[ARC5] T-30 Throat Mike Use

[Robert Eleazer]

I strongly suspect that the reason the T-30 was used in 12'O Clock High and other theatrical productions is that it leaves the actor's face free and enables him to speak his lines, whereas an oxygen mask would cover it up.  The same is true of the T-17 hand mike.

While in the book he mentions T-30 use for the intercom I would suspect that a T-17 was used with the radio.  In a bomber, picking up a mike would not be so difficult.   The B-26 in Europe typically operated at 12,000 - 16,000 ft (following disastrous attempts to use it for low level attacks), so while oxygen should have been used, they could have done without it as well.  There are pictures in the book of pilots flying without oxygen masks in place.

The T-30 was used with a PTT assembly with a PL-68 that plugged into the aircraft control box and a two pin connector that plugged into the T-30.  It was hung around the user's neck.  Pictures of the crew on the ground show the pilots, navigators and bombardiers with the T-30 connector cord hanging down the front of their Mae West life jackets.    

On the B-26 the radio operator position was right behind the pilots compartment.  The radio operator also operated the waist .50 cal guns so he had to go through the bomb bay to aft of the wing to get to his guns.

The navigator position was also behind the pilots but to actively navigate he had to have the co-pilot push back his seat so he could get to the nose compartment.  The bombardier was in the nose compartment as well, and neither he nor the navigator had a seat there.  To be able to us the nose .50 cal gun they had to dismount the Nordon bomb sight, such as hand it to the navigator to hold while the Bombardier used the gun.      

Was the T-45 lip used for aircraft or just for armor? 

Wayne