WWII/1950s USN Pilot's Grouping

[viking73]

Hi Group,

 

I've had this USN pilot's grouping for a few years now.  I'm not really sure why it's taken me so long to post some photos here...  Better late than never in this case I suppose!   I purchased this online from the grandson of the veteran.  Through my own foolishness, I missed out on his leather G-1 jacket but that's another story.

 

One really cool thing about this grouping is that the former owner and pilot, Everett H. Price, flew PV-1 Venturas with VB-136 during WWII and is named in this incident I found online here:

 

https://theamericanwarrior.com/2014/12/01/the-day-the-u-s-navy-bombed-a-russian-tanker/

 

Could one these flying helmets be the very one Lt. Price wore on his bombing mission??  We'll never know for sure but it's very intriguing to me to think so!  His initials and squadron are inked on one of the earcups of his winter flying helmet as you will see in the photos so it is possible...!

 

Speaking of which, enough talk - here are the photos.

 

First is a shot of the entire group out of the box and arranged in my back yard.  I was amazed when I had this laid out and took it all in:

 

 

 

The condition overall was pretty good - for the most part.  This seemed to have been stored in a hot garage for a time as the leather helmet showed some damage.  The worst of it was the A-14 mask - the rubber was hard the mask was ruined unfortunately as you can see:

 

 

 

 

Here are some close ups of the various labels and stamps:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The knee board is really cool, with F9F-6 Cougar info:

 

 

 

 

 

The radio call card is pretty awesome as well:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close-up of the patch & label on the flight suit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up I'll post some close-ups of the helmets!

 

-Derek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

[viking73]

Here's some more photos of the WWII flight helmets.

 

The summer weight has Lt. Price's name stenciled on the outside as you can see:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an interior shot of the winter cap with Price's initials and squadron:

 

 

 

 

 

I though that was pretty incredible!!

 

His later APH-5 helmet and MS22001 were the icing on the cake for this group to me!  The mask is even named to Mr. Price!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior was of course a mess with old rotting foam and the like.  I blew is out as best as I could and let it alone.

 

The rare push-button visor knob was broken.  Lucky for me, forum member AMT500E came to my rescue and provided me with the hard to find replacement parts.  Thank you again kind sir.

 

 

 

 

I've got a few more items to post from this group, thanks for looking as always!

 

-Derek

 

 

 

 

[viking73]

Here's a few odds and ends detail photos of the misc. items from this group:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd guess this headset is missing the rubber ear cushions?

 

And finally, the grandson sent me some photos of photos of this late grandfather which are just great.  Maybe not the best quality but so important to have:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's about it.  I hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as me :)

 

Take care,

 

-Derek

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vark_07]

Wow, that is one killer grouping for sure, covering a wide period of sheer USN goodness.

I especially enjoyed the F-9F Cougar-related stuff, this APH-5 is an iconic example in excellent external condition, with the rare -and restored- stepped push-to-unlock knob.

I really like the way the MS-22001 mask was named by the pilot, engraving the metal retention yoke. Having the squadron ID on it paired with the patch on the flight suit and the knee board is even better.

Congratualtions, and thanks a lot for sharing, the quality of your pictures really show justice to this set and pay a great homage to this aviator who served during one of the greatest eras of the US naval aviation.

- Gauthier

[bazelot]

Fantastic grouping, Thanks for posting. I love the high resolution pictures. Looks like the flight helmets are my favorite but the suit is also pretty sweet.