Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

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catches the model wlicn it recovers and
serves to create a Iow-vclocitv spot inside
the test chamber so the miniature
plane will remain as ncar as possible to
the center of the air jet, The 16-sicled
vcrtica I tunnel ou twnrdlv resembles a
hnge silo, '
Hood and Cape Repels Flak
Airmen of the I =jth Air Force arc
now protected from the high incidence
of head and neck flak wounds by a special
hood and cape, c1esignec1 b~' Lt. Col.
I. Lonis Hoffman. 7\IC, of the Air Sur
geon's Office of the l Sth, to he worn
over flying helmets,
In construct ion of the first model,
manganese steel pl.rtcs were removed
from an old flak suit in shops of the
i 1th Air Depot Croup, enclosed in
c.mvus and covered with leather. A cotton
lining containing a half-inch Liver
of sponge rubber was used to aly;orh
concussion. Because the five-pound
weight of the .mti-fl.ik hood is horne on
the shoulders. it can he worn without
discomfort and docs not interfere with
movements at gun positions or over the
hom bsigh t.
Sun Takes Salt from Seawater
A floating distillation unit that uses
the sun's heat to convert seawater into
drinking water has been developed bv
the Air Technical Service Command
from designs suhmitted hv the Massnchusctts
Institute of Technology and
the Callowhur Chemical Corp., and is
now standard equipment for multi-place
life rafts.
This new inflatable solar still is a
balloon-like cvl indcr 12 inches in di.uuctcr
and 30 il~ches long. It is made from
Vinvlitc plastic, which permits 90 percent
of thc sun's rnvs to pass through.
The heat is then absorbed bv a plastic
screen in thc center of the still. which
has black cellulose spongcs sewed to it.
These sponges arc sa turn teel xvi th seawater
hcfore the still is blown np. and
as the sun cvuporatcs the water. thcv
serve to retain the salt rcxid uc. The
vapor, on the other hand. condenses
and trickles clown the sidewalls to a
fresh-water reservoir in the bottom
where it is storeel until needed. \\'ater
is drunk direct from the still.
J\faximum output varies from one to
five pints of water duilv for each unit,
.md as m.urv as six of these two-quart
cap.rcitv stifls may he floated from a
single raft.
Also includeel in AAF life rafts arc
tarpaulins for catching rain, and desalting
kits for usc on C'1ol1Ch'dan. Cans
of water arc inc-luded for emergenc\' usc
a S well.
44
Gunner m:IIlS position confident that the spcciallv constructed hood he "Glrs will afford
excellent protection ag;linst flak wouud-, .rrouncl head and neck. Stecl plates enclosed in
canvas. covered with leather and lined \vith cotton and spongc rubber compose the garmcnt,
Men seated in life raft drink fresh wat cr sun's r.iv-, h.ivc produced from seawater. Below
is Cullowhur Still sho"'in£; components: 1. scrccn with hexagon sponges which retain the
saline residue, 2. collecting chamber for fresh w.rtcr , 3, drinking tube wit h screw cap,
AIR FORCE