RAF 'Taylor' Bouyancy Flying Suit

RAF 'Taylor' Bouyancy Flying Suit

Code: SOLD-1058

SOLD
'Suit, Flying, Bouyant'. Stores ref. 22c/739. Size medium. Yellow one-piece double breasted suit designed to give maximum comfort, bouyancy in water and a certain amount of fire protection - supposedly without causing too much restriction of movement of the wearer or the essential rapid removal in an emergency. Produced in a heavy 'aerocord' material and designed to be worn with a flame-proof kapok liner along with flotation pads in knee and breast pockets and in the collar. Internal braces relieved pressure on the wearer's shoulders from the weight of the suit. Press studs and qucik-release zip fasteners promoted rapid removal. The material is in good condition and appears free of damage or repairs. It is however rather dirty as can be seen in the photographs. This soiling is undoubtedly considerably worse on the front and most notable on the lower legs and inside sleeve areas. It might be possible to carefully handwash the suit if requred but it is interesting to note that even in wartime photos these suits often appear dirty. Yellow was chosen to aid visibility in the sea but was not the most practical colour for use within oily airframes. The extensive/long zips and other metalwork on these suits are prone to verdigris and corrosion. In this case the press studs do have hard verdigris deposits in places and a few have been replaced (one wired wrist connector (see photo); one at the inside rear of the collar and one at the waist. The zips are all original to the suit and have been cleaned up a bit. All work correctly bar the left leg zip that operates down as far as a stitched 'closure'. This prevents the slider going over a damaged area lacking teeth. Fortunately this does not prevent the suit from being displayed on a mannequin quite easily. The only obvious alteration to the suit is the addition of a 'fly' patch. The zip that would have been there has been removed and covered over with a patch in the same material as the rest of the suit. The lining appears to be in good order and the braces are present. Fully legible label. This example is the earlier variant of the suit without the flotation lamp pocket at the waist. To conclude this is a reasonably good although soiled example of what are now quite rare suits. Bulky and very heavy. Stock code S18356.