Question for the pilots on the site

[Spartan1980]

IDK if there are any rotary wing jocks here but I know a couple of you fly fixed wing so I thought I'd throw this up here and ask anyway.

My daughter has recently landed her dream job. She's been working towards this for about 15 years or maybe a little more. She has over 12 years as a NICU RN and she was just hired as a flight nurse for a neonatal air ambulance service.

I'd like to do something special for her as it will be total surprise. She was very close to her grandfather (my dad) after losing her first born to AML (leukemia) at the ripe age of 1 year and 1 week. She's worked in the same hospital that her daughter died in all that time and she even covered that very PICU on occasion when they needed staff. I personally can't fathom how she does it. After losing the baby, she made it her life's goal to help prevent other parents from going through what she has. She says it's her calling.

Anyway, I'm sure she's totally unaware, but I have her grandfather's flight helmet. He was a flight line mechanic for Huey UH-1s and OH-58s. He loved to fly and angled for every ride he could get. He was pretty successful too as he was actually informally taught to fly them. That would never happen today. He even got me a ride in a gunship when I was about 6 years old on a weekend ferry job they did. I still remember it.

She probably doesn't even know that he got it when he retired OR that I have this helmet. It's a Vietnam era Gentex SPF-4, no doubt '70s vintage and it's actually in pretty good condition. The air ambulance service she's at uses Gentex SPF-5s currently. I'm thinking about sending it out to be refurbished totally with updated EVERYTHING to be basically as identical to their current SPF-5s as possible.

So...

Is it possible to refurb and upgrade old flight helmets into current tech or somewhat close? Will they even let her use it if she wants to? I'm clueless as to the technical com specs involved, but I see places on the internet that do things like this and I'm pretty sure I can find the specifics as to what it needs. I don't really care if she just wants to put it in the closet to look at once in awhile or if she wants to use it only on special occasions, or everyday. Like I said, she was very close to dad and I know she'd be flabbergasted to receive it if I can make it happen for her. It would be really cool if she could actually use it like he did.

[Stephanie B]

Gentech refurbishes helmets.

http://www.gentexhelmet.com

How much, I don’t know.

[TC215]

Gibson and Barnes could probably do it.

http://www.gibson-barnes.com/dept-29...-Uniforms.html

[GJM]

Would the helmet otherwise be identical in features, and properly sized? I absolutely appreciate the tradition, but it is ultimately a life saving piece of equipment, in the event of a crash.

I have worn a Gallet helmet for the last 15 years, and my impression of the Gentex is they are god awful heavy. Weight on your head gets old quickly over a long day.

[theJanitor]

Maybe have a modern, top-of-the-line helmet done up just like Grandpa's, and give her both? One to cherish, and one to fly with?

[Drang]

Would the helmet otherwise be identical in features, and properly sized? I absolutely appreciate the tradition, but it is ultimately a life saving piece of equipment, in the event of a crash.

I have worn a Gallet helmet for the last 15 years, and my impression of the Gentex is they are god awful heavy. Weight on your head gets old quickly over a long day.

This. I spent a long time in the ALSE shop getting my brain bucket fitted. As a souvenir, awesome, as something to wear on duty, maybe not so much.

[rayrevolver]

Congrats to your daughter!

They might not even let her use something that is not company provided. We use Gibson & Barnes to get most of our stuff. If you can buy her a current helmet and have it painted, that would be cool. Our main photog is working to get a custom helmet paint job as we speak, I could find out some info and see how much it is going to cost.

Or do this for you dads helmet:


Or this:

[Tensaw]

RR beat me to it. It’ll be fantastic and something she will treasure from now on. I still have my grandad’s hard hat he wore in the shipyard.

[theJanitor]

RR beat me to it. It’ll be fantastic and something she will treasure from now on. I still have my grandad’s hard hat he wore in the shipyard.

I have my grandfather's hardhat too. There's even a pencil form the 70's stuck in the leather band

[Spartan1980]

Congrats to your daughter!

They might not even let her use something that is not company provided. We use Gibson & Barnes to get most of our stuff. If you can buy her a current helmet and have it painted, that would be cool. Our main photog is working to get a custom helmet paint job as we speak, I could find out some info and see how much it is going to cost.

I've already got an RFI out and Gibson & Barnes was/is going to get one from me too. And yes, I'm working on finding out if she would even be allowed to use her own, that's kind of the key factor. Problem is that I just can't ask her, I'm having the SIL breach that issue and hopefully without giving her a heads up that's something is in the works.

If she can use her own I may just buy her one as mentioned and just do something as in your 1st photo, like a shadow box thing.