Jump to content

USN harness made by Switlik Parachute Co. WW2?


mikes militaria
 Share

Recommended Posts

mikes militaria

post-154336-0-47518800-1422213027.jpgpost-154336-0-34285200-1422213006.jpg

 

Advertised as WW2 but no date is found. I know nothing about parachutes so I'm looking for information. Is this WW2 or post war? Any help would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mikes militaria

I was told that there is a # but it is too blurred to tell what it is. This all the info I have to make a decision whether to buy this or not. Any suggestions on price? Any help is appreciated, Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not pretend to be an expert on this type of gear, but that chute harness looks like those seen on Navy carrier pilots in the mid-late WWII period. Chutes stayed in the aircraft bucket seats to avoid the possibility of an inadvertent deployment on a flight deck full of whirling props and stout 30 knot winds over the deck. Getting sucked or blown into a whirling prop could ruin you whole day! I have no idea about what such an item would be worth....

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Bagman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a WW2 vintage Switlik produced U.S. Navy QAS harness of the Army/Navy type. Although the date of manufacture was not shown in the ebay photos, it was probably from late 1944, based on the hardware used. Surprisingly, it sold for the opening bid of $399.00, which is well under the actual value. They normally sell in the $600-$900 range. This one was named and came with a like-named (although dry rotted) Navy contract B-4 vest. The winning bidder got a great bargain, in my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sold at 399 such a wonderful beauty???

Gulp... the price of a modern MBU-12/P oxygen mask. This is INJUSTICE !!!! :D :D :D

 

Franco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mikes militaria

I was considering making a bid but the seller did not offer a return. I didn't get any replies in time so I let it go. Now I know a little more about them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice harness QAS very popular with carrier air crews in WW2. Harnesses are very desirable. I have seen a fair amount of the harnesses in my time but the seat packs are pretty rare. The chute packs typically were put in the plane then hooked up to the pilots harness when he claimed in the plane. The two lower snap hooks attached to a set of d-rings on the seat pack. The chute pack had a long strap that came up to the middle front of the harness and attached to a hole the chest snap hook. Nice piece and a deal for the eBay bidder. I have three sets of QAS harnesses (three different variations of webbing, white, green and white with black dashes) and a couple of the chute packs. A must for USN WW2 aviation display.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...