THE PAGE OF SWISS AF STRANGE THINGS
In the course of our research, we occasionally come across equipments that we are unable to define, of which there is no trace in the accessible documentation or simply looks strange. We list a number of them here in the hope that you will find them interesting and perhaps help us shed some light on them. Enjoy!
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MODIFIED Mk.1 SHELL,
F-TYPE, MS22001 on P-16
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During some test flights of the ill-fated P-16 fighter-bomber, test pilot H. Häfliger wore a F-Type under a locally modifed Mk.1 hardshell, fitted with an American (P-?) or Swedish (FFV-?) inspired protective visor.
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Note also, instead of the likely required British A-13A/1, the Mk.1 is fitted with a (possibly) Swiss AF MS-22001 with modified comm connector.
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Note: the above degraded image is taken from the book " Das Düsenkampfflugzeug P-16", by F.H. Meier, Guarda, 2020, for educational purposes only, in accordance with the Berne Convention, Art. 10.
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F-TYPE "ERSATZ"
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The LH picture, most likely taken in Dübendorf, shows, despite the Mk.1A never entered service with SAF, the possible evaluation of a supposedly F-Type replacement with a prototype “Sportex” product.
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...the Sportex cloth helmet prototype and the beautiful "wooden heads" are missing...
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THE "SKI HELMET"
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The photo is a screenshot of a Swiss Italian television local news "Il Regionale" report, broadcasted during 1982.
The report featured images of the Swiss AF instructors course at the Locarno-Magadino Air Force base and the
- recently entered into service at the time - Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft.
In some flight sequences with a cameraman on board, the pilot wears a very strange helmet, which looks like a ski helmet with Stoffhaube (?) headsets fitted...
a test, a joke, a prototype of some sort??
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Any information about is welcome!
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MBU-12
There are no reports of any official testing of the MBU-12 by the Swiss AF.
However, similar masks are used by paratroopers on high-altitude jumps and Pilatus provided them, with TAMA helmets, to their test crews. In this picture, taken from a magazine, a Swiss AF pilot is wearing an MBU-12 on PC-7.
As usual, if anyone might have info about this, we would be glad to get in touch.
