Crossfield's unusual helmet, which model could it be?

[BlueBookGuy]

Hello everyone,

 

stumbled time ago into a very short, yet precious Internet article speaking about a very rare and (I think) seldom used U.S. full-pressure helmet - unfortunately, no way of finding it again.

Helmet was much similar to the MA-3 from Bill Jack Company but featured a 'mask' made in black rubber that was integral part of it, very much like the British model called the 'Baxter, Woodhouse & Taylor Helmet' - this latter was especially used in mid-'60s by R.A.F. Lightning pilots for stratospheric flights. At least one photo of test pilot Scott Crossfield does exist of him wearing this unusual helmet together with MC-2 full-pressure suit, soon before his first flight in the X-15 (June 1959).

Altogether in not more than 36 flights of X-15 was the MC-2 suit used, and supposedly the same for the MA-3 helmet, before switching to the much better AP/22 -S 2 suit and its own more advanced helmet. Please does anyone know more of that strange-looking model, or at least its correct nomenclature?

Thanx in advance - Franco.

 

 

 

[HUD69]

Hi Franco,

 

Did you check this book https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/683215main_DressingAltitude-ebook.pdf about the helmet?

 

Cheers,

Ron

[BlueBookGuy]

hello,

 

thanx - yes I had read it but no mention of that helmet.

[HUD69]

Hi Franco,

 

My first search on the pilots name gave me this:

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/17-september-1959/

 

With an image of the helmet:

 

I cropped the image for this website.

 

Cheers,

Ron

[BlueBookGuy]

!!! Thanx Ron,

 

yes exactly this one. With no doubts a MA-3 model made by Bill Jack Instruments Company, and in fact the standard unmodified MA-3s were THE helmets for the David Clark Co. MC-2s full-pressure suits as worn in 36 X-15 flights (not more, out of 199 flights). Almost all of them in 1959 - 60.

 

What is difficult to establish is if only Crossfield's had been modified this way, as well as if it was born so configured or that was added subsequently. Considering those few X-15 operational pilots in that timeframe - Crossfield, Walker, White, Armostrong, maybe 1-2 more - pretty much likely their helmets, if they so configured too, would have been individually fitted.

Franco.

[HUD69]

Most images of White, Newman and others don't show the con-formal face seal.

The later USN model H and L helmets, used the same kind of face seal.

 

Attached another image, this time of White with the same helmet.

 

 

Cheers,

Ron

[HUD69]

Below, taken from the above mentioned PDF:

 

On May 3, 1958, the configuration of the S794-6 suit to be delivered to Crossfield was frozen during a meeting in Worcester between representatives of David Clark Company, North American, and the USAF. The decision was somewhat premature since the suit configuration was still in question during a meeting 3 months later at Wright Field. This indecision had already resulted in a 2-month delay in delivery, and the need for further tests was apparent. Fortunately, in a perverse way, the entire X-15 program was running behind schedule, so the delay in the suit was not critical—yet.

 

Nevertheless, the X-15 Project Office advised the newly assigned chief of the Aero Medical Laboratory, Col. John P. Stapp, that the suit delays might postpone the entire X-15 effort. To maintain the schedule, the X-15 program needed to receive Crossfield’s suit by January 1, 1959, a second suit by February 15, and the remaining four suits by May 15. Simultaneously, the X-15 Project Office confronted Stapp with a growing controversy concerning the use of a face seal instead of the neck seal preferred by the Aero Medical Laboratory.

 

In a full-pressure suit, a mechanical separation is needed between the air space in the suit and the space surrounding the mouth and nose. To control the temperature within the suit, it is necessary to continually ventilate the free space between the suit and the wearer’s skin to carry off heat and water vapor, both of which rapidly accumulate to uncomfortable levels in an unventilated suit in the usual cockpit environment. Oxygen for breathing is carried aloft at considerable expense in terms of weight and space requirements. Before the advent of liquid oxygen systems, it was impractical to ventilate the suit with oxygen; therefore, the suit was usually ventilated with ambient air or nitrogen, and a seal separated the suit space from the breathing space.

 

As with many things in life, the use of a face seal has some advantages and some disadvantages. Its chief advantage is the smallness of the breathing space and the resultant limited rebreathing. To obtain a truly satisfactory seal, the wearer’s face is pushed into a rubber seal by an adjustable harness behind the head. Such a method makes each helmet a truly personal piece of equipment, as some time is required to fit the seal properly to the face so that it is reasonably comfortable. With his face firmly held in the face seal, the wearer must move the entire helmet in order to turn his head to either side. This is accomplished by rotating the helmet on its neck ring. Not only must the head be rotated in a fixed and somewhat unnatural plane, but movements are slow and difficult. An advantage, however, is that since most of the head is removed from the breathing space, it can be ventilated with the rest of the suit, generally increasing comfort. This arrangement became known as a conformal helmet.

[HUD69]

North American believed the pilot should be able to open the faceplate on his helmet, using the face seal as an oxygen mask. The Aero Medical Laboratory disagreed. Since the engineers had long since agreed to pressurize the X-15 cockpit with nitrogen to avoid risks associated with fire, a neck seal meant that the pilot could never open his faceplate under any conditions. North American and the NACA had already ruled out pressurizing the cockpit with oxygen, for safety reasons. Eventually, the program adopted a neck seal for the MC-2 suit, although development of the face seal continued for the highly successful A/P22S-2 suit that came later.

 

Taken from:

http://ourairports.biz/?p=1734

 

Interesting reading I think.

[BlueBookGuy]

Thanx Ron,

yes Jenkins' book available on the Internet (many a website does take infos from it) is a fascinating history through suits and helmet of those heroic years of aviation development - even it however, doesn't go on to explain why and by wich firm the modified helmet was put into use, at least in a limited measure?

 

The oxy. mask in black rubber doesn't replace the true faceseal, that in itself is the rubber or foamrubber portion (attached to helmet's shell) surrounding the face and leaving that small area exposed to oxygen flow. Helmets so configured do show invariably a small, external knob on the back; by turning it the wearer can adjust (= tighten) an inside harness, in turn pushing the foamrubber more against his head and sealing more against any oxy. leaks toward the rear.

Great pics anyway those showing the whole airman !! Silver outermost layer of the MC-2 is something incredible and IMO (do not know why) almost gives more the idea of a 'spaceman' than what could do, say, a Gemini Project suit with all its features.

[HUD69]

Thanx Ron,

yes Jenkins' book available on the Internet (many a website does take infos from it) is a fascinating history through suits and helmet of those heroic years of aviation development - even it however, doesn't go on to explain why and by wich firm the modified helmet was put into use, at least in a limited measure?

 

The oxy. mask in black rubber doesn't replace the true faceseal, that in itself is the rubber or foamrubber portion (attached to helmet's shell) surrounding the face and leaving that small area exposed to oxygen flow. Helmets so configured do show invariably a small, external knob on the back; by turning it the wearer can adjust (= tighten) an inside harness, in turn pushing the foamrubber more against his head and sealing more against any oxy. leaks toward the rear.

Great pics anyway those showing the whole airman !! Silver outermost layer of the MC-2 is something incredible and IMO (do not know why) almost gives more the idea of a 'spaceman' than what could do, say, a Gemini Project suit with all its features.

 

Hi Franco,

 

It seems it replaced the true face seal as mentioned above, as North American wanted the pilots to be able to open the face plate on the helmet.

So the neck seal prevented the leak of air from the suit I guess? As to the question who made the modifications, in my humble opinion that could have been David Clark. The basic helmets were obtained from Bill Jack and modified for use with the X-15 and S794 suit by DC. (in the end it was always a combined effort, engineers from NACA, North American, David Clark and test pilots input)

 

Thank you for starting this topic, gave me a lot of pleasure digging in to this.

(About the image of the full pilot, the caption said White, but when looking at the eyes, this is also Crossfield.)

 

Ron

[BlueBookGuy]

Thanx Ron,

my pleasure as well. Yes D.C. could pretty well have been tasked with modifying the MA-3s, it would be so interesting to know more of the strictly technical side but even Jenkins' book can't be helpful in this regard - maybe some precise details being so interesting to me, not necessarily should be for a research/study of that scope.

 

Helmet of such concept (shell with integrated mask) were 'usual' enough within the RAF in early-to-mid '60s when Lightning pilots should have made on a routinely basis, many practices of 'hot scrambles' with full-reheat climbs to 55,000 - 60,000' in order to intercept bandits on the Northern Sea. Sometimes a full zoom-climb to 85,000' would have

been not unvelcomed even if had to be taken very seriously and, would haven't forgiven any pilot's errors.

'Baxter, Woodhouse & Taylor' model 'E' helmet was actually a partial pressure one rather than a full-pressure like the MA-3, however it looks pretty much a semi-astronautic helmet when seen at freont.

 

And surprisingly (at lest to me) the People's Chinese air force in late '90s has put into use a model of its own, the TK-4 in its A and B subvariations: partial-pressure type (not

full pressure) and inside mask separately made and movable (rather than a fixed facemask like in MA-3). Interesting to note the details: very well-made, top quality materials, great-looking top coat of acrylic paint.

I've got one and have put it on my full-size, high-altitude Chinese pilot of J-10.

Here the helmet, think it's worth seeing even if a foreigh one. It could looking more a full-pressure type 'cause of the rounded shape and the outside visor that lock hermetic via an inflatable gasket. Sun visor is placed inside (like most of Russian-made stratospheric helmets it's inspired from) and of course, oxy. hoses are side-mounted.

 

 

 

 

 

[BlueBookGuy]

btw, the suited-up pilot in the full photo is indeed White, but not the more famous Robert White who made many flights and some impressive 'firsts' in the X-15.

 

He's rather Alvin 'Al' White, test pilot of North American Aviation - like was Crossfield. He was prepared to fly the X-15 as a back-up pilot for the programn, but never had the chance to do it.

He also was the survivor of the XB-70 crash on June 8th 1966 following the collision with a NF-104. This latter was flown by Joe Walker (who died in the accident), himself an early X-15 pilot.