Why US F-35 Pilots Take 2 Days to Fit Their $400,000 Most Advanced Helmet

Welcome back to the Fluctus Channel for details on the complex process of fitting for the first time the advanced F-35's helmet on US Air Force pilots.

Fluctus is a website and YouTube channel dedicated to sea geeks. Whenever you are curious or an incorrigible lover of this mysterious world, our videos are made for you !

We publish 3 videos a week on our Youtube channel and many more articles on our website.

Feel free to subscribe to not miss any of our updates and visit our website to discover additional content.

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter:

Please keep the comments section respectful. Any spam, insults or troll will be deleted.

To contact us, make sure to use our email in the about section of this channel.

[OriginalThisAndThat]

5:06 Im so glad he made it. Almost same for me about the age of getting interested about aviation. I was 2-3 yr old when traveling with my mom and there it was. Wanted to be pilot so bad (AF) and just 6 months before going in army I got injured in a car accident that wasnt my fault. Ended up having life changing injuries, and im sitting in wheelchair, got broken neck. It feels super bad but you gotta go forward. I am so happy when people get their dreams come true even mine wasnt so succesful. Go after your dreams and work for it.

[Rick]

A couple of clarifications:
1. Monocular HMDs (Helmet Mounted Displays) have been around for 40+ years. The earliest US flyable prototypes were the Kaiser Electronics Agile Eye. I can't recall which USAF aircraft served as the original test beds. Magnetic tracker technology provided helmet yaw/pitch/roll; such technology required mapping of individual cockpits.
2. The Kaiser Electronics/Elbit Systems, Ltd team subsequently developed the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) fist deployed on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and subsequent on the F-16 and F-15 Eagle. This is also a monocular system using a small monochome CRT and custom optics to provide the pilot with flight information, situational awareness, and target cueing capability. All this generation of fighter retained "convention" Heads-Up Displays (HUDs)
3. The F-35 HMD is a different beast all together with incredibly challenging requirements including wide field of view binocular display, integrated night vision (mentioned in the video), extremely complex high tolerance optics, and weight/center of gravity requirements designed to enhance survivability in case of ejection (note the absence of paint on the pictured helmets). The capability of the F-35 HMD relieves the pilot of need for a HUD and a wide field of view HUD as seen on the F-15E in today's dollars I'm sure would be well north of the $400K and provide only a fraction of the capability of the helmet system. The helmet must withstand windblast during very high speed ejection and remain intact prior to ejection as the canopy fragments above the pilot's head. That entire aspect of the "helmet" development was well beyond the then state of the art.
4. The binocular nature of the HMD requires fitting to the precise location of the pilot's eyes during fitting and this precision must be maintained during high-g maneuvers. If the helmet shifts on the pilot's head accuracy will diminish and the improper eye location can increase pilot fatigue.

[aaronsoto]

these guys unity and absolute professionalism at work always astounds me. They all work as an absolute unit. Mad respect too the military.

[bartonseagrave]

$20, 000 for the helmet, $380, 000 for Top Brass and key Politicians.

[castnerscutthroats]

Since the late 70's & early 80's it has always taken multiple days to custom fit a helmet for military pilot/crew members due to custom handmade edge rolls, custom fit liners (formerly poured, now just heated), bayonet; visor; flash blindness goggles & NVG attachment placement as well as custom made/fit masks

[roseanneroseannadanna]

Man, I was really impressed with the ladder part and how efficiently used it! Phuq the plane I want the ladder!

[FrederickHdez]

My dream and that of many people was also to be a fighter pilot, congratulations to those who made it come true.

[justadbeer]

Helmets sure have come a long way. Back in the old days I was into cross country dirt bike (enduro) riding and hung out with a lot of guys from all over the US. One old geezer from New Jersey who actually used to write for Cycle magazine back in the early 70's told me that there was an Air Force base near there and it wasn't uncommon to have a pilot eject over an area they used to ride called the Jersey Pine Barons. Riders would frequently be the first on site only to find a pilot hanging from his chute in the trees. He told me the price of getting helped down was tossing that helmet down first because back in the 60's, you couldn't get a better helmet than a genuine air force issued helmet. They probably cost $50 back then lol

[mikekincaid]

This is why we had those very nice very expensive helmet bags . You don’t turn your helmet in .. you keep it forever.. but there was also enough room in there it was a nice little travel bag.

[sidescrollrtrav]

so kewl that in front of the intake of the jet, it was making little tornados. that is how perfectly designed it is. amazing.

[milesboehmer]

Awesome, US dis-abled army vet Thanks-for your service to all you pilots that help the grunts on the ground and thanks to all who serve

[northstartacopilot]

I worked on this project. Absolutely amazing technology, the price tag is worth the capabilities it brings.

[robertray]

The "helmet’s" DAS and other displays are in the helmet. This replaces other displays in the cockpit, so in essence the cost is just shifted.

[robertconville]

All aviators are on a different level! Semper Fi!

[cuifeyg]

My dream is to fly that awesome plane one day see u in the sky!!! Warriors

[zan]

You don't have to make a 5 second pause after every sentence 😂

[johnborell]

For a helmet? Come on now. No wonder why this country is in serious debt

[Chalisque]

I'm curious with these $400, 000 helmets, how much of that $400k is from the bill of materials for it, and how much from amortising the R&D costs.

[falkenlaser]

Knowing external fuel tanks could carry cargo = mind blown.

[Budabaii]

I wish somebody showed me top gun when I was five years old.

If I could go back and redo my life, I’d make becoming a military pilot my singular goal in life.

Maybe I’ll do it next time around.