I love to see the correct era gear in use with aircraft. I’m a collector myself, and it’s a passion of mine to get it right. But not everyone sees it that way. My collection is mainly helmets / headgear, so this is mainly from that point of view…
It does come down to the operator, and their views on safety vs historical accuracy..
Flight gear is usually the pilot’s own stuff, for fit, comfort, and hygiene reasons. As the pilot may fly for more than one operator, it would be up to him to have a selection of gear to suit many different aircraft types.. just impractical.
If an operator was to hold gear for their aircraft, they would need a selection of sizes to suit all possible flyers. The gear would need cleaning, maintaining etc… like running a stores.
Then there is the other issue of different headset impedances depending on the installed radio-set in the aircraft. You can’t just plug an American helmet into an British aircraft and expect it to work. Just like you can’t just plug an old C-type RAF helmet into a Spitfire with a modern GA radio installation. It would look right, but wouldn’t work very well.
Oxygen is another matter. The people who operate Hunters, JP’s, Gnat’s will know about the different oxygen hose connectors. But then you also have an incompatibility of Pressure / Flow between US and UK systems, so you can’t swap masks about easily.. (even some current American masks are aircraft specific depending on flow / pressure)
The Gnat has a unique oxygen connector, the only aircraft to have it. So the operator will have a couple of P/Q masks for pilots to use in their aircraft, but then you have the hygiene issue of multiple pilots / flyers using the same mask because of the aircraft.
How many people actually care? Most pilots I’ve met couldn’t tell you what Mk of helmet they are wearing. Most see the gear as more of an inconvenience, than something to take an interest in. Quote: “a helmet is just a helmet isn’t it?”
Look at one of the pilots that run the Bruntingthorpe Lightnings, he wears a white American USAF HGU-26 helmet, with it’s visor cover missing / broken. Totally wrong for the aircraft (the USAF never operated Lightnings!), but does he know it’s American? Does he even care? How many of the public crowd know, or even care? How many people have photos of that Lightning with the wrong helmet bobbing around in the cockpit?
When we operate XS458 at Cranfield. We use a Mk3C helmet for our guests (quite correct for a Lightning) and our pilot uses a MK10 – not quite right for a lightning, but it’s his, it fits him and he’s comfortable with it.. and how many people would know… We don’t get it 100% right, and they have pedantic me on the team!!
I’m all in favour of getting it right, for personal satisfaction, but most of the time, sadly, there are a whole host of reasons not to…
The thrill of flying, and the safety of the aircraft are usually the most important things on the day… The historical accuracy of the photos is generally second.
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