In order to be 100% correct, one thing should be bettered (even the way pictured here is not so much serious after all), this too short cable from the Emergency Oxygen Bottle contained inside the backpack, results in the wooden "green apple" to stay a bit too much to the rear.

It should be replaced with a proper MD-1 bottle having a longer pull-cable and a more comfortable placement of the green piece on the body.

 

The unmistakable outside shape of this series of back-packs is typical of the BA-18S.

Rubber hose from the internal Emergency Bottle runs over the right shoulder and connects from above to the breast-mounted CRU-8/P .

 

post-151851-0-20869600-1394140264.jpg

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BlueBookGuy

Hi Sabrejet!! Glad you like it. :)

 

Close up of the CRU-8/P oxygen connector. The clip attaching it to the breast harness is the same for the later CRU-60/P.

 

post-151851-0-40008000-1394217714.jpg

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Detail of the "Capewell" Quick releasr Fitting, for disposing of the canopy risers in emergency after landing (especially in water). Virtually unchanged until today.

Here in stowed position:

 

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And, here in open position with the wire "ring" ready to be sharply pulled forward.

Photo doesn't make justice to the actual complication and zero tolerances of the whole ensemble:

 

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Again, another close-up of the anodyzed red hook of the "Zero Delay Lanyard". This way the lanyard is linked to BA-18 Parachute's opening handle, for an immediate pull wich will deploy the canopy almost instantly (without having to pass through the delaying system contained in the "F-1B Box" inside the pack).

 

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The "head" of the auto-opening system (I call it a ball, even if not really so shaped) is in this instance a deep honey color - some pics of pilots in early '60s wearing the BA-18 back parachute show this head having an identical color, at least those I personally saw.

Wouldn't be able in stating when, more or less, the head in vivid red color started to show on BA-18s, certainly at mid-'70s they already so were, and still today this is the color on those backpack 'chutes wich serve aboard those few aircraft requiring aviators to wear them.

 

They are the F-5s and T-38s family, and the B-52H - do not remember currently any other model fitted with an old-style ejection seat.. Maybe those very few F-104 Nasa if still they are around? In this case could be, if still un-modified since the C-2 seat days.

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BlueBookGuy

OK let's go with some more pics.

This is an excellent view of the Italian-made, late '50s flight boots closed with zipper + two buckled straps:

 

post-151851-0-74966600-1394902713.jpg

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