Not many aircraft i know of have padded instrument panels... and sadly there are a few good men and aviators that might still be with us if they wore a helmet.

even an engine failure and subsequent sudden stop on landing if you hit something can prove fatal after getting the AH embedded in your forehead.

Not necessarily. How about a skyraider chopping a mustang up at 800ft - and a successful bailout - it didn't chop the tail off entirely, but severed the elevator cables.

Video: Incredible Piloting Skills After Midair Collision | Autopia | Wired.com

No myth, but positively darwinian:

http://2009.gfa.org.au/Docs/ops/safe...ts/FSA0600.pdf

In the good old days spinning was a mandatory part of the syllabus... and a way of saving time on descent from on high.

I am sure there were a few WW2 trainees who bailed out when Tigers or, later when Chipmunks were the go. Some old RAAF/RAF chappies might have examples.

When doing spins in sailplanes, again there would have been no problem seperating self from the machine... might have needed a good kick off, but do-able.

gx...The glider story is true... see back issue of Aust Gliding..."X" years ago. At Gawler was it?? Might have even made the old 'crash comic' / Safety Digest.

The US Stearman exponent, whose name escapes me, I think was the same guy killed in a mid air collision at an airshow.... he was flying the Stearman with a jet slung underneath. Spectacular exit that's for sure.!! You tube????

As for the Harvard guy... I'm sure he would have given it his best shot... how long does it take to jettison the canopy, punch the harness release... and heave himself over the side..5.?.10 seconds.???...MUCH better to try than NO alternative.

Also optional in NZ... but most of the serious aeros pilots I know DO wear them. We did in our Pitts. It's all about providing yourself more options should things turn pear-shaped.

And for those that haven't inserted themselves into a Pitts cockpit, the instrument panel is VERY close.

Oh and for the uneducated... the -55 is neither heavy nor reduces peripheral vision.

well there seems to be lots of support for helmets etc, can anyone recommend a good helmet? obviously things like ANR etc would be good too.

I've used helmets for a long time now: the choice is really an individual one, some heads prefer one make, some another: same as motorbike helmets, they tend to suit different head shapes!

I have used Alpha now for the past 15+ years, but whatever you get I would recommend CEP rather than ANR. I had ANR fitted to my last Alpha and it couldn't cope with doors off ops in helicopters (same for open cockpit stiff wing), so my Alpha Eagle has CEP which is absolutely brilliant for clarity and noise attenuation. Plus it can be transferred between headsets and helmets, and always has the fallback of using the built in speakers :ok:

Interesting article by John Morrissey in the May 2011 issue of Sport Aerobatics magazine. He and a colleague between them had ejected 4 times during their military careers. They did a little exercise - each 4 times. Sit in a Pitts S-2S for some time in a hangar then when some-one bangs on the fuselage start the activity - open canopy, remove headset, release two safety harnesses, stand up on the seat and get one leg out onto the wing walk. Their best time was 23 seconds to get out of this aeroplane.

Incidentally, I have used a cat collar to keep a headset on doing serious negative G until I saved up enough to buy a locally made leather "helmet" to suit a DC.

Like xgjunkie, my std DC stays on doing around -2 to +5.

Apart from stopping a bruising from the canopy in the Harvard, helmets also help with noise attenuation :ok:

what is the difference between ANR and CEP? sorry, just never heard of CEP before.

ANR is Active Noise Reduction, requiring a powered input into the speakers to cancel outside noise. CEP (Communications and Ear Protection) is a passive system much like iPod in-ear speakers, which can be used in either headsets or helmets. Plugging the CEP into the helmet/headset feeds the audio signal to the in-ear speakers and turns off the normal speakers: unplugging the CEP returns the headset to normal operation.

For the OP wanting a method of keeping his Lightspeed headset in place, Gibson and Barnes have some reasonably priced headset helmets :ok: