British Aircrew W-Type Oxygen Mask
The W-Type oxygen mask is a rare beast, I've only ever seen two of them.
British by design, by the company DCA Design in Warwick, it was trialled for use by the Canadian Air Force in 1982 in an evaluation of high performance aircrew helmets and oxygen masks, but was never adopted for use by either the Brits or Canadians.
Exhibits
W-Type oxygen mask example 1
This mask belongs to a friend. It has a special variation on the MC3A oxygen connector made in Toronto with emergency oxygen port pointing upward, opposite to normal. The masks electrical and oxygen connectors would suit an aircraft configured for Canadian use.
Manufacturers Resources
A friend sent me this image. He found a brochure from the company DCA Design who developed the wire suspension harness, which probably developed into the MQR attachments, seen on later helmets and P/Q masks in RAF and RN service.
This image is important as it is the only evidence found so far depicting a W-Type mask with written identification of the type. Other documents mention the mask in text, but don't show how it looks.
Reputable Books
Into Thin Air by the IAM, Pages 122-123, ISBN: 0 7090 1290, Published 1984
Quote:
Some years ago it became apparent that the methods of making the P and Q masks were very labour-intensive and that this added considerably to the unit costs. The Ministry of Defence Procurement Executive (MOD(PE)), the descendant of the MAP, the Ministry of Supply and the Ministry of Technology) approached an engineering design agency with a request for a study to redesign the oxygen mask. While simplicity and ease of manufacture were obviously highly desirable criteria, for they would result in a cheaper mask, the opportunity was taken to change other features in the mask to take advantage of advances in technology. The result was the Type W mask. Although still in development, the mask is narrower than the P or Q masks, thus allowing better head mobility in the cockpit, and it is lighter. It is to be hoped that, when it does enter service, it will last as long as the P/Q series, which is still an excellent family of oxygen masks.
Canada Department of National Defence Resources
DCIEM Report No. 82-R-54, October 1982
Full report can be found on the: Defence Technical Information Centre.
This document reports of the effectiveness of the W-Type mask for use in the Canadian Air Force as part of an evaluation of a selection of high performance aircrew helmets and oxygen masks.
It is useful for dating the W-Type mask to the early 1980's, noting it mentions the mask is in the late prototype stage at the time of the evaluation.
(It is also worth noting that the British P/Q oxygen mask was evaluated for use by the Canadian Air Force in the late 70's, as reported here:Defence Technical Information Centre).
Quotes:
3.2 Oxygen Masks
CF aircrew were dissatisfied with the A13A oxygen mask and Pate suspension as were USN and USAF aircrew with the MBU 3/P and MBU 5/P masks, respectively. The CF combined the A13A mask with a modified MBU 3/P suspension, which was considered superior to the Pate suspension (6.14). The USAF and USN combined their resources to produce a common mask designated the MBU 12/P (used in future reference) and MBU 14/P, respectively. The RAF are currently using the P/Q mask and have for over 20 years. A derivative of the P/Q, called the W mask, was recently developed by the British Ministry of Defence, Procurement Executive.
A.2 Oxygen Masks
The W mask (developed from the P/Q mask) features a silicon inner mask, a redesigned exoskeleton, a lightweight microphone, modular construction, improved helmet/mask connectors and a built-in anti-suffocation valve. The new connectors are extremely light and provide less potential for injury than the hook and chain of the P/Q mask. Although this item was still in the final prototype stage, it was available for evaluation.