January 18, 201610 yr #1 I bought this pair of Army SPH-4 flight helmets in Tucson, Arizona. Both are named to a Captain Merino. One of the helmets is marked "Dragon Flight 55th Aviation Company". From my research, the 55th Aviation Company was based in Korea and Dragon Flight flew the UH-1H Huey helicopter. Both helmets are size X-Large and both are in great condition with honest flight use. The earlier helmet is dated 1971 and the "Dragon Flight 55th Aviation Company" marked helmet is dated 1978. I am thrilled to have these in my collection.
January 18, 201610 yr #6 Nice helmets. The 1971 dated SPH-4 has been modified with a ball and socket type boom. The earlier one was a black hinged type. Also, the visor housing may have been replaced. The earlier housings were painted olive drab plastic and matched the helmet shells. The later housings were molded in olive drab plastic. The Velcro on the visor housing could be for NVG goggles?. Just curious, who are the manufacturers of the helmets?
January 19, 201610 yr Author #8 Nice helmets. The 1971 dated SPH-4 has been modified with a ball and socket type boom. The earlier one was a black hinged type. Also, the visor housing may have been replaced. The earlier housings were painted olive drab plastic and matched the helmet shells. The later housings were molded in olive drab plastic. The Velcro on the visor housing could be for NVG goggles?. Just curious, who are the manufacturers of the helmets? The helmets came directly from the veteran. The 1971 helmet is Gentex and the 1978 helmet is Astrocom.
January 22, 201610 yr #9 These are also very nice scores! Did you find these on Craigslist as well? At lease you filled up your luggage on the trip home -Derek
January 23, 201610 yr Author #10 These are also very nice scores! Did you find these on Craigslist as well? At lease you filled up your luggage on the trip home -Derek Derek, I actually found a militaria dealer named Jeff Albiniak in Tucson through the USMF. I e-mailed him prior to my visit and called him when I arrived in town. He met me at a local antique mall and we made a deal on the pair of SPH-4 helmets. I actually went to a local Walmart in Tucson and bought another roll aboard bag to carry the helmets home. I sometimes use the Fed Ex store to ship stuff home but it was roughly the same price to buy another suitcase that I will use later and since I was booked in first class I was allowed to check up to three bags for free.
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