When
Originally Posted by
ASRAAMTOO
There is extensive evidence that Flying Helmets WOULD save lives and reduce the seriousness of injuries if they were worn by GA pilots. They are however expensive, generally uncomfortable and probably considered "socially unacceptable" in all but the most exotic of GA machines.
Parachutes are also recomended when flying aerobatics.
If the military has the kit then they should most certainly use it.
Actually there isn’t. I did a lot of investigation into this and a good 3 or even better 5 point harness is far better in GA aircraft than bothering with a lid and a parachute. All the helmet really saves you from is facial injury rather than cranial injury. Also, the majority of fatal injuries are from Aortic rupture when you look at the postmortem results which are available if you do your research properly. This is due to the fact that the body is pretty poor at withstanding lateral G. Also, when flying a Pitts very few of us wear helmets or parachutes - the 7 point harness holds you in place and you need the lightest of headsets as you don’t want a heavy bonedome on your bonce.
In fact it was only really the bang-seat that meant that hard helmets were deemed necessary. In 1948 the Air Staffs had noted that there was no requirement for a protective helmet for the RAF and it was left to the Admiralty to raise a requirement in 1951 for a protective helmet for Naval aircrew (FPRC, 1953). At this time the WW2 Type C series helmet had been replaced in some areas by the Type E – a lightweight version of the Type C - made of lightweight unlined cotton ‘Aertex’, and this was followed by the Type F. Made of open weave fabric it could be used as a general purpose helmet or as head cover under a protective helmet.
This helmet, the Protective Helmet Mk 1, was shaped to fit over the Type F inner and constructed from moulded and bonded laminations of nylon fabric. It was intended to ‘
protect the head from injuries that may be caused by buffeting or a crash landing, and increases the chance of a safe ejection if the canopy release mechanism fails’
It was known as a
Bonedome