Goodbye to Plastic Fittings

No photo today, just a note: all the plastic fittings -- buckles etc. -- have to go, to be replaced by metal. With the suit up at 3psi, several are visibly strained. I knew a few would have to go, but it's astounding how much stress is put on the fittings at that pressure. The good news; made big progress in understanding the sealing of the helmet's exhaust valve, though that's still just a temporary fix until I can entirely remove it. I'll feel a lot better when it's off and I can install whatever I want there rather than the 'black box' of the current valve. Even though I have a manual for the helmet, which shows a diagram of the valve, there are things I don't understand about it, and I won't fly with anything I can't disassemble and reassemble, thereby knowing exactly how it works. Final, final editing on two books this coming week, then I can get back to the system. Two months 'behind schedule' RE the next pressure test with me in the suit, but that's OK; there's just no way to move faster, and I think that once the suit is holding pressure properly a lot of other things will fall in place rather quickly.