Aerobatic Headsets

[Arrestahook]

Can anyone recommend a good ANR headset for aerobatics in a noisy aircraft?

[Pitts2112]

Very vague question. How much are you willing to spend?

Obviously go for something lightweight and comfortable. Get either a helmet or cloth head cover with a chinstrap to keep them on during maneuvers. Dick Clarks are commonly worn, but invest in the gel earcups. They may be a little on the heavy side but they're robust and won't come apart on you.

But, honestly, the best thing you can do for noise is stick in a pair of foamy earplugs. They're cheap as chips and they take out all the unnecessary and fatiguing noise and just leave you the sounds you really need. When I started wearing them I could hear the engine so much more clearly I could even hear the tappets.

[Zulu Alpha]

Many people use the Clarity Aloft.

It has better noise attenuation than a Bose or other ANRs.

Lots of British Aerobatic association pilots wear them.

[stiknruda]

Clarity Aloft gets my vote!

[Mark 1]

QT Halo.

Similar to Clarity Aloft but much cheaper and does the job well.

[eharding]

Communications & Ear Protection, Inc. (http://www.cep-usa.com/)

Can be fitted to helmets or headsets, very reasonably priced, and has stopped a number of us at Waltham from going deaf. Works in tandem with the headset or helmet speakers, so you can choose not to wear them if you're flying something less noisy once in a while.

In the Pitts ANR was simply overwhelmed by the noise levels - a mate who had factory fitted ANR in his Gentex gave up on it and went CEP, I also used in my Gentex, and another mate went for the rather more expensive option of having custom moulded earplugs made, operating in the same fashion as the CEP system, in his Alpha.

[Droopystop]

I don't do aerobatics for fear of getting sacked but do fly a noisy aircraft. Company trialled a well known popular and expensive ANR headset and was found to be less effective than some purely passive headsets. In ear is the way to go for very noisy cockpits.

[erics2b]

In the Pitts I use the Telex Stratus 50D (awesome passive and active noise reduction)
with a mesh helmet attachment to keep it in place under negative Gs.

http://i.imgur.com/uPKcOl.jpg

[n5296s]

I use the original DC ANR headset, with a cloth helmet to stop it flying off at awkward moments. It does a good job and the ANR definitely makes a difference - as I've occasionally discovered inadvertently when the batteries have died.

I've tried my Lightspeed Zulu and, as someone else mentioned, it gets overwhelmed by the noise.

Getting the DC into the helmet, and keeping it there, and reattaching the earpads when they fall off, is a good way to get you nice and relaxed before the flight (not). So mine stays permanently in the helmet.

[Very Sneaky]

Hi guys, sorry about bumping such an old thread but I haven't been able to find an answer to this anywhere.

I'm looking at getting a new headset, and the choice at the moment is down to the Bose A20, Lightspeed Zulu 2 or Lightspeed PFX. However, one of the main considerations for my choice is the ability to stay on my head during aerobatics. So far, having tried the Bose and Zulu 2 on, it doesn't appear as though any have the necessary clamping force to achieve this. On top of this, I haven't found it easy to find chin strap or mesh helmets that are made to fit either of these headsets. I suppose my question from all of this is whether anybody knows of any mesh helmets/chin straps that will be suitable and where they are available, or short of that a way to remedy this problem!

I should note that I'm leaning toward the Lightspeed headsets due to their ability to record communications to an iPhone via bluetooth for use in homemade videos, and so something that would suit them would be preferable. That said, if it comes down to it I guess external recording devices aren't out of the question.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers.

VS