Vietnam was a new kind of war, the first helicopter war in history, and it demanded a new kind of warrior. US “Huey” helicopters ranged the country, acting as gunships, aerial rocket artillery, troop carriers, air ambulances, and “sky cranes”. Helicopter pilots and aircrews began wearing flak vests to protect themselves from ground fire, and this led the Army to develop and adopt the AFH-1 armored flight helmet to provide ballistic head protection. Introduced in 1965, the AFH-1 was only issued in limited numbers. It weighed a pound more than the standard helicopter helmet, and thus was unpopular with Huey chopper crews. Its protective qualities were soon recognized by USAF Forward Air Controllers (FACs), however, and it saw wide use among those intrepid airmen. The rugged jungles of Southeast Asia masked enemy troop movement, and fast moving US fighter-bombers had difficulty distinguishing between Communist troops and friendly forces. FACs flew O-1 Bird Dogs, O-2 Skymasters, and OV-10 Broncos “low and slow” to visually direct air strikes in support of US ground troops, making them particularly vulnerable to small arms fire. FACs were hated by the VC and NVA, who put a bounty on the head of any FAC that could be killed or captured. This US Army Vietnam HUEY HELICOPTER PILOT USAF FAC AFH-1 FLIGHT HELMET is in very good condition, with some scattered scratching around the exterior, heavy drying and stiffening to the interior ear cups, a few small spots of chipping and crazing to the right ear cup, missing the leather/rubber crown liner pads, missing the ear cup tightening drawstrings, and with some light overall age wear evident (ALL pictured). Otherwise, the helmet is in fine shape, with absolutely no cracking or other damage to the tough laminated ballistic nylon construction, which retains approximately 93% of the factory original OD exterior finish. Most interestingly, it boasts the original visor housing with fully functional OD plastic pull down screw knob, clear visor, darkened brass “glove” snap closure brownish OD nylon chinstrap, matching brownish OD nylon riveted nape strap, black rubber edge rim, retractable black rubber interior ear cups with cushions, metal ear phones, and styrofoam crown liner, and is a fine example of a very rare, original US Army Vietnam HUEY HELICOPTER PILOT USAF FAC AFH-1 FLIGHT HELMET. We have shown photos of a USAF FAC pilot and a US Army “Loach” helicopter pilot in Vietnam; both fliers wear similar AFH-1 armored flight helmets. The item “US Army Vietnam HUEY HELICOPTER PILOT USAF FAC AFH-1 FLIGHT HELMET Vtg RARE” is in sale since Monday, September 28, 2020. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\Vietnam (1961-75)\Original Period Items\Hats & Helmets”. The seller is “abramsantiques” and is located in Claremont, California. This item can be shipped to United States.
