Mainline Aircraft with Cockpit Intercoms

[Rainbird]

I am wondering which, if any, mainline aircraft have pilot-to-pilot intercoms for cockpit conversation. i.e. the pilots converse with one another through a hot-mic and headsets instead of shouting across the cockpit with one ear uncovered.
Any input would be appreciated as I have had some hearing loss since childhood and if I were able to get by in a Boeing or etc. now I am fairly sure that in 10-15 years I would medical out without a headset/intercom.
Rainbird,
CRJ captain who would like to move up to the next level.

[Cardinal]

A320 and greater all have a good intercom. Nobody uses it above FL180, however, cause it's plenty quiet below 290. Helps with the yelling down low, at high power/high IAS.

[Short_Circuit]

I would suggest any Boeing will do this. The yoke S/W has 3 positions, OFF, R/T & INT.
In INT the audio will only be directed to FLT / SERV intercom and not to any selected coms radio. So, sel of INT for audio will allow Pilot to Pilot coms. Could be embarrassing if you select R/T instead of INT at the wrong time with brain in neutral…
Please correct me if I am wrong, PLEASE.. :\

[Swedish Steve]

All airliners I have been on have a hot mic type interphone system. But a lot of airlines do not have boom type microphones. It seems that most European airlines use headsets with boom mics, and most American airlines use loudspeakers and hand mics. I have always wondered why. I would have thought that it was safer to use a boom mic?
Caught me out last year. I was doing my first engine run on a MH B777, and put on the headset and tryed to talk to the tower. Then I found out that the headset was only a mic, and I had to turn on the speakers to listen to the replies.
Are there laws out there for different areas about what you have to use?

[Cough]

Ref headsets vs speakers and hand held mics...
JAR-OPS 1.313 Use of headset
(a) Each flight crew member required to be on flight deck duty shall wear the headset with boom microphone or equivalent required by JAR-OPS 1.650(p) and/or 1.652(s) and use it as the primary device to listen to the voice communications with Air Traffic Services:
(1) on the ground:
(i) when receiving the ATC departure clearance via voice communication,
(ii) when engines are running,

(2) in flight below transition altitude or 10,000 feet, which ever is higher, and
(3) whenever deemed necessary by the commander.
(b) In the conditions of paragraph (a) above, the boom microphone or equivalent shall be in a position which permits its use for two-way radio
communications.

Edit to say we use the intercom all the time for chatting as required by our ops manual along with ANR headsets.

[Dani]

...needless to say that if you have a boom mike you save a hand - so the safest way of communication by far.

D

[Spooky 2]

I believe that in the case of Boeing at least this is a customer spec'd option. Was flying two different B757's awhile back and one had this option (757-23A) and one did not (B757-2J4). There was some significant costs associated with modifying te -2J4 over to the hot mic config.

[downsouth]

In the Airline i work for, it's compulsory to use the headset up to the TOC and from TOD to landing... Nontheless many pilots take them off above 10.000ft. Every time we use the headset, we do it with the INT/RAD switch in the INT position wich activates the pilot-pilot and pilot-ground inter-com. Also, it's compulsory to turn the inter-com off once the engines are not running, to avoid making any unapporopiate comment that might be heard by the ground crew...

Bye.

[oceancrosser]

...needless to say that if you have a boom mike you save a hand - so the safest way of communication by far.

That may be open to debate, in a two crew cockpit, the PM/PNF or whatever your terminology may be still needs to use one hand to push the PTT button. Your comment might be appropriate for a single pilot airplane being handflown with a PTT on the yoke.

On another note regarding the comments from cough and downsouth, some companies really make an effort to SOP anything :}

But this is off-thread. Rainbird, I don´t think the use of an intercom/headset is really going to make or break your career, other ways might be more feasible. Most pilots do not like having "clamps" on their heads for long-haul, nor listening to the other guy whistling, coughing, sneezing and you name it through the hot-mike. At least I did not like it much during my turbo-prop years.

[Short_Circuit]

One extra bit of info, the Capt mic is always hot to the CVR not just area mic.
S CCT
:uhoh:

[Rainbird]

Yeah.. I use an ANR headset and get tired of listening to the wind noise from the lower quality mics on my FOs headsets.
If we are reading company material the mics go to the off position, and on longer legs the headsets come off. Having uncovered one ear/turned off the intercom in the admittedly louder crj during climbs and decents I had a very hard time making out what the FO is saying..
Just dont want to move on to another airline and then medical out due to lack of hearing. Thanks for all the input, Rainbird

[FE Hoppy]

That may be open to debate, in a two crew cockpit, the PM/PNF or whatever your terminology may be still needs to use one hand to push the PTT button. Your comment might be appropriate for a single pilot airplane being handflown with a PTT on the yoke.


errr no. The whole point of HOT MIC is that the mic is live for intercom so no pushing or holding required. PTT for RT only.