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Museum-quality unissued David Clark MC-3A high-altitude flying suit, size Large Long, manufactured by the David Clark Company, Inc., under Contract No. AF33(602)-8568. An exceptional 'time capsule' example, this suit remains unfitted, unused, and in remarkable deadstock condition, having been preserved in a private family archive since its acquisition through the Civil Air Patrol in the early 1980s.
Unlike most surviving examples, which typically show evidence of military use, field adjustment, or long-term surplus storage, this MC-3A retains its original factory-applied orange-brown adhesive lacing wraps on the capstan laces. These intact seals indicate that the suit was never fitted to a pilot and remains in its original manufactured configuration.
The suit displays outstanding physical integrity throughout, with clean zippers, snaps, and hardware showing no oxidation. The original OD-green protective finish on the snaps and metal components remains fully present, with no significant scratching, surface loss, or handling wear. The internal pressure bladders likewise remain supple and exceptionally well preserved, consistent with the suit’s overall unissued condition.
The MC-3A was developed in the early 1950s to protect pilots flying at extreme altitudes in aircraft such as the U-2 and early jet interceptors, where sudden cabin depressurization could prove fatal. The partial pressure suit applied mechanical counter-pressure to the body through an inflatable capstan system, buying a pilot enough time to descend to survivable altitude. With its intact factory seals, unfitted state, and long-term climate-controlled stewardship, this David Clark MC-3A represents a superior example of one of the most recognizable American high-altitude flight suit designs of the Cold War era.
