Originally Posted by jagr
would it be helpful to own a pair of headset for flying training in perth? if so I should start looking now. would appreciate any kind of advice.
Absolutely. To me, at least, the personal headset is how you plug into an aircraft and become one with the aircraft, and it is the only constant as you progress through different aircraft. The instrument panel and controls will change, but your headset will always be there, giving that sense of familiarity that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside even when you might be flying the worst flight of your life.
I feel a sense of closeness to my primary headset (I've got two) even though my second one is newer and looks nicer. With your own headset, you can modify it, add on cloth ear covers and gel seals(my best combo for luxurious headset comfort), paste funky stickers on the ear cups, fiddle with the mic gain. These are things that shared headsets will never offer you.
I used my flight school's common headsets (ASA brand, CRAP) during my first month of flying, and every so often I was shifting them in-flight because they were gross (oily), gave me hot spots on my ears and never quite conformed to my head. I decided that while you fly, your headset should be the least of your concerns so I went ahead and bought a quality headset (Sennheiser, Telex and Sigtronics are my favourites), and have never looked back.
Go get yourself one, I guarantee you won't regret it. Looking for that one headset that fits you like a glove is a fun journey you will surely enjoy. Furthermore, you're now a professional pilot so you'll be using it much more than a weekend warrior like me, so I am sure you will benefit a lot.