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Helmets - Should you? and Which?

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Helmets - Should you? and Which?

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Old 29th Jun 2011, 05:33
  #781 (permalink)  
 
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Unpacked my new Gallet LH350 Helmet today and was very impressed with it. Good build quality, comfortable, and doesn't sit as high as other helmets. The chin strap is more comfortable than I thought and a huge improvement on the older design, easier to put on and take off with a snap buckle like a car seat belt.

The only problem I had with it was the supplied microphone, it has a High / Low impedance switch fitted in the back and a M-101 microphone. Using a NAT AMS42 comm box and King radios I could transmit with sidetone but the ICS wouldn't work. I ended up swapping the microphone with an Electret one and put the switch to the L position which fixed the problem.
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Old 29th Jun 2011, 06:27
  #782 (permalink)  
 
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You don't happen to have a LH250 for comparison, do you? I'm wondering if the 350 is more or less bulky.
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Old 29th Jun 2011, 07:09
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LH350 pics would be greatly appreciated!

Been hunting for a LH250 for a while now. But now since the 350 was introduced I might need to take a look at it.

As a tall fellow, 186/6'2, I bump my head all over the place especially when slingin'. The 250 is the most compact helmet I've found so far. Smart looking too. Would be nice to hear how the 350 compares as the Eagle is too bulky for my taste and Gentex models are heavy'ish.


Ps. First post! yey!
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Old 29th Jun 2011, 07:34
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The LH350 has it's electronics built into the back of the helmet and the visor hardware on the side which keeps the c of g down, taller drivers should like the extra head clearance. You can roll your head around quite freely with this helmet which is a plus. The ear cups are not as snug as the 250 and need to be jiggled a bit after donning the helmet. I suppose it will take me a bit of time swapping the padding to get a perfect fit. The ear cups are also quite big which pushes the shape of the helmet out sideways but gives really good passive noise reduction.

The visor levers are different shapes one each on the left and right and slide down as far as needed without friction screws. They are accessible with the front of the helmet flipping up for cleaning or changing and sit well into the helmet without risk of the microphone or visor cover scratching them.

A leather inside lining and cotton skull cap would be a good option for this helmet for hot days so it doesn't start smelling like a pair of old socks.

I have used Gentex, Alpha and the LH250 before and so far I am pretty impressed the design and feel of the LH350 and I am fairly sure this model will generate a lot of sales for Gallet.
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Old 29th Jun 2011, 08:25
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Old 29th Jun 2011, 09:10
  #786 (permalink)  
 
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Thanks, exactly what I was looking for. Now, does anyone want to buy a kidney?
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Old 30th Jun 2011, 00:27
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Wow! Thank you good sir! Too good.

Yeah you can clearly notice the lower n' wider profile which ought to help a lot! Goddamn. Another kidney for sale! Low mileage runs good!

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Old 30th Jun 2011, 11:37
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Verrry tempted indeed !! Got the details from FHA today. I can cope with the price but was very surprised when they said "there is no ANR as the noise attenuation is very good."

Anyone willing to vouch for the LH350's passive noise attenuation being as good as ANR ? Seems pretty unlikely, but I'd love it to be true ...
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Old 30th Jun 2011, 14:10
  #789 (permalink)  
 
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Verrry tempted indeed !! Got the details from FHA today. I can cope with the price but was very surprised when they said "there is no ANR as the noise attenuation is very good."
That was probably their goal with the new helmet because latest studies show that ANR is not so good as hearing protection and you are just as vurnable to hearing loss due to high frequency exposure using it.
But this helmet looks very cool....
Bellsux are you happy to share the price?
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Old 30th Jun 2011, 22:53
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latest studies show that ANR is not so good as hearing protection and you are just as vurnable to hearing loss due to high frequency exposure using it.
We've always known that ANR primarily deals with low frequency noise, and it's the padding that primarily attenuates the high frequency noise. But "just as vulnerable to hearing loss" is news to me, and I'd be interested to read the studies if you have a link. Anyway, for me the hearing protection is a (very important) secondary benefit of ANR. The main reason I like it is because I can hear what's happening with the aircraft so must better.

Bellsux are you happy to share the price?
They quoted me near enough $A 2650 + gst
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Old 1st Jul 2011, 14:42
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Headsets Incorporated - Active noise reduction for aviation
Read ANR special report lower left & click.
Both the Bose & Lightspeed passive response are
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Old 2nd Jul 2011, 00:07
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Question CEP?

Originally Posted by Unhinged
Verrry tempted indeed !! Got the details from FHA today. I can cope with the price but was very surprised when they said "there is no ANR as the noise attenuation is very good."
Hmm. Waiting for that claim to be roadtested

Anyone thought of a CEP kit?

That would provide the extra oomph for long flights or long lining while not being necessary for everyday use.

By the way, am I the only one that would not want to drill a hole in an egg-shaped fiber/composite structure worth $3.5k? The engineer in me tells that I would be ruining it (Just a thought lads)

Also: More pics!
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Old 2nd Jul 2011, 23:25
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Had long conversation regarding holes in helmets ST I tend to be with you on that front.
But saying that there were retro fit of Hanss devices on motor sport helmets, The RAC said as long as an authorised person did it it was ok! the problem there was the product you were drilling holes in was a British Standard tested item, tested without holes my contention was once modified it no longer had that approval wither the person who drilled was aproved or not.
I would expect the insurers to be looking at ANY modification of the main structure
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Old 3rd Jul 2011, 08:34
  #794 (permalink)  
 
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Hmm. Waiting for that claim to be roadtested
I haven't tried if of course, but I just don't believe it can be as good as a competent ANR system. Even if the passive attenuation is pretty good now ... I'd bet they'll be offering ANR in it eventually. The only question is when. I would love one now, but I'd love it even more with better audio ...
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Old 5th Nov 2011, 19:57
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Has anyone studied this report?

http://www.cnlopb.nl.ca/pdfs/ohsi/hatsubgroup.pdf

It follows the Cougar S-92 accident and the horrific head injuries the crew recieved.
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Old 6th Nov 2011, 01:29
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Thanks for the link - very interesting.

Our Alphas arrived last week.......
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Old 6th Nov 2011, 05:02
  #797 (permalink)  
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I like the shape of the Alpha...
Currently flying with a Gallet 250-and i hate it.

Way too bulky, especially when you´re doing long line work-also pretty heavy.

Went back to my old military SPH-4, which is smaller-and weighs less..

Prefer flying with headsets whenever possible-but long lining with doors off, and your head outside of the chopper=helmet, here we go!


Can anyone compare a SPH-4 to an SPH-5?
Any experiences?
Would it be worth changing?
 
Old 6th Nov 2011, 09:24
  #798 (permalink)  
 
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I always had the impression that the Gallet is the lightest helmet available...
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Old 6th Nov 2011, 11:31
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212man said:
Our Alphas arrived last week.......
A few questions:

1) Are they for routine use or special tasks (eg SAR, USL etc)? The Canadian report argues they should not be required for 'Line Operations' (ie crew change flights)
2) Are they paid for by BSP? Cougar only partially subsidise their crew who want a helemt.
3) What colour are they? The report suggest white is not good.
4) What hazards drove the decision? Head injury in a crash, bird strike protection, noise protection etc?

Thanks in advance for the answers.

To me the Canadian report does smack of justifying the status quo. Why else would two passengers be involved in the risk assessment workshop?
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Old 6th Nov 2011, 11:37
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Originally Posted by aloutte
I always had the impression that the Gallet is the lightest helmet available...
According to MSA it is "less than 1kg for all models", but I am fairly sure that must be without coms. Maybe even just the bare shell without visors.
My large LH050 with basic coms (no ANR) weighs 1.21kg ready to fly.
The 250 is pretty much the same thing with another visor stuck on top, so it must be at least 200-300g more than that. It would also be more top heavy.
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