Originally Posted by Pontius Navigator
However on one particular sortie my colleague, ex-Shacks even, could hear chatter on one of the VHF Channels which no one else on the crew could hear. Volume controls worked most of the time but that proved I had significant hearing loss.
Noise damage applied not just to aircrew or engineers but to people near the aircraft noise. Workers near aircraft operations needed hearing protection too but never got it. I suspect many never knew they had noise induced hearing loss and were eligible for help.
In SK6, analog ANR trials demonstrated a 78% increase in audio detection range using AQS902G-DS. Boscombe's sonics rear seater reckoned that brought the SK6 close to Wessex performance! £758 per person for 78%, instead of £3M+ every 18-24 months squeezing single figures via software.
Agree about groundcrew. Just needed a little more work as their headgear had different size earshells. (Bearing in mind at the time anything in-ear was rejected out of hand by OR). The main problem was logistical, but the digital system which was ready in 2000 would have mostly cracked that, as much of the support would then be common with aircrew. They were included in the proposed pan-MoD Staff Requirement in 1996, but powers that be didn't proceed.