Strange Hellcat

Hellcat · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:14 am

JDK wrote:

ltdann wrote:

I'll say it again. Grumman did engineering for a blown canopy.........

Sorry,

missed your previous. Does it look like the pic above?

JDK, love your new "avatar" ... those birds lined up like that is so appealing to the eye .... unlike that crazy looking chap you were using before .... :wink:

Asterperious · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:34 am

Well Grumman may very well have done this but it doesn't remove the reality of what the picture shows, British Navy personnnel preparing it for flight, very doubtful that Grumman was testing with FAA personnel. Independant and parallel development is perfectly reasonable, it does not have to be one or the other. Maybe this was a grumman made canopy, i doubt is very much, it is more certainly a Brit modification using a Malcolm Hood or even something made in a Navy repair and maintenace depot. We'd need more informatin to drawn more a conclusive scenario.

The pilot is wearing the FAA navalized RAF C-type Helmet (basically leather covered earcups akin to the prewar/BoB style B -type Helmet) a G type oxygen mask and althought the image is not sharp enough to categorically say, the goggles look to be the standard AM Mk VIII's. The Brits, except for wiring loom adapters for american built aircraft, (and excepting the very odd isolated RAF pilots acquisistion of an A-2) simply did not use american flying equipment. In fact many many American aircrew prefered Britsh designed flying equipment as evidenced i countless pictures of 8th 7 9th AF fighter pilots wearing RAF C helmets, escape pattern flight boots, Mk VIII goggles, 41 pattern gauntlets, Mae Wests etc. well past the the early American equipment shortage period of 1943 when AM stores supplemented early American crew equipment.

BTW - very nice graphic too!

Mgawa · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:09 pm

Asterperious with no doubt you are master in the field of equipment. I am still confused is there any operational image of this airplane. Frame of the cockpit canopy look like the original Hellcat but modified. But just look, I am not expert in the field. Anyway one gentleman in one of the previous post clearly note Grumman development of this canopy.

This could be nice modeling subject

ltdann · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:21 pm

All,

I've sent an email to the Grumman History Center at Bethpage to find out more about the blown hood. I asked for photos and a blueprint from them.

No doubt the photo is of an operational FAA aircraft. Many questions to answer on this one!!

Rich

Mgawa · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:50 pm

Thank you Rich- you are the great

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:59 pm

Hellcat wrote:

JDK, love your new "avatar" ... those birds lined up like that is so appealing to the eye .... unlike that crazy looking chap you were using before .... :wink:

My wife likes him, which is what matters.

On topic, Rich, that's great - I look forward to hearing...

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