View Full Version : Equipment for flying
Tubbs
14th May 2002, 15:48
I'm looking for a bit of sensible advice on headsets. I'll probably have to buy online so that limits me a bit - I need a decent headset for professional training that isn't going to break the bank. Any recommendations? I noticed Pooleys flogging the PH2000 on their site for £100. Is that reasonable?
Also, I need a left handed kneeboard (ie. one with the pen clips etc. on the LHS). It's surprisingly off-putting having to reach over the board to hack stopwatch/ retrieve pen.
Thanks
tomcs
14th May 2002, 19:35
With regards to Headset I would recommend the Peltor 8006. Very comfy and good quality. I think they are around the £130 mark...cant go wrong.:D
Good luck
tomcs
Buy second-hand. David Clarks are bombproof and you'll get a far better headset than buying new at £100-£150...
Genghis the Engineer
14th May 2002, 20:56
For a kneeboard, I'd suggest just buying a cheap generic one, and the stopwatch and pen clips separately, and make it to suit you.
I've never used any modern headsets that were truly awful, but the cheap Harry Mendelsohn HM40 takes a lot of beating if you want something cheap.
G
HugMonster
14th May 2002, 21:15
Clipboards are easy to alter yourself, with pen holders, watch holders etc.
As far as headsets go, do not buy cheap imitations. The retailers may tell you they are as good as David Clark, but very, very few are.
My own are DC H10-13.4, which are completely wonderful. DC's have, in the past, had accusations of being hard on the ears after a long stretch. These aren't. DC 's are worth every extra penny you pay for them, both in the initial sound quality and in the way they just go and go and go.
You will never regret buying DC's. You may not regret buying another type, but it's much more of a lottery.
And no, DC don't pay me a retainer! Having read the above, I wish they did for just speaking as I find...
Elliot Moose
14th May 2002, 23:14
I have to agree with the hugmonster on this one. I just flew the blue spruce route in a CRJ in a very expensive set of Senneheisers (lightweight airliner type) with the noise cancelling and the whole nine yards. The guy beside me wore a different brand of similar quality and by the time we made Munich we were both cursing.
The DC h10-13.4's that I have would have left me with odly smushed hair, but waaaay more comfort. I've had mine since I started flight school (I got a deal on them at Oshkosh) and never looked back. I have logged over 12hrs flying in a Caravan in the bush and never had the urge to take them off, and the noise levels were just fine even in an uninsulated 748 freighter. I have tried quite a few others, and while some felt okay, they didn't do too much to protect your ears. The rest just seemed to cause chafing:rolleyes:
The only ones I have tried which matched for comfort and protection at all were Bose ANC's, but they took up more of the cockpit than my swollen head (I looked like Mickey Mouse in them), and they ate batteries like candy. Not worth $800 IMHO;)
Tubbs
15th May 2002, 08:22
Thanks for all the advice. Does all of the above still apply if you've got ears like the FA cup?
PorcoRosso
17th May 2002, 07:42
I have gigantic ears , and I confirm that DC's are far more comfortable than any others devices I tried.
I have a H10-40 since 10 years and buy a H10-13,4 for Mrs Porco in 99.
Even after 5 hours flights I feel OK with either the 10-40 or 13,4.
Another thing to consider, is the manufacturer warranty.
Supposedly 5 years with DC's, it's in fact more than that.
In 99, the mike of my 10-40 was working intermittently. I sent it back in the US, and they fix it for free ! (it was 7 years old !)
Buy what you want, but IMHO, you get what you pay for ....
Tinstaafl
17th May 2002, 12:07
My DC H10-40s are at least 20yrs old. I bought them from my CPL instructor in 84.
They used to have a problem with the plugs (old style, unscrew to the plastic surround), & I had a mike & speaker unit fail. I had replaced the rivets that mount the earcup stirrup to the headband with bolts, bushes & locknuts when one failed.
Sent them back to DC in the USA in 93 or 94. For US$70 they refurbished them. New mike, all new leads & plugs, new head band & cushion, new earcup pads.
About the only parts that seems to be original are the earcups & mike boom. Maybe the good speaker but since then I've never had cause to pull them apart.
They would have installed a volume control but I asked them not to. Just something else to break, IMO. Especially when there's already a volume knob on the radio...
Tubbs
17th May 2002, 14:00
Where's the best place to get them second hand?
PorcoRosso
22nd May 2002, 07:38
If you can find out somebody who can buy you a unit in the US, try to get a new one.
If really you want a second hand unit, have a look in your flying club around the members.
As many pilots are "gadget addicted" they tend to buy ANR headsets to replace their old classic DC's.
I guess it's a matter of being at the good place at the good time (definitely around chrsitmas ! )
I got my DC10-13.4s second-hand at www.thehangar.co.uk - they turn up quite frequently there. Alternatively, try the clubhouse notice board.