Hearing Loss

[Back Course Bandit]

G'day All,

I am a Commerical Pilot currently completing my training with aspirations of one day being an airline pilot.

The question for all of you is this - what chances are there of permanent hearing loss from loud music in pubs and clubs and what do you lot do to combat it?

Like many others i enjoy going out for a few drinks, and as you would know, the music can be quite unbearable at times. I don't really want to be a party pooper but at the same time i don't want to jeopardise my future for the sack of a few nights out every couple of months.

I realise ear plugs can be worn and have tried it but find it quite hard to hear anything people have to say, and find people have an even harder time hearing what i'm saying because i'm speaking so softly.

Am i the only one who finds it a concern and what do you believe is the best way to go about it? I try to avoid specific places that i know have extremely loud music but it isn't always possible.

If needs be, i'll sit home on weekends reading Pprune to save my hearing, but i would love to be out there having a good time.

Responses appreciated.

Cheers,
BCB

[kilo kilo]

Afirm,

Hear what your saying (soz for the pun!)

I too am sometimes worried about this. To cut a long story short, I also have a class 1 and at the grand old age of 25 do like to also have a good time!

Like you say, common sense again prevails, I try to avoid the really loud places like clubs etc or at least try!

This is the only thing you can do, apart from nicely asking the friendly DJ who is high on various types of intoxicants to turn it down a bit!

I would say, limit the frequency of the really loud places to as little as poss', but if you like me, even though committed to your career of flying, once a few ales have been supped and the attraction of the opposite sex is in your sights, It's hard to resist.

[redsnail]

I was a bouncer at a Uni bar for a while. Great fun. :)
What I did was cut the ear plugs in half and use them. I could still hear voices etc ok but the noise was lessened somewhat. Of course, the students used to use the fact any one wearing earplugs was an undercover cop..but that is another story!! So,if you find people giving you funny looks in a pub/club, that's why. :)
Remember, hearing loss is accumulative. If I am going to be exposed to loud noise for any length of time, I wear hearing protection. Eg, my bike has a great (read noisy) pipe, therefore I wear half ear plugs if I am going for a ride of greater than 30 min.
I had my ears checked last year (I'm 35) and they are fine so it is working.
Hearing loss is very subtle and rather permanent...

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reddo
A Feral Animal.

[Dave Incognito]

G’day BCB,

I know we have already spoken about this but for everyone else…..

Last week I spoke to an ENT specialist about this very topic. Unfortunately there is no simple answer outside of sitting at home watching reruns of "The very best of Hey Hey it’s Saturday No.5".

A few tales of his patients who WERE airline pilots and now have no medicals is enough to make you realise that hearing loss is very real. Basically, some sort of hearing protection is a must. For the past few year or so I’ve been using either foam or gel earplugs which have worked OK, but as BCB says, they make it nigh on impossible to understand what people are saying unless you are a lip reading guru.

However, damage to hearing results predominantly from the 2-4kHz frequency band. The doc suggested that the best solution was investing in a set of ‘musicians earplugs’. These are custom made to fit your ear, and cut out the sound in the previously mentioned frequency band. This bonus of this is that you can still hear people talking etc. while still being protected from the sound that is going to be detrimental to your hearing.

There is of course a catch. They are bloody expensive. Expect to pay around $A150-200 for a pair (just a tad more pricey than the $2.50 foam pair from the chemist).

Anyway, if anyone finds the perfect mix of going out, saving your hearing/liver/wallet, please post it up on pprune ASAP!!

Have a good one Dave Incognito


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Flying is easy - just throw yourself at the ground and miss.

[mach78]

BCB-you are right to be concerned.If you have been to the disco, and afterwards your ears are ringing, this a warning to you.
Basically amount of damage depends on obviously the noise level and duration of exposure.
Continue to wear the ear plugs!

[Lu Zuckerman]

As I sit here at my computer composing this message I am aware of a constant hissing and ringing sound. (Hopefully I spell this correctly) I have been diagnosed suffering from Tenitis. When in the service I spent almost twelve months standing watch in the engine room of a ship exposed to the noise of two big four stroke Diesel engines. I eventually went to aviation mechanics school and for the next 4 1/2 years I was a flight engineer sitting between two R1830 P&W radials. I also flew in helicopters exposed to both noise and a lot of cold air blowing into the cockpit. Later after getting out of university I held several engineering jobs in the helicopter industry also being exposed to a lot of noise. I left the helicopter industry and was a tech rep on the Atlas missile system. One of my duties was to test the hold down and release system on the launcher. These were two cylinders of 750 cubic inches capacity and they were pressurized to 5500 PSI. We did this test with no hearing protection. In blowing the cylinders down, it took them .6 of a second to blow down from 5500 PSI to ambiant atmospheric. The closest cylinder was about 8 feet away and the other was 18 feet away and the launcher was situated inside of a partially closed launch site. It was like being next to two 155mm Cannons when they went off. That little excursion in my life and the previous exposure caused the loss of my high frequency hearing and the residual Tenitis. If I am now exposed to loud music or any other noise my ears actually hurt.

Stay the hell away from being exposed to loud noise. Or, invest in the expensive ear plugs if you can't stay away.

[sr106]

Hi folks
I experienced a light acoustic trauma from
a simple metall-bar of a bunk-bed falling
onto a concrete floor. Although my hearing
test shows now hearing loss I have a light
sensation in my ear which seems to get
worse when I am under great stress.
Its not necessarily long exposure to loud
music which damages your hearing but sudden
bangs such as gunfire etc.
I can only point out that your sense of hearing is
closely linked to your general well-being
(equilibrium).
I never go to night-clubs without any ear-plugs anymore. Its simply not worth it.
In the long run your social life will suffer
even more.
Even if you meet the FAA hearing requirements
(which are low indeed) you ll feel greatly
isolated in a conversation with background noise.