- Yes
- No
Many years ago, German, Russian, British, and Japanese pilots received their skin remodels in the game, and the American pilots have yet to get their overhaul. It was way overdue.
Therefore, I’d like to suggest applying a skin remodel for American pilots in prop aircraft that belonged to the World War II-era US Army Air Corps and US Army Air Forces with accurate flight suit equipment in its retrospective time.
Currently, the pilot from any American prop aircraft, excluding P-51C and bombers, looks like this:
The pilot model was seen in the Gaijin’s Birds of Steel console game back in 2012. I suggest updating the old pilot model exactly like the pilot model from the P-51C. Below is for reference:
The flight suit and equipment of the P-51C’s pilot are accurate, but it is missing the oxygen mask. I propose to add the oxygen mask.
I want to mention that this model is wearing the iconic A-2 leather flying jacket, and this jacket is a pre-war design that carried through for most of World War II for American aircrew. In the last stages of World War II, more American pilots wore cheaper and warmer B-10 or B-15 jackets instead.
Below are the historical examples of the American pilots’ flight equipment:
Historical Photographs
Photographs of Oxygen Masks
It is not uncommon to see many historical photographs of American fighter pilots wearing Royal Air Force equipment such as British-produced helmets and boots. They got these either through trading with RAF pilots trained in the US or visiting RAF airbases in the UK (as well as RAF pilots visiting the US airbases in the UK). Some found the British-made helmets more comfortable for them to wear than their American-made helmets. I am going ahead and listing the most commonly issued pieces of flight gear for American pilots in the USAAF service below for your reference.
Flight Gear Specifications
Helmet
- A-11 Flying Helmet (Standard Issue in 1943)
- RAF C Type Flying Helmet (Traded)
Goggles
- AN-6530 Goggles (Standard Issue in 1942)
- B-8 Flying Goggles (Standard Issue in 1944)
- RAF Mark VII or VIII Flying Goggles (Traded)
Oxygen Mask
- RAF Type E or Type G Oxygen Mask (Traded)
- A-14 Oxygen Mask (Standard Issue in 1943-1945)
Shirt
- Olive Drab Shirt with Rank and Air Force Insignia and Khaki necktie
Flight Jacket
- A-2 Jacket (Standard Issue in 1931-1943)
- B-10 or B-15 Jacket (Standard Issue in 1944-1945)
Survival Vest
- B-3 Life Preserver
- B-4 Life Preserver
Parachute Pack
- Seat Parachute Pack
- B-8 Parachute Pack
Gloves
- A-10 Leather Gloves (Standard Issue in 1938)
- B-3/B-3A Flight Gloves (Standard Issue in 1943)
- RAF 1941 Pattern Gloves (Traded)
- RAF 1943 Pattern Gloves (Traded)
Pants
- Pink Drab Trousers
- A-9 Flying Trousers (Standard Issue in 1944)
Boots
- A-6/A-6A Flying Shoes (Standard Issue in 1943)
- RAF 1936/1940/1943 Pattern Flying Boots (Traded)
Here is an illustration of an AAF Fighter Pilot.
Illustration
Conclusion
There was no strictly prescribed flight gear that the American aircrewmen were required to wear. The flight gear was left to the pilots’ personal preference based on their individuality and geographic conditions.
Therefore, the final updated pilot model could be wearing the following flight gear in two different periods to accurately represent the AAF pilots in the European Theater of Operations and Mediterranean Theater of Operations during 1942-1945:
A - Early Flight Gear
- British C Type Helmet with AN-6530 goggles and American A-14 oxygen mask for the headwear.
- A-2 dark leather jacket with a yellow life preserver and parachute pack, leather gloves, and Pink Drab trousers for bodywear.
- British flying boots for footwear.
B - Late Flight Gear
- American A-11 helmet with B-8 goggles and A-14 oxygen mask for the headwear.
- Drab B-10 or B-15 Flight Jacket with a yellow life preserver, parachute pack, leather gloves, and A-9 Drab Flying Trousers for bodywear.
- A-6A flying shoes for footwear.
Another option that can be used to save time with less effort is to copy and paste the flight gear model used in P-51C on a new caucasian pilot with high-quality skin for every USAAF aircraft and add an equipped A-14 oxygen mask on the model.
The Bottom line: the old American pilot model is showing its age with low quality and desperately needs to be overhauled in War Thunder. This would make the new American models more accurate and have high visual quality to stay relevant in the fast-growing game with every new patch.
Sources I have used to find pieces of flight gear.
This is an excellent video presentation of USAAF pilots’ historical flight gear.
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃