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Why Did Kamikaze Pilots Wear Helmets?
by thenewgreen

    The head coverings and helmets used in WW2 was largely a holdover from the previous era where the cockpits were open. Those protected against rain and wind. Closed cockpits were pretty standard in world war 2, but often planes would take off and land with the cockpits open with the belief that it would be easier to escape if something were to happen on landing. Landing and take-offs are still the most dangerous part of flying.

    Another reason pilots wear helmets is because they hold your radio earphones. Military regulations require it. When jets became standard, the air forces switched to the hardened ‘brain bucket’ currently used today, though the purpose of this is merely to protect a fighter pilot’s head from being bashed against the canopy during high speed maneuvering, and ejection — not to save him in the event of a crash. Similarly, the kamikaze pilot’s helmet merely helped him complete the trip, not survive it.