The search for MH-370

**tailor marc** · 04-02-2014, 12:23 AM

by lithgow

Been announced that a RAAF 737 Wedgetail is acting as air controller over the search area.

Yep just had a mate say he seen it at the International airport T2 parked up around 6pm. I will be going down tonight to snap some shots

**tailor marc** · 04-03-2014, 07:55 AM

You beauty! Just sitting at the lunch bar eating lunch right under the flight path and i was watching the flight radar 24 app. Nothing showing up then out of know where it comes along.... The RAAF Wedgetail! I got some really good shots! I will post them up soon

**tailor marc** · 04-03-2014, 01:42 PM

Just watched the US pilots get off the other P. Not so brightly colourd. Good to see the US here with 2 Submarine killers!

US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon in search of Flight MH-370 by Marc Russo (Australia), on Flickr

**tailor marc** · 04-03-2014, 01:44 PM

The RAAF Wedgetail aproches after a day of searching ....

The R.A.A.F Wedgetail coming in from a day searching for MH-370 by Marc Russo (Australia), on Flickr

The R.A.A.F Wedgetail coming in from a day searching for MH-370 by Marc Russo (Australia), on Flickr

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I love this in B&W...

_MG_0694m by Marc Russo (Australia), on Flickr

**AIF** · 04-03-2014, 02:40 PM

Fantastic pics Marc!! Keep them coming mate!

**Datrus** · 04-03-2014, 05:17 PM

You're a wicked photographer Marc!

Cheers

**Woolgar** · 04-03-2014, 05:31 PM

Awesome shots !

Nick

**tailor marc** · 04-04-2014, 01:43 AM

Thanks everyone!
I just went to the airport before work and it was sad. Seen South china airways arrive and all the familys and freinds of the missing people. I refuse to take pictures of that out of respect but took a couple of the plane they arrived in on. The Malaysian prime minister and Aussie priminister are here aswell. So much going on.
Just seen the 2 USA P8's and the RAAF all reay to take off for another search aswell

**tailor marc** · 04-04-2014, 01:45 AM

More pics to come as im going to try get shots of the USA and RAAF planes take off tomorrow morning as i dont have to work !!! I may head up to the airforce base in the afternoon aswell. Im trying my best to capture this terrible event and it not often we see this here in little old Perth ( most isolated city on the planet)

**willie45** · 04-04-2014, 08:36 AM

by harryamb2

fail too see why this is on here.no relevance to this forum at all.

Harry, I personally find it relevant for a couple of reasons. One is that I'm a long time enthusiast of the Ilyushin-76, and the other is that my main interest is collecting Soviet Cold War era flight gear.

Recently, I've sourced a couple of different models of leather flight helmets from the Ukraine which are quite rare and unusual. They have a headphone speaker and ear cushion modification which makes them rather uncomfortable to wear, and the only positive feature about them is the large amount of noise reduction compared to the standard models. I kept asking myself the question, 'Why modify a popular and successful helmet, and turn it into something hard to put on and take off, which is also very uncomfortable to wear?'.

Which brings me to the Il-76 being discussed in this thread. They have the Soloviev D30KP low-bypass turbofan engine, which is one of the most ear piercing engines around. The noise level in the cockpit is extreme to say the least. It's the only Soviet aircraft I can think of, that would justify developing a flight helmet with the same level of hearing protection as the ground crew helmets.

I guess I'll have to comb through all my Il-76 flight deck photos to hopefully prove the theory. If I can find some pics of it being worn in the Il-76's, then it could explain the origin of the helmet.

On the left is the standard ShZ-78, on the right is the helmet in question, the ShZM-78.

78a.jpg
The standard helmet has the normal moulded rubber headset covers. The modified ShZM has larger moulded leather covers and a different cut of leather to accommodate them. It appears to be purpose built by PMK, and not an after-market modification.

The outer earphone covers are larger to accomodate the Ukranian built ZTA speakers, and their associated glycerine filled ear cushions. These are the same speaker sets used in the ShShL series of cloth ground crew sound protection helmets.

78b.jpg

So that's my theory at this stage, that the ShZM-78 and the later ShZM/ShLM-83's were developed for use in the Il-76's.
Maybe earplugs weren't good enough.

Cheers, Willie.