V Bombers: Flying without a Helmet
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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V Bombers: Flying without a Helmet
Even though against the rules and presumably unwise, was this a more than infrequent occurrence?
I ask because my father recieved a posthumous ticking off for not wearing a helmet when his Valiant crashed and all crew were lost (the crash itself was so severe a helmet wouldn't have helped).
I ask because my father recieved a posthumous ticking off for not wearing a helmet when his Valiant crashed and all crew were lost (the crash itself was so severe a helmet wouldn't have helped).
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Who's a Helmet?
In my time (73-80) helmet on for take off and landing. My preference was to wear a Mk 2A for the entire sortie (mean that you couldn't hear the AEO mythering off intercom).
3P
3P
It was a bit tight in the front seats of a Vulcan to wear a bonedome, so some old fossils insisted on a G-helmet and Mk 1 bondeome and would take the bonedome off in the cruise. But the Mk 3 was OK (this was 1977-80).
After leaving the Vulcan, I turned up to do a Hawk refesher at Valley with my 'Giant Voice 79' union flag painted bonedome (approved and painted by the Waddo squippers) - boy did I get the widdle taken! Someone finally decided that it reflected too much in the canopy
, so it was soon re-painted in that horrid NATO green.
Most of the team downstairs wore new style bonedomes, but the odd one or two still wore G-helmets.
After leaving the Vulcan, I turned up to do a Hawk refesher at Valley with my 'Giant Voice 79' union flag painted bonedome (approved and painted by the Waddo squippers) - boy did I get the widdle taken! Someone finally decided that it reflected too much in the canopy
, so it was soon re-painted in that horrid NATO green.Most of the team downstairs wore new style bonedomes, but the odd one or two still wore G-helmets.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
In the 60s the kit was simply a G-Helmet to carry the M, P or Q mask with th eold Mk 1 bone dome for take-off and landing. It was not normal when they were first issued for read crew to have a visor or visor track fitted. There was no need foreseen as the crew flew in darkness.
Bone domes were probably a fairly recent innovation, Flatus Veteranus can probably give more gen. We certainly had them when flying in the Varsity and Meteor.
Bone domes were probably a fairly recent innovation, Flatus Veteranus can probably give more gen. We certainly had them when flying in the Varsity and Meteor.
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44Sqn early seventies................never wore bone dome too tight up front. Capt's hung on grab handle on back of co's bang seat & vice versa. Room was tight so bone domes used to store in flight docs.
Cunning Artificer
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Now you've got me thinking. 
I reckon I'll take a walk up the corridor to Health & Safety - they won't take too much convincing that our B767 and A320 pilots should be wearing helmets.
I reckon I'll take a walk up the corridor to Health & Safety - they won't take too much convincing that our B767 and A320 pilots should be wearing helmets.
I seem to recall that, after the Nimrod crash at ISK following a massive birdstrike (as in lots of birds), one of the recommendations was that flight multi-crew flight deck crew should be provided with 'head protection'......
For some reason, that never happened.
For some reason, that never happened.
Gentleman Aviator
It was a bit tight in the front seats of a Vulcan to wear a bonedome
And even further off thread, didn't "The Right Stuff" strongly imply that Chuck Yeager "invented" the bonedome by modifying a football helmet???
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A certain Roland Falk flew the 1st Prototype Vulcan to Farnborough and, indeed, was the only pilot onboard. He was immaculately turned out in his chalk stripe lounge suit and without a helmet. They had style in 1952.
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I flew the Valiant from 58 to 64. We wore Mk 1 bone domes over the G helmet for take off and landing normally discarding it at TOC and putting it back on at TOD. They were usually too uncomfortable to wear for the entire trip which could be up to 8 hours (543 Sqn with extended range).
