Plate No 4
Plate No 4

High-altitude pressure helmet with electrically heated visor displayed in an Athens antique shop. Hector MacKraken claims, “My father wore this in training, or one very much like it.” In fact, Cyrillic script on the helmet suggests that it was used by a Russian pilot. MacKraken’s assertion that the USSR acquired such equipment as military surplus during the Cold War can be discounted outright, but it is possible that the helmet might have been adapted from stolen designs. The question of whether the Soviets or the Scots appropriated the plans remains moot.

Plate No 4

High-altitude pressure helmet with electrically heated visor displayed in an Athens antique shop. Hector MacKraken claims, “My father wore this in training, or one very much like it.” In fact, Cyrillic script on the helmet suggests that it was used by a Russian pilot. MacKraken’s assertion that the USSR acquired such equipment as military surplus during the Cold War can be discounted outright, but it is possible that the helmet might have been adapted from stolen designs. The question of whether the Soviets or the Scots appropriated the plans remains moot.