IJN Winter Flight Helmet (fur trimmed)

Hello, 
Today, I want introduce my reproduction of the Japanese Navy Flight Helmet in this photo.

A view of the cockpit of G3M from the rear.

In this historic photo, you can see a crew member is wearing a winter flight helmet. You can see the fur lining from the ear flap of his flight helmet, which is flipped-up. However, you can not see any fur protruding from the edges of his flight helmet.

I felt that the early type flight helmets were made very carefully and elaborately, but I was impressed that even the fur was neatly arranged in this way.
 

So this time, we reproduced the same early type winter flight helmet as in the photo.

By the way, not only was rabbit fur used, but many times, nutria fur was used.

By trimming the fur, you can hardly tell whether the helmet has fur or not, at a glance.

The back view of the flight crew with his flight helmet flipped up.
The piped edges are neatly trimmed. It gives a clean impression.

Reproduction

Nutria fur lining.

It is a feature of the early type, but the piping is not applied in one part (red circle part), and thanks to that, the helmet bounces up smoothly.

Early flight helmets were very elaborate, then piping was omitted, and some helmets had no stitching. After that, later models with different patterns were made.
 

Towards the end of the war, Japan was facing problems with shortages of materials, but if you look closely at flight helmets, I think it's more natural to think that they were never "simplified" but were always designed with "rational" thought.

That's all for today.

See you again!

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

IJA Electrically Heated Winter Flight Helmet

How are you all doing?

Today I would like to introduce you to the IJA Electrically Heated Flight Helmet.

●Made in 1942 by the Clothing Plant

●Outer surface - goatskin leather

●Lining - Rabbit fur

The right side of the helmet (below the earcup) is cut long enough to cover the chin area. The design ensures that the wearer has no gaps in coverage from the cold of high altitude flight.

The chin part is wrapped well.

This is a high-altitude helmet with electric heating wire inside the helmet.

Among the Japanese Army flight helmets, this one is especially complicated in cutting and has many parts.

According to the data of the time, the price was as expensive as 25.6 yen (10.40 yen for a normal flight helmet).

The cord and socket for the electric heating wire are visible from the center of the collar.

Few original electrically heated flight helmets still have the cord today. Most are missing.

Let's see how they were connected.

One connects to the flight helmet and the other to the electrically heated aviation suit.

The lining is all rabbit fur, but cotton fabric is sewn over the rabbit fur as if it were covering the rabbit fur. (The part excluding the ear covers.) 
Inside the cotton fabric, electric heating wires are stretched.

Connect a socket here.
You can see the electric heating wires, right?

It looks like this.

That's all for today.

See you soon!

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

Introduction of ordered flight helmets (＃2)

Hello, everyone.

Today, I would like to introduce a flight helmet ordered by Mr. T.U., who lives in Aichi Prefecture, and manufactured by me！
 

Ito Totaro 1916 - May 5, 1983
Place of birth: Fukui, Japan　
Military Career: 1935-1945

Captain, 3rd Company, 5th Combat Team
Final rank: Captain in the Army
Aircraft flown:Type 2 double-seat fighter Toryu(Ki-45)

Number of aircraft shot down: 13

Ki-45（改）

The image the customer requested is the flight helmet worn by Captain Totaro Ito.

IJA Flight Helmet (with built-in receiver)

●Front: Vintage dark brown goatskin leather

●The helmet's lining is khaki-colored cloth

●Built-in receiver type

The receiver is fitted into a clay base with velvet cloth cushioned ear covers.

Let's try on the oxygen masks (3 types)!
 

①Image left: Built-in microphone type

②Center image: Microphone attached externally with a wire

③Right image: Without microphone

①Built-in microphone type

②Microphone attached externally with a wire

③Without microphone

That's all for today!

See you soon!

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

Restoration request #4

Hello, everybody.

Today we have a request for the restoration of an original IJA flight helmet and eagle-eyed aviation goggles!
 

【Before restoration】

The forehead area has a section cut off of it. The Army Star is also missing.

The backing fabric had also been cut away with it.

The head adjustment strap (on the back of the helmet) has come loose from its mounting point.

The snaps are blue with rust/ corrosion and cannot be opened or closed.

The goggles have a broken thread in the velvet cushion section.

The goggles have a broken thread in the velvet cushion section.
One ring is missing. The leather part is hardened and has blue rust.

 

Let's have a look at the restored condition!

【After restoration】

Leather of the same material was laminated together, and the gaps between the laminated areas were colored with a hardener.

The part to be restored is the curved part of the forehead, so it was difficult to match the leather to each other.

The rust has been removed and the snaps can now be opened and closed.

The head adjustment strap has also been put back in place.
 

The fabric of the forehead area, which had been cut out, was also dyed to match the colour of the original fabric.
The leather and lining were then carefully stitched together.

 

Eagle-eyed aviation goggles made by Enomoto Optics Precision Equipment Factory.（榎本光学精機製作所）

The tear in the velvet cushion was also stitched together.

The ring on the right side was also replaced and the leather holding the ring has been softened.

The missing ring was also replaced.

Finished product.

Many objects come out of storage in a battered state and are thrown away without knowing what kind of background they have.

I think it is important for people to be able to see, touch and feel things with their own eyes and learn.

We restore valuable items in the sincere hope that as many flight helmets (and other military equipment) as possible will be handed down to future generations, as historical heritage.

We would like to thank you once again for the opportunity to restore these valuable items.

That's all for today.

See you again!
 

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

IJA flight helmets (other types)

How are you all doing?

Today, let's take a look at a type of flight helmet used by the Japanese Army that we haven't introduced yet!

Officers of the 24th Squadron on 24 June 1939.

From left: Lieutenant Colonel Matsumura Kojiro (Squadron Leader), 

Captain Kani Saiji (1st Squadron Leader), 

Lieutenant Yonaga Hyouei (Acting 2nd Squadron Leader).
 

Nakajima Ki-27 of 2nd Squadron, 24th Troop.
Aikoku-318 in the foreground is piloted by Lt Yonaga Hyouei.
 

（Monthly magazine, July 1943）

Original.

"Asahi Aviation Clothing Works" tag.（"朝日航空被服製作所”）

There is no star insignia and the ear covers are similar to the ear covers of the IJN early type flight helmets.

（Monthly magazine, September 1943.）

This is almost the same type of flight helmet, the only difference being the stitched tucks at the temples.

Crew members at the end of the war（1944-）

The receiver can be seen fitted at this time.

Nakajima Ki-44 can be seen at the rear.

The pre-training instruction on educational matters has been given and the crew are now raising their hands in salute for the start of the training flight.

Eight trainees line up in front of the instructor.

This flight helmet from several sources. What we know about it,

In the 1939 photograph at the beginning of this report, the officers are wearing these flight helmets, with the Nakajima Ki-27 fighter in the rear.

Then, in a photograph taken around 1944, the fighter in the rear is a Nakajima Ki-44 and the trainees are seen wearing the same flight helmet but with a receiver fitted.

This flight helmet therefore existed from the early days.

Reproduction

That's all for today.

See you then!

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com