Helmets - Should you? and Which?
Join Date: May 2001
Location: in the north country fair
Age: 49
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Col;
When I bought my Gallet I asked the same question regarding specs.
I received a full report on impact testing based on MIL-SPEC bla-bla
It convinced me...
RD
When I bought my Gallet I asked the same question regarding specs.
I received a full report on impact testing based on MIL-SPEC bla-bla
It convinced me...
RD
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks Reefdog & RotorDompteur
I thought there was a possibility of it being 'sales pitch' from the competition so thought it best to check...
It would be really helpful to have a review by some mags but I haven't found any. Perhaps it would be too much of a 'hot potato'.
I thought there was a possibility of it being 'sales pitch' from the competition so thought it best to check...
It would be really helpful to have a review by some mags but I haven't found any. Perhaps it would be too much of a 'hot potato'.
Senis Semper Fidelis
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Lancashire U K
Posts: 1,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Weights of Helmets.
I have seen the huge amount of input on the thread regarding the wearing of helmets whilst in Helicopters, I did not want to hijack or deviate the gist of that thread so hence this is a slightly different item although still connected with Helmets.
I am working on an additional item of safety for helmets and the wearers of such things, it would be a big help with some calculations if you Pilots and Obs who wear such things in your daily role would be able to throw at me the fully kitted out weight ( as acurate as possible, if possible) of the helmet that you wear.
I need to obtain a mean average of 10 or 12 replies that would suffice for the calcs that I need initially.
In antisipation of the famous reply service operated by the Pprune people thank you!
Peter R-B
Vfr
I am working on an additional item of safety for helmets and the wearers of such things, it would be a big help with some calculations if you Pilots and Obs who wear such things in your daily role would be able to throw at me the fully kitted out weight ( as acurate as possible, if possible) of the helmet that you wear.
I need to obtain a mean average of 10 or 12 replies that would suffice for the calcs that I need initially.
In antisipation of the famous reply service operated by the Pprune people thank you!
Peter R-B
Vfr
i have just bought a gallet 050. wore it for the first 5 hours and was absolutley shellshocked by the amount of noise it lets through. have temporarily velcroed some david clarks into it. it is better. anyone had any problems in this regard. if not, mine is for sale in oz. met blue single visor.
pm me if interested or you have any advice.
i am using it in a C185 which is very noisy.
pm me if interested or you have any advice.
i am using it in a C185 which is very noisy.
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: W'n. USA--full time RV
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
and how to match microphone impedance?
Right, helmets good idea. So along the way I bought a second David Clark headset (ebay) for pax comm. And, lo and behold, nobody had ever mentioned that mixing mike impedances would yank the rug out from under my intercom!
Clearly I now have one hi-imp (600 ohms?) and one lo-imp (8?) mike. Switching to hot mike (=parallel ON) results in losing the audio when both are on line; evidently the low-imp absorbs all energy from hi-imp and defeats the input circuit?
Caveat emptor! But how do you LOOK at the mike and learn whether it's high or low? Who's in charge? D Clark doesn't explain a word of this in the brochure comes with headset.
Is there a simple fix? Interchangeable mikes? Which is better to settle on?
(This is a stock, so far as I know, RHC 1991 R22 intercom wiring, no special additions, standard factory switches.)
Clearly I now have one hi-imp (600 ohms?) and one lo-imp (8?) mike. Switching to hot mike (=parallel ON) results in losing the audio when both are on line; evidently the low-imp absorbs all energy from hi-imp and defeats the input circuit?
Caveat emptor! But how do you LOOK at the mike and learn whether it's high or low? Who's in charge? D Clark doesn't explain a word of this in the brochure comes with headset.
Is there a simple fix? Interchangeable mikes? Which is better to settle on?
(This is a stock, so far as I know, RHC 1991 R22 intercom wiring, no special additions, standard factory switches.)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Helmet Required By Insurance ?
Does anyone out there use an insurance company that requires the flight crew to wear helmets? If so, what type of operations are you involved in, and what a/c do you operate?
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Protect your Hearing
You may well have raised the subject before but it needs to be taken on board. I flew Gazelles, Lynx, Puma and Puma L2. My career was stopped short at 25 years at the 11,500hr point for other reasons. I now find that there is a permanent whine in my left ear(not the wife she sleeps on my right). It is bearable but could have been avoided, I feel, if I had bothered to spend a few pounds to get a decent headset instead of using the standard headsets that were issued on the North Sea. Your hearing is precious and I spent a fortune on a decent Audio system for my car to then realise it sounded the same as the cheap system. So be warned you young un's look after your hearing.
Last edited by jbrereton; 2nd Mar 2005 at 12:13.
Huh?
Try both ears.....and a complete loss of Hi Freq range. Hearing aids will not help....major problem is all letters like b,c,d,e,g,t,v, and z sound the same. Add in a high pitched voice like the fair sex usually has...and disaster strikes. Throw in a room filled with people talking, some background music that is a bit too loud....well, I nod a lot and look like I am listening. Lip reading is getting better how ever.
Chinooks and that large forward transmission screaming in my ears for several years is what caused the damage initially. After that was all down hill.
One way to overcome the tinnitus at night.....is to run a small electric fan....that noise is just enough to blank out the ringing sound.
I too am racing retirement and deafness problems on my medical.
Try both ears.....and a complete loss of Hi Freq range. Hearing aids will not help....major problem is all letters like b,c,d,e,g,t,v, and z sound the same. Add in a high pitched voice like the fair sex usually has...and disaster strikes. Throw in a room filled with people talking, some background music that is a bit too loud....well, I nod a lot and look like I am listening. Lip reading is getting better how ever.
Chinooks and that large forward transmission screaming in my ears for several years is what caused the damage initially. After that was all down hill.
One way to overcome the tinnitus at night.....is to run a small electric fan....that noise is just enough to blank out the ringing sound.
I too am racing retirement and deafness problems on my medical.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: LOS
Age: 67
Posts: 580
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks SASless, 28 years and 12,000 hrs and I thought I was alone with the ringing ears and missed conversations. I used a DC headset for the first 25 years, Peltor for 3 and now have a Bose X. I am hoping the Bose will save what I have left. 
I'm not sure I can pin it down to one type of A/C, although the old Bell 47 B1 had quite the bark.
I'm not sure I can pin it down to one type of A/C, although the old Bell 47 B1 had quite the bark.
Problem in the industry....Ha!
The annual Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) convention every July 4th weekend....is a very noisy affair....average attendance about 2500 pilots. What is fun is to listen to three guys walking down the hallway....and realize there are at least two different conversations going on.....at least one of the trio is hearing something besides what is being said by the other two....it gets hilarious when all three are deaf as a stump....then following the chat can get interesting.
The good side of all this....if you get awakened by the 5AM mail train....and your snuggle bunny asks you...."you want to go to back to sleep or what?" That automatic response of "What?" just might pay off for you.
The annual Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) convention every July 4th weekend....is a very noisy affair....average attendance about 2500 pilots. What is fun is to listen to three guys walking down the hallway....and realize there are at least two different conversations going on.....at least one of the trio is hearing something besides what is being said by the other two....it gets hilarious when all three are deaf as a stump....then following the chat can get interesting.
The good side of all this....if you get awakened by the 5AM mail train....and your snuggle bunny asks you...."you want to go to back to sleep or what?" That automatic response of "What?" just might pay off for you.
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TheFlyingSquirrel
Was bit vague earlier on but was just trying to get the subject open for discussion.
Spent 14 Years 4,500 hrs flying Gazelles and Lynx in the Army and we were made to wear helmets which, although uncomfortable, offered good physical and hearing protection. I assume.
On arriving on the North Sea I was issued with the standard Peltor headset and used this until my retirement some 12 years later adding another 7000hrs to my logbook flying the Puma L an L2.
During this time I saw other pilots with more expensive and later the noise cancelling headsets. Did not think it was worth the expense of paying out for these as my hearing was fine. So I thought!
Now I realise that the Audiogram getting slightly worse was not just old age but possibly the result of my ears being pounded by turbines. On North Sea platforms either the Captain or Co-Pilot stands outside and supervises the turnaround which lasts a minimum of 15 minutes of which maybe 10 minutes standing close to the aircraft. I normally carried this out even when Captain.
When my ear got blocked a few months ago it amplified the sound beyond belief and I felt like somebody was torturing me, it took 3 days to get an appointment to get my ear cleaned out.
After this event the whining is more noticeable to me and bloody annoying but nobody is to blame except myself.
So all of this waffle is just to say make sure you are aware of the problem from the horses mouths.
Is it that the headsets that were not up to the job or is it just the fact that turbine helicopters will deteriorate your hearing, no matter what, over the years?
I also want to see is how widespread a problem it is among the older pilots.
Spent 14 Years 4,500 hrs flying Gazelles and Lynx in the Army and we were made to wear helmets which, although uncomfortable, offered good physical and hearing protection. I assume.
On arriving on the North Sea I was issued with the standard Peltor headset and used this until my retirement some 12 years later adding another 7000hrs to my logbook flying the Puma L an L2.
During this time I saw other pilots with more expensive and later the noise cancelling headsets. Did not think it was worth the expense of paying out for these as my hearing was fine. So I thought!
Now I realise that the Audiogram getting slightly worse was not just old age but possibly the result of my ears being pounded by turbines. On North Sea platforms either the Captain or Co-Pilot stands outside and supervises the turnaround which lasts a minimum of 15 minutes of which maybe 10 minutes standing close to the aircraft. I normally carried this out even when Captain.
When my ear got blocked a few months ago it amplified the sound beyond belief and I felt like somebody was torturing me, it took 3 days to get an appointment to get my ear cleaned out.
After this event the whining is more noticeable to me and bloody annoying but nobody is to blame except myself.
So all of this waffle is just to say make sure you are aware of the problem from the horses mouths.
Is it that the headsets that were not up to the job or is it just the fact that turbine helicopters will deteriorate your hearing, no matter what, over the years?
I also want to see is how widespread a problem it is among the older pilots.
I totally agree that we should all be trying to protect our hearing but, unfortunately, ANR headsets might not be the answer.
This was discussed back in 2002 and according to Nick L (half way down the first page of the old thread), ANR headsets don't necessarily cut out the damaging higher frequencies.
Ear Defenders (whilst outside the aircraft) or ear plugs (under a headset) might be the answer...
Regards,
B73
Aha. Edited to add that Heliport has now merged the old thread with the new one. My post doesn't seem to make much sense other than to say "Please refer back to page 1 of this combined thread"
This was discussed back in 2002 and according to Nick L (half way down the first page of the old thread), ANR headsets don't necessarily cut out the damaging higher frequencies.
Ear Defenders (whilst outside the aircraft) or ear plugs (under a headset) might be the answer...
Regards,
B73
Aha. Edited to add that Heliport has now merged the old thread with the new one. My post doesn't seem to make much sense other than to say "Please refer back to page 1 of this combined thread"
Last edited by Bravo73; 3rd Mar 2005 at 11:47.
Speechless sums up the worst part of this....gone forever those quiet nights in the country when you could hear crickets, frogs, and other night creatures....depressing isn't it. But then the upside....you can pretend not to hear the Missus when she is on your case! Forget to pick something up at the market on the way home....built in alibi.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: UK
Age: 72
Posts: 338
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
rhmaddever
I think that somebody already answered those questions earlier in this thread, but maybe they didn't type loudly enough
It may already be too late to save your hearing .............
My high pitch hearing went many moons ago, I guess due to flying umpteen thousand hours in helicopters such as the ultra quiet Bell 212! At least I don't hear the phone ringing when I am in another room, so that's a plus point at least
I think that somebody already answered those questions earlier in this thread, but maybe they didn't type loudly enough
It may already be too late to save your hearing .............My high pitch hearing went many moons ago, I guess due to flying umpteen thousand hours in helicopters such as the ultra quiet Bell 212! At least I don't hear the phone ringing when I am in another room, so that's a plus point at least
Despite all the ANR you can buy in a headset, it is still permitting a lot of noise through the back of the head. A helmet supresses this comfortably.
I still do not fly without the earplugs and my hearing tests are consistently adequate.
An enlightening experiment is to don the helmet and fly with the visor up for while and then note the substancial decrease of noise with the clear visor down.
I still do not fly without the earplugs and my hearing tests are consistently adequate.
An enlightening experiment is to don the helmet and fly with the visor up for while and then note the substancial decrease of noise with the clear visor down.