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BUAER U.S. Navy, Coverall, Summer, Flying


hirsca
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Pick this up today. Seems to be from the '50's if the last two numbers of the contract mean that. There is a leather covered clip on the thigh area of the left leg. Can anyone please tell me what that clip is used to secure and the date range of when this flight coverall was used? Many thanks in advance, Al.

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not great details shown in photo, even color could actually be less tannish than it seems here? Anyway would appear like a almost exact Navy copy of AirForce's early K-2B - those too, had that leather-covered clip (a legacy from AAF L-1 suit of mid-'40s).

 

"58" could easily be the mfg. year, but not 100% sure. Noteworthy the "Mil - C - 5390..." nomenclature is the same identical (apart for the final "D") wich shows up so often inside wristlets of the B-3A summer leather gloves when made by "Mario Papa & Sons" or "Steinberg Bros." in mid-to-late '60s, (Mil-C-5390 -G).

In case of gloves, the final "D" is replaced by "G" - I suppose "G" for Gloves.

 

More I do not know, sorry.. Franco.

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not great details shown in photo, even color could actually be less tannish than it seems here? Anyway would appear like a almost exact Navy copy of AirForce's early K-2B - those too, had that leather-covered clip (a legacy from AAF L-1 suit of mid-'40s).

 

"58" could easily be the mfg. year, but not 100% sure. Noteworthy the "Mil - C - 5390..." nomenclature is the same identical (apart for the final "D") wich shows up so often inside wristlets of the B-3A summer leather gloves when made by "Mario Papa & Sons" or "Steinberg Bros." in mid-to-late '60s, (Mil-C-5390 -G).

In case of gloves, the final "D" is replaced by "G" - I suppose "G" for Gloves.

 

More I do not know, sorry.. Franco.

 

Thanks Franco. I will post more pictures in better light tomorrow with close up details. Thank you for your comments.

 

Al

 

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No problems Al, made a further research in my material

 

first off, I must fix an error on my side (was going by memory), the correct specification for summer gloves is Mil-G-5390-D where "G" is in effect for "Gloves" BUT, does replace the "C" of your label wich is for "Coveralls" (I inverted by writing "Mil-C-5390-D).

 

Some more infos: your summer flight suit is a very early specimen of the standard USN summer flight suit made as for that spec. -5390 wich went through some enhancing - they are reflected in changes of suffixes ("D", "E", "F"). Production possibly started in mid-'50s, your early suit carries on such an (almost) obsolete feature like the left-thighs clip designed to hold some flight charts or notations.

Light tan color should be the first one, after wich a bright Orange, a Green and a Olive Drab followed. Two noteworthy details:

 

** chest zippers do appear, at least in seeing this photo, to be half-hidden by that sort of flaps wich were part of pockets' design - interestingly, other identical specimens (also marked "D" and 1958 dated) instead do not have them. Repeat, so it looks in the picture but could be exactly the opposite.

** waist ajustment on your's is by means of buttoning, integrated belt. Possibly just afterward of your suit, the (black) double velcro strip replaced buttons.

 

Position of that thigh clip allowed (just!!) it to stay outside of Navy-issue Z-3, cutaway G-pants when worn on the flight suit. The clip already was on the AAF K-1 and L-1 suits as early as 1944, subsequently on USAF L-1A, K-1A, and early K-2B.

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was forgeting,

even if not Navy-related, here is the AAF/Air Force K-1 suit on my F-86 pilot - just to show you the top narrow margin the thigh clip had in relation to "G-pants" (here, the USAF G-3A variant).

Regards, Franco.

 

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Great info Franco, thanks much. It is still dark here in Dallas, but I will take the pictures as soon it gets light enough. Thanks again, Al.

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Thanks to you Al. Yes I guess there are at least 7 hour difference, so it was 6.34 AM there? A early riser enough! :)

 

Franco--Here are some close-ups in the bright Texas sunshine. Thanks, Al.

 

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A great suit Al, yes chest pockets' zippers are the 1st variation with "flaps", later issues of Navy -5390 (and, Air Force K-2B) had zippers wich shows up fully with no flaps. Strangely in this sense, 1st variation pockets are somehow more "modern" than later ones, by getting those narrow flaps - the same as in the CWU-27/P suits from 1969 onwards.

"Serval" zipper is a classic.

 

BTW, in this particular timeframe I must be drunk or similar - something hidden deeply in my brain suggested me that your suit was at least a bit familiar to me other than for its Mil-C-5390-D... but I went through a searches even if suit was not a real new to me :wacko:

.. here a photo of my Vietnam Navy pilot of almost 20 years ago, suit is virtually the same of your's except it's much lighter khaki and label Mil-C-5390-E - your earlier label is MIL-C-5390- D

Shame on me!! (Your suit is in fantastic condition, fully worth to be "kept firmly" in my opinion).

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the suit worn by that guy, it still is a few meters from the living room. As stated above, I decidedly have to do something against my drug-addiction? ah ah, Thanks.

Franco.

 

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Franco--Once again, great information. Seeing your Viet Nam set up, that guy is loaded for bear. Both a 1911 .45 and a .38 Victory. Many thanks, Al.

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Glad you like it - something of a 8+ years research here and there counting some refinements as well, in not-Internet period for me. Sounds like ridicolous.. but once completed it shows up well in my "war room".

Thanks, Franco.

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small visual contribution about the "line" of -5390 Navy summer suits (quality poor unfortunately):

 

Left, -5390-B all pockets have buttons instead of zippers, no thigh clip Right, -5390-D your suit

 

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two more, these in Indian Orange:

Left, -5390-F Right, possibly -5390-E Very minimal differencies between them, waist adjustment by velcro, pockets' zippers with or without "flaps":

 

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From a Croc's article about USN flightgears in the Vietnam war published in a french magazine: the USN flight suit from the spécification Mil-C-5390D was issued from 1958. All these ones I've had or seen were 1958 dated. The next version was the 5390E in 1959. Then, in 1961, the 5390F was replacing the E version with velcro replacing buttons for waist sizing. was

The spécification C-5390 for USN flight suits has been issued from 1951. The first one in service was the 5390B with buttons on chest pockets. Never seen any 5390A version. I'm almost sure that there was never one from this version in service. Not any more 5390C.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Franck

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Thanks Franck,

just one more note for Al, your -5390-D label doesn't read any "Type I" so, should be that "D" was meant from beginning to be produced only in khaki color. Starting with the -5390-F (maybe, as early as -E but not sure of this) Navy Bur. of Aeronautics made the suits in either Khaki (Type I) and Orange (Type II).

 

So we have at least the -5390-F (introduced 1961) and the -5390-G (introduced 1964) in both Type I Khaki and Type II Orange. No more subvariations of -5390 after the -G 'cause it was the last one. By about late1966 the new aramidic CS-FRP/1 suits were coming into use within Army and Navy flyers, but much less for USAF' who apparently kept going with latest subvariants of their K-2B (cotton) suit.

 

P.S. Noteworthy some USAF K-2Bs contracted as late as 1968 still have the old-fashioned, buttoned waist band and buttoned wristlets.

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To Franco and Franck--a very informative lesson in Navy flight coverall history---well, at least for the 5390 series anyway. I am very thankful for the two of you sharing your knowledge with me. Again, thanks much. Al.

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Both 5390E, F end G have been produced in both khaki and orange version. In his article, Croc also added the 5390D. Personally, I have never seen any one.

 

Franck

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Both 5390E, F end G have been produced in both khaki and orange version. In his article, Croc also added the 5390D. Personally, I have never seen any one.

 

Franck

 

Interesting detail !! - I had seen many a 5390-F and -G label wich was either Type I and Type II, moreover I saw at least a couple -E in Khaki and was unsure about them existing in Orange as well. But I learn right now of the -D being in Orange also, I'd have sworn about the only Khaki.

 

This could mean of a possible label marked, say, "Mil-C-5390-D Type II" anyway, even though doesn't exist the label "Mil-C-5390-D Type I" - or not?

 

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I've mismatched saying I'd never seen a 5390D in orange. I've had one. So, we have 5390D, E, F and G which have been produced in orange version. I don't think that all were named "type II" on the label. But I've had "type II" labeled orange suits without the spécification 5390x on the label.

 

Here's the 5390D I had in my collection. Not any "Type II" mention on the label.

 

Franck

 

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Well guys---I guess this proves "never say never." By the way, in posts #12 and #24, you can see the leather name tag above the left breast pocket. I examined my closely and there is no evidence that my coveralls had such a name tag sewn on to it. Extra set maybe? I should have purchased the Vet's flight log, but I passed on it. My bad. Thanks again for all of the great information. Al.

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