Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Pilots of the United States’ most advanced fighter aircraft, the F-35, will wear not just any ordinary helmet. Those climbing into the cockpit will strap on their own custom-made helmet created from a laser scan of the pilot’s skull. The technologically advanced helmet also will allow pilots to see the view under the F-35 and on the side of each wing.
Along with the sophisticated helmets, pilots will wear the latest in flight suits, rumored to cost a quarter of a million dollars each. Military officials would not confirm the cost of the suits, but insisted the final cost will be lower once the Department of Defense begins purchasing them in larger numbers. Pilots from the Navy, Air Force and Marines will don the special suits, which can come with life preservers (for those frequently flying over water), thermal socks and built-in heating and coolant systems.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Clothes Make the Pilot: F-35 Gets Next-Generation Gear (by Mona Moore, NWF Daily News)
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