Non Military "Bone Dome"

[cambioso]

I am rather keen to wear a "Skid Lid" in my aircraft.
I have RAF "Bone Domes" (Mk 1 and Mk3) from a previous life but with these I don't really have enough room between the top of the helmet and the canopy-I need another inch or so...(don't we all!!).
I have looked on the internet (A bit) but cannot find a suitable helmet that would have radio connection and mic etc......
Any ideas guys??
Thanks,

Camb.

[helicopter-redeye]

Headset Services at Shoreham stock diff. varients. www.headsetservices.com from memory.

h-r:)

[magpienja]

How about a lynx microlight helmet like the one I have. you can wear a headset with them.

Nick.

[eharding]

The David Clark 'K' helmet shell fits over a standard DC
10-xx headset - probablyadd another 1/2 inch over the
top of the clearance required for the headset. For what
it is, outrageously expensive, looks odd, difficult/impossible
to get visors for, but compared to not wearing a helmet
and wishing you had, better than nothing.

Gentex HGU33/HGU55 are close fitting US military types
that can be rigged with civilian comms - as headroom is an
issue, probably the HGU55 with a bungee visor - I reckon
it adds about 1.5 inches from the top of your head.

The UK Alpha type has an internal suspension harness
as per the UK military helmets you've used, and I'm guessing
add a bit more to the headroom requirement. Having taken
a couple of Gentex HGU helmets apart, I'd have said
that the Alpha was a better made product (right up until last
weekend when a mate was showing me his shiny new Alpha
lid, only to have a bit break off in his hand and thereafter
refuse to reattach itself). Spares (visors, earpads, liners)
are cheap and plentiful for the Gentex, I suspect much
less so for the Alpha.

Figure about £250 for the DC helmet, and about £600 to £1k
for a Gentex depending on custom fitting, ANR, paintwork etc,
and 1K+ for the Alpha. I'd suggest going down to Headset
Services and trying everything offered.

Regards,

Ed.

[cambioso]

Thanks Eharding and Co....very usefull stuff.
I've looked at the Headset Services web and am amazed at the cost of these bloody things!!
Just a thought, but do any of you good people have a suitable second hand helmet that I may buy or swap for my trusty RAF Mk3??
Many thanks for your time,
Camb.

[Romeo Romeo]

Rally Drivers wear helmets, work in noisy environments and need to communicate. Has anyone any experience with those sorts of helmets?

They're a lot more reasonable, weighing in at under £300.

[Pitts2112]

Romeo,
I think you hit the nail on the head - weighing in. Motorcycle and auto helmets are a hell of a lot heavier and made to take a heavier impact than aviation helmets. I wouldn't want to wear one when doing aerobatics just because of the weight.

Cambio,
The thing about the cost and a used helmet are these: 1. How much is your head worth? 2. Can you definitively know the full history of the helmet you're buying? If dropped or have suffered an impact they may not perform as advertised when you need them. I personally wouldn't trust my bone to a used dome.

I fly with the Gentex GU55 and have been pretty happy with that. I reckon if it's good for the USAF and other military jocks in F-18s and stuff, it's good enough for me in my Pitts.

Pitts2112

[Paris Dakar]

We used to wear a Simpson Bandit helmets when rallying (they were not legal at the time for motorcycle use - but are now) it was quite a heavy and would not be suitable for aviation use as it's a 'full face' jobby.

The headset we wore was an item made by Peltor and basically velcroed in place for the mike, and the ear pieces (which were very small) sat in the recesses inside the helmet but required a certain amount of fiddling about to get them to stay put.

I was dabbling on ebay and found this - don't know if it's any good or not??

http://www.cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-CHINA-Chinese-AIR-FORCE-Black-MOTORCYCLE

PD

Link doesn\'t work! Get onto ebay and go to \'automotive\' and then select \'Motorcycle clothing and helmets\' and just do a search for China Air Force.

Hope that helps.

PD

[Heliport]

There's an enormous amount of information and advice about helmets on this thread - including reports by pilots with experience of using different types.

Link (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110753)