Welcome to in the present day’s Photo of the Day! Right here we’ve Colt’s Air Marshal. In the course of the hijacking epidemic of the early Nineteen Seventies, Jap Airways sought unconventional safety options. In 1972 alone, they suffered over two dozen skyjackings. Jap’s safety director, Jonathan Shields, proposed arming pilots with specialised revolvers firing non-lethal plaster projectiles to subdue hijackers. Colt’s resolution modified their compact Lawman .357 revolvers. Customary cylinders had been changed with Zytel plastic variations holding six metal ammunition sleeves. Every sleeve contained a low-power clean cost, plastic sabot, and cavity crammed with brittle Plaster of Paris forming the projectile. When fired, the plaster spherical would disintegrate on impression, neutralizing the menace with out overpenetration dangers. The disposable cylinder was discarded after firing all six rounds. To stop misuse, Colt designed the revolver to separate into two elements for storage – one pilot saved the body, the opposite the cylinder, solely assembling aboard flights. Round 25 prototypes known as “Air Marshals” had been made by Colt’s Jericho, NY division in 1971-72 utilizing Lawman elements. However after trials, Jap opted for the FAA’s Air Marshal program as an alternative of arming crews straight. The remaining plaster revolvers offered as surplus for $9.95 every.
“Developed by Colt Technik (a subsidiary of Colt) in Jericho, New York on the request of John Edward Shields (supervisor of operational safety with Jap Airways) as a method to arm pilots aboard airliners to forestall hijacking. Hijackings had been way more frequent within the late 60s and early 70s and in response the FAA began the Air Marshal program that might put armed officers on board business flights. Defend’s specs for the revolver had been: the ammunition shouldn’t be capable of penetrate the fuselage, over penetrate the goal, or ricochet. It could even be saved and carried by the pilot and copilot in two items, to be assembled after which positioned in a secure within the cockpit.”
Lot 462: Uncommon Colt Lawman “Air Marshal” Double Motion Revolver – Uncommon Colt Lawman “Air Marshal” Double Motion Revolver with Distinctive Plastic Cylinder. (n.d.-i). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Might 13, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/79/462/rare-colt-lawman-air-marshal-double-action-revolver.
