Looking for technical manuals / visual documentation on military aviation clothing & equipment (research / illustration)

[lovk1y]

Hello everyone,

I'm a professional artist researching military aviation equipment and looking for technical manuals and visual documentation - especially materials that explain how items are constructed and how they work (internal layout, stitching, attachment points, mechanisms), not just how they look externally.

I'm interested in sources where it's possible to download or legally purchase manuals, or access reference materials that include:

• diagrams and schematics
• technical drawings and cutaways
• explanations of construction and operation

As an example, I'm looking for publications similar to:

• Air Publication 1182E – Flying Clothing and Survival Equipment
• Air Publication 1275 – Instrument Manual

While RAF material is useful, I'm not limited to the UK, documentation from any country is of interest, covering WWII, Cold War, and modern periods.

My main areas of interest are:

• parachute harnesses
• survival vests & life preservers
• helmets & goggles
• immersion and pressure suits
• related pilot life-support equipment

If anyone happens to have scans, photos, or excerpts from manuals or personal archives and is willing to share (where appropriate), I'd be very grateful. Even small sections or partial references can be extremely helpful for research.

For context, I've attached a couple of my sketches - just to show the level of detail I'm trying to understand

Thanks a lot for any pointers or shared knowledge - it's genuinely appreciated.

Best regards,
Evgeniy

 

[MiTasol]

A lot of that is here so you might start by doing a search of what is actually on the forum instead of asking people to repost it or to link you to where it is.