Kyle80s Posted April 22, 2017 Share #1 Posted April 22, 2017 Hi last September i got this helmet with the mask and have since been trying to find the squadron it came from. recently i have been in contact with an ex USMC phantom Rio,he told me he knows the pilot who wore the helmet and what squadron it came from,it belonged to a marine air group commander of H&ms 31 at mcas beaufort during 1983 to 1985 he was known as 'sam' because he got shot down in Vietnam by a Sam and that was his new callsign ever since the incident. Formally his name is Frank Alvin Huey, he flew the ta 4j Skyhawks as a bandit for the other phantom squadrons based there,but he also got to fly the f4 whenever he chose since he was commander.here are some pictures sorry they are not perfect,taken with my phone camera. Please can anyone help find pictures from h&ms 31 with the Skyhawks and Sam/Huey,i have extensively searched myself on the good old Google,but very little results,any help would be most appreciated. Enjoy the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcoastaero Posted April 23, 2017 Share #2 Posted April 23, 2017 Sharp looking helmet and mask set. The H&MS-31 mask would have been equipped with mini-regulator and a lower high pressure oxygen hose with a locking connector molded into the lower end. The mini-regulators used during the mid 1980s with the TA-4F and TA-4J acft. might have been the Bendix Type 1, Robertshaw Type 1, and a CRU-79/P variant. It appears that Captain F.A. Huey was shot down on April 21, 1966 while flying as pilot in the F-4B Phantom II acft. BuNo 151010 from VMFA-542 Bengals with a tail code of WH and an ID number of 13. The pilot and RIO were rescued by a USAF HH-3 Jolly Green Giant (Jolly 55) helicopter. https://books.google.com/books?id=MOS6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=huey+f-4+marine+vmfa-542&source=bl&ots=d8oA_9-QIL&sig=qlNtErIuCCgzexi310fZAqTbRFg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7_ZaH1LnTAhVETSYKHcS-AXEQ6AEIPTAF#v=onepage&q=huey%20f-4%20marine%20vmfa-542&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=kAI-VBk8K8gC&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=usmc+huey+f-4+eject&source=bl&ots=xwUWovoIWz&sig=7xY5W5PyLM-GAw3kDQbJjtj5S8M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk29HI1LnTAhUE2yYKHSb1CzQQ6AEIIjAA#v=onepage&q=usmc%20huey%20f-4%20eject&f=false http://www.markstyling.com/USM/F-4_USMCcu_77.jpg http://a4skyhawk.info/article-unit/mag31 Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle80s Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted April 23, 2017 Thank you for finding this info,very interesting. The end of the oxygen hose had nothing attached,so i fitted a used oxygen connector with a clamp,is this part ok? Or is it the wrong one?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted April 23, 2017 Share #4 Posted April 23, 2017 Great looking helmet, I am glad you were able to get a confirmation on the ID of this helmet. I remember it went back and forth a couple of times between two squadrons. Brigadier General to boot!! Great helmet!! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northcoastaero Posted April 23, 2017 Share #5 Posted April 23, 2017 Unfortunately, the black colored 3 pin connector that is presently installed on the end of the oxygen mask hose is incorrect for use with the TA-4F and TA-4J aircraft. You need a miniature oxygen regulator and a high pressure hose assy. The mini-regulator may be one of the following types for the mid 1980s era: Bendix Type 1, Robertshaw Type 1, or a CRU-79/P variant. The high pressure hose with a molded locking type connector at the bottom will most likely be manufactured by REDAR (R.E. Darling Co., Inc.) for this time frame. The following are some sources for these parts: flighthelmet.com flyboyplus.com ebay.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle80s Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share #6 Posted April 23, 2017 Cheers Chris once i saw the picture of the h&ms 31 agressors Skyhawk and the pilots had the red bird on their helmets i just kept hunting,sadly that picture is the only one i can find with those helmets on Google,i wish there more to view,i tried the a4 Skyhawk association and found it is an informative site and most squadrons there have someone to contact, unfortunately the the guy to contact from h&ms 31 was not very communicative,i had to be patient and persistent with him,in the end with regards to Huey being with the squadron he simply said 'yes he was'.'search through the Skyhawk association for more information'.well i did and no more info to be found,so googled for ages and eventually found an ex h&ms 31 marine, Northcoastaero i understand what your saying,please could you post a picture of what it all looks like? An what sort of price are these parts going to cost about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horridohutch Posted April 30, 2017 Share #7 Posted April 30, 2017 Great helmet! It is tough sometimes to research a helmet but it pays off if you stick to it! Here are a couple photos of a Robert Shaw CRU-79 I just pulled off the net, check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle80s Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share #8 Posted April 30, 2017 That's super these images help so much, many thanks. The first time I saw the helmet I thought it's unique in a way,never seen anything like it,and it looked good,I had no idea what squadron it came but I knew it was an original and bought it positively thinking i would find the squadron it came from,and it cost a lot.7 months later, fortunately I found its squadron,I was so close to removing it's squadron decals and putting something else on it,so glad I didn't. I really need to find more pictures of h&ms 31 in the 1980's Anyone have any idea where??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horridohutch Posted April 30, 2017 Share #9 Posted April 30, 2017 Many a great artifact gets destroyed that way! As for images of that squadron the internet, or books. Just got to start digging! I was looking for a solid month or two for some images for a helmet I am restoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shark45 Posted December 28, 2017 Share #10 Posted December 28, 2017 Greetings Sir, BG Frank Alvin "Sam" Huey, USMC (Ret.) was a family friend of mine. General Huey and my father attended the University of Delaware together and then served together in the US Armed Forces- my father in the US Army and General Huey in the US Marine Corps. General Huey coached me in "Pop Warner Football"; he was an amazing man and a great friend. His son and daughter were my classmates. General Huey retired from the Marine Corps and became a NASCAR crew chief. Unfortunately, General Huey passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2015 and is buried in the National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina. His headstone reads, "I did it my way." His tiger-stripe flightsuit is on display at the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. Hi last September i got this helmet with the mask and have since been trying to find the squadron it came from. recently i have been in contact with an ex USMC phantom Rio,he told me he knows the pilot who wore the helmet and what squadron it came from,it belonged to a marine air group commander of H&ms 31 at mcas beaufort during 1983 to 1985 he was known as 'sam' because he got shot down in Vietnam by a Sam and that was his new callsign ever since the incident. Formally his name is Frank Alvin Huey, he flew the ta 4j Skyhawks as a bandit for the other phantom squadrons based there,but he also got to fly the f4 whenever he chose since he was commander.here are some pictures sorry they are not perfect,taken with my phone camera.Please can anyone help find pictures from h&ms 31 with the Skyhawks and Sam/Huey,i have extensively searched myself on the good old Google,but very little results,any help would be most appreciated.Enjoy the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmach5 Posted February 2, 2019 Share #11 Posted February 2, 2019 Kyle80's, The General, or Al was a friend of mine post military. He was an incredible individual and I learned many life lessons from him. His USMC aviation career started in 1962 in F-8 Crusaders, then to the F4B with the VMFA 542 Bengals in DaNang. He flew 398 combat missions in Vietnam. On his 31st mission , a nighttime hot pad mission he and his RIO were shot down by AAA fire over the Trail in Laos. I've read several accounts of the event and the search and rescue that followed , most incorrect, however it being 53 years ago things do confused in the translation. The reason I know is , I had the General give me the story first hand, slowly in detail. I hung on every word, took good notes, and later that day commit it to paper as it was still fresh in my mind. Later in his career he was the commander of VMFA 333 and of Marine Aircraft Group 31 in Beaufort, SC. Great man and I was lucky to be a friend. If you would please private message me I have more information on your flight helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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