Highlights from the Collection
Coming soon...
We will be expanding this into a series of articles describing some interesting items from the FAST collection. We will go into what the object is in some detail, its history and possibly something about the curatorial skills involved in restoring and conserving it. (Please be patient while we work on this section)
September 2007: Landing light display
For our visitors who have wondered where aircraft keep their "headlights" there is a display that lets them see a landing light up close.
For the story of how this exhibit started with a discovery, see the "Curator's Corner" page.
FAST Flying Clothing Collection
Article contributed by Dr Graham Rood
The FAST Collection of Flying Clothing, described officially as Aircrew Equipment Assemblies (AEA), has more than 250 items of protective assemblies for aircrew. These include a full range of aircrew coveralls, partial & full pressure suits, ‘Mae Wests’, ‘g’ suits, flying helmets, PECs boots, gloves etc – right from the early days through to the present.
Throughout the major development phases of flying clothing, Farnborough has been at the forefront of research and development into this topic. The work was covered by a combination of the Human Engineering science and engineering research and development by RAE Mechanical Engineering and Human Engineering Departments and by the medical and physiological development and lab and flight-testing of the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM).
The collection has virtually the full range of production prototype Full Pressure Suits that were being developed in the mid 1950’s and an excellent RAE Type B Full Pressure Suit, along with other RAE prototypes, that were being developed for high-altitude flight in the V-bombers and were to be tested in the Victor B2 at A&AEE Boscombe Down. After the cessation of the Full Pressure Suit research, the later developments of partial pressure garments combined with anti-g suits and air ventilated cooling are kept in the collection, and this type of AEA was common in Lightning squadrons.
The range of flying helmets includes all of the types from the Mk1 and ‘G’ helmet inner through to the current Mk 4, as well as the range of Taylor Pressure Helmets (again used in Lightning operations) and a number of experimental helmets
Recently, QinetiQ donated the prototype space models of the Mk4 helmet mounted sight, used operationally in Jaguar and a prototype of the helmet mounted display being developed for Eurofighter/Typhoon. RAE carried out an extensive research & development programme on both of these helmet mounted devices, including many flight trials in the RAE Jaguars and Tornado.
At this point close to 200 items of aircrew equipment assemblies have been catalogued and there are many more to go.
2nd March 2006
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Version: 1.14 date: 20 April 2007