Spring Military Aviation and Militaria Auction
Lot 348:
Description
United States Navy Mark IV Mod 1 full pressure flight suit and matching headpiece manufactured by the B.F. Goodrich Company. United States Navy Mark IV Mod 1 full pressure flight suit and matching headpiece manufactured by the B.F. Goodrich Company. The suit is constructed with a sage green nylon outer restrainer garment featuring integrated boots and a complex lacing system on the arms and legs for size adjustment. The garment includes various pressure-sensitive valves, umbilical connectors, and attached black leather flight gloves.Markings on the suit include a yellow block letter USN patch on the right chest and an embroidered gold-tone US Navy Aviator wing emblem on the shoulder. A grey webbing strap on the upper right sleeve is marked EVANS in black block letters.The headpiece is a gold-finished hardshell helmet equipped with a dual-visor system containing both clear and tinted visors. The helmet exterior features a B.F. Goodrich diamond-shaped sticker, blue USN block letters, the handwritten digits 005764, and a red-and-white rescue instruction sticker. The top of the helmet displays a blue US Navy Aviator wing emblem. The interior is lined with leather and contains a circular orange leather manufacturer label with the following printed text: 2216, HEADPIECE, MK IV MOD 1, FULL PRESSURE SUIT, TYPE I, STOCK NO. 8475-521-6082-SIRS, MFG R BY THE B. F. GOODRICH CO., DATE OF MFG. 10-60, CONTRACT NO. N383 (17-MIS) 6473, U. S. NAVY.This model of pressure suit was developed for high-altitude Navy aviators and served as the design basis for the suits used in NASA Project Mercury.The attribution to Evans refers to Captain Ronald E. Evans, a Navy pilot who later served as the Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 17 lunar mission. While the suit is named, and period-correct, it should be noted that at least one other U.S. Navy test pilot with the surname Evans was active during this era; however, that individual was not stationed at Grumman, where this suit originated. Accordingly, the attribution is based on the totality of the evidence rather than the surname alone.These are incredibly rare suits; especially when attributed to Apollo astronauts.
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