German WW1 Leather Flight Helmet & Goggles

[RON]

Hello all,
A friend of mine is getting me a nice German WW1 Flight Helmet that he won on eBay for peanuts (less than $50 including shipping). Judging from the photos, the interior is in bad shape but for the price he paid I think it's not bad (there's a couple of good ones selling on eBay for $300-$500!).
I'm now thinking of completing it with a nice pair of German WW1 Pilot Goggles and need your help in picking 1 of 3 models.
Photos of the helmet as well as the choice of goggles follow.

GERMAN WW1 LEATHER FLIGHT HELMET:

GOGGLES:
PAIR #1: (seems unused with the orignal 'Splitbrille' label on the right lense)

PAIR #2:

PAIR #3:

Which of the 3 do you think best matches my helmet (authenticity & design wise)?

 

[RON]

HELP! Anybody out there knows more about these goggles? :-?

 

[b.loree]

Hang in there Ron, there will be someone who will help. Unfortunately, I have no clue. I did not even know that there were 3 styles available. Tony does have some aviation items. Brian

 

[ebeeby]

I'll have to pull out some old Cross and Cockade magazines to see if I can find some goggle photos. Meanwhile you might ask them as they really are expert in WWI aviation

US Branch:

http://www.crossandcockade.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=122

UK branch (recommended):

http://www.crossandcockade.com/

 

[RON]

Thanks for the tips.
From the rare period photos I've seen, it seems there were more than 3 models used and often the same were issued to both aviation and motorcycle/automobile 'pilots'.
One could also presume pilots used captured enemy models/designs as well based on personal choice/preference since there weren't real regulations pertaining to aviation goggles at that time.
More pictures (German wartime) could help I guess; I didn't find any on both Cross & Cockade sites.

 

[RON]

Hello all,
I'm still stuck with this. So far there aren't any good pictures of the net to help me choose from the above 3 models, if any.
If anyone has further leads on this, please let me know...

 

[joerookery]

Ron,

Found this but it is not much help.


ps1310 by joerookery, on Flickr

 

[RON]

Indeed no goggles there but this is one heck of nice picture Joe; first time I see a photo of the WW1 pilot crash helmet 'in action'. Thanks for posting!

 

[RON]

Gents,
As I'm still on the lookout for a decent pair of Imperial Goggles to complete my helmet (pictures above), what do you think of this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220872223764" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Price is quite scary and the seller charges a handling fee hence the high shipping cost... Plus he always describes his stuff in a way that doesn't inspire confidence (constantly uses 'Red Baron', 'vintage', 'from my own collection', etc. in his descriptions and often mixes motorcycle with civil and military aviation gear simultaneously as if to hit all search key words and maximize audience!)...

 

[badener]

They look newish to me.

 

[RON]

Hello Matt,
I agree; these look too good to be true but then again you never know...
I need at least another refd flag (or 2 green ones) to decide. Price is too high to risk it otherwise.

 

[RON]

I finally ended-up buying the below goggles to complete my flying helmet.
The frames are made of aluminum except for the sides under the hinges where the glasses slide in and out which are made of magnetic steel. So are the elastic band fittings which are fairly rusted.
The band itself has some elasticity left and attaches directly onto both frame sides with stiches + a glue of some sort (?) but without any leather reinforcement.
The protective fur trim around the lenses seem glued onto the frames and the leather nose 'bridge' seems in pretty good shape given the age of the goggles.
What seems the to be the biggest issue is the lenses themselves however as these seem made of curved sheets of transparent plastic (close to 1mm in thickness; the seller described them as celluloide lenses)... Although celluloide was used as far back as the 19th Century, weren't lenses usually made of glass? :?

 

[RON]

Guys, I still have a week to return the goggles if necessary and file for refund...
Any major red flags you see?

 

[b.loree]

Sorry Ronny I have no clue about these goggles.

 

[chinstrap]

Have you seen these?

Don't know if this helps?


http://www.waterloomilitaria.com/shopexd.asp?id=337" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Patrick

 

[RON]

Hey Pat,
Thanks for the lead.
The Waterloo Militaria goggles are quite close to mine except for the lenses which are made of curved glass while mine are supposedly celluloide.
I paid $99+$19 shipping for mine.
Another red flg I see is the stitching of the fur onto the frame while mine has some sort of glue...
Then again who knows if the Waterloo Militaria example is original?
Or the 'celluloide' lenses on mine could be fakes--with the curved glass ones gone missing--and the rest OK?
](*,)

 

[RON]

Anyhew....
I finally got both elements together for a photo shoot this morning trying to use natural light but it was a bit too cloudy and some pics came out blurry.

It seems like I won't know for sure anytime soon if my goggles are authentic WW1 or not but hey, they sure look nice! 8)