Helmets - Should you? and Which?
Join Date: Feb 2005
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check MSA's www.flighthelmets.com.au
Our company uses LH050's and they come in one size with padding supplied. You've gotto fit it yourself. They are comfortable, even with 8hour days.
Our company uses LH050's and they come in one size with padding supplied. You've gotto fit it yourself. They are comfortable, even with 8hour days.
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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JLMG,
don't know why it is, but you will find on Alpha's and Gentex the dark visor will be the outer most one. The Gallet I have seen are the same. The yellow visors (like yellow driving glasses) are good for overcast/rainy days and also night time, they cut down a lot of the glare.
don't know why it is, but you will find on Alpha's and Gentex the dark visor will be the outer most one. The Gallet I have seen are the same. The yellow visors (like yellow driving glasses) are good for overcast/rainy days and also night time, they cut down a lot of the glare.
Join Date: Nov 2005
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Electronic Ear Plugs
I have a Gallet and use ear plugs that have a small internal speaker inside them. They are connected to the helmet's speakers and everything you would normally hear through your helmet speakers is heard directly into your ear while the benefit of foam style ear plugs keeps the external noise levels down. Because of this, you find yourself turning down all the volumes on the ICS and radios to less than half that you need without the ear plugs.
You need to modify the helmet slightly, but it's a real easy mod to carry out.
Do a Google type search for them.
Or PM me and I will send you the link directly to their website.
Makiwa
You need to modify the helmet slightly, but it's a real easy mod to carry out.
Do a Google type search for them.
Or PM me and I will send you the link directly to their website.
Makiwa
Join Date: Jan 2004
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My Helmet is set up already for the earplugs supplied by Gallet. I don't like the style of the plugs as they are quite long and push the plugs into my ear with too much force, and to get the helmet on with the earplugs in my ears is a pain in the butt. I need custom fit plugs. Any ideas to where I can make them that will work with the Gallet?
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FACT Pilot
That is not a question anyone on here can answer for you. Helmets are very personal and you really need to try a few and decide for yourself which you like best.
I personally prefer the Alpha Eagle, others may prefer Gallet and others Gentex. They are all very good helmets, you just need to find the one that is most comfortable for you and offers you the features you want.
PR
That is not a question anyone on here can answer for you. Helmets are very personal and you really need to try a few and decide for yourself which you like best.
I personally prefer the Alpha Eagle, others may prefer Gallet and others Gentex. They are all very good helmets, you just need to find the one that is most comfortable for you and offers you the features you want.
PR
Join Date: Oct 2003
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This is the standard for communications earplugs, AFAIK. I've dealt with them, and their customer service is excellent. I can't speak to overseas shipments or payments, but it should be possible. I use them in a Gentex helmet, and I really like them. They are identical to the Clarity Aloft lightweight headset, except for the helmet attachment.
Join Date: Aug 2005
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Helmets...
Hello all, I'm thinking of buying a helmet, should i buy an Alpha or a Gentex?
Haha, just kidding with you, I've been through this thread from page 1 to 27 and that Q has been discussed to death 
My question is this:
I have an old collegue of mine who hates helmets and refuses to wear one. He is constantly trying to convince others not to wear one either.
His reason is that helmets, even the new modern light ones, are to heavy, and that in almost any crash the weight of them will crush your neck. And that is a fact according to him.
Have any of you seen any evidence that the weight of an helmet may be harmful to the extent that they should not be worn ? Have you heard these arguments from other pilots ?
RS
Haha, just kidding with you, I've been through this thread from page 1 to 27 and that Q has been discussed to death My question is this:
I have an old collegue of mine who hates helmets and refuses to wear one. He is constantly trying to convince others not to wear one either.
His reason is that helmets, even the new modern light ones, are to heavy, and that in almost any crash the weight of them will crush your neck. And that is a fact according to him.
Have any of you seen any evidence that the weight of an helmet may be harmful to the extent that they should not be worn ? Have you heard these arguments from other pilots ?
RS
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Pilots - no, motorcyclists - yes. There are many spine injuries in collision between motorcyclists and more solid objects, mostly because at impact they are launched forward headfirst and often hit objects that way - with a hard helmet on the head there is nothing to dissipate impact energy, and this always leading to serious spine injuries - mostly in neck area, but that is not the rule. There is currently new helmet in development that will redirect the force at impact to help with those kinds of accidents.
While flying helicopters possibility of something hitting you from above - leading directly to neck injuries are very limited. Bigger issue are impacts of objects from the sides and front (birds, parts of aircraft, parts of landscape) The inertia of the helmet itself is mostly not sufficient to cause injuries, and when it does... well you wouldn't be better without it anyway.
To change your friend mind, you can bombard him with accidents reports where it say that helmet could save the pilot's life - like that one of TH-1F from New Zealand, that crashed because of hydraulics failure. Or before every flight, hit him in the head with map, kneeboard, flashlight... and ask him if it hurts
While flying helicopters possibility of something hitting you from above - leading directly to neck injuries are very limited. Bigger issue are impacts of objects from the sides and front (birds, parts of aircraft, parts of landscape) The inertia of the helmet itself is mostly not sufficient to cause injuries, and when it does... well you wouldn't be better without it anyway.
To change your friend mind, you can bombard him with accidents reports where it say that helmet could save the pilot's life - like that one of TH-1F from New Zealand, that crashed because of hydraulics failure. Or before every flight, hit him in the head with map, kneeboard, flashlight... and ask him if it hurts
Join Date: Dec 2002
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Hmm I've had this discussion too. My 2c worth - although I don't wear one myself I think it says something that military pilots (professionals for whom fashion / pleasing customers is not a top priority and H&S is) do. Now purely anecdotal but the only accident I've heard of (and I've read quite a few) where someone was killed through wearing a helmet was, from the hazy depths of my memory, a guy killed when in the crash he was thrown clear from the cockpit but was asphyxiated by the cord between his helmet and the a/c. A squirrel by a lake - Scotland I think? On the other hand I guess attributing a cause of death to singularly that a person was wearing a helmet would be difficult in most fatal accidents.
My personal view: I'd rather wear something that'd protect me in a relatively minor accident; dynamic rollover, PFLs gone wrong, that kind of thing, and take my chances with a broken neck in a midair or CFIT with their higher deceleration forces but which are probably less survivable anyway. I'll never forget a story of a FW instructor in Florida who had a theory about not wearing his seatbelt; in a low speed crash he could just hold to the yoke, and in a high speed crash he'd probably die regardless of the seatbelt. Then one day his engine failed... the student flew the a/c to the ground while he had a change of mind and decided to put it on after all...
My personal view: I'd rather wear something that'd protect me in a relatively minor accident; dynamic rollover, PFLs gone wrong, that kind of thing, and take my chances with a broken neck in a midair or CFIT with their higher deceleration forces but which are probably less survivable anyway. I'll never forget a story of a FW instructor in Florida who had a theory about not wearing his seatbelt; in a low speed crash he could just hold to the yoke, and in a high speed crash he'd probably die regardless of the seatbelt. Then one day his engine failed... the student flew the a/c to the ground while he had a change of mind and decided to put it on after all...
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As an ex-accident investigator RotorSwede, my opinion is that your friend talks rubbish. Helmets have been shown over and over again to be very effective in reducing the chances of fatal head injuries in a helicopter accident. The US Army has researched this to death and the USAARL website is a good source of information. Now there are helmets that have been designed for helicopters (such as Alpha and Gentex) and others that are adaptations of jet helmets. The helmets designed for helicopter use have good side impact protection and noise attentuation characteristics.
Whether to wear one or not. Well, I believe anyone who regularly flies in helicopters should wear one. There may be a risk case for occassional fliers not to.
But I have seen accidents where the wearing of a helmet would have either saved a life or at least likely negated the likelihood of brain injury.
Whether to wear one or not. Well, I believe anyone who regularly flies in helicopters should wear one. There may be a risk case for occassional fliers not to.
But I have seen accidents where the wearing of a helmet would have either saved a life or at least likely negated the likelihood of brain injury.
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In my job I have to wear a helmet it's the law but I am not worried about the accident bit and therefore saving my bonce but more like saving my hearing thanks to the better insulation against noise for the whole of my head.
As for the Scotland squirrel crash I have heard about that one as well and I seem to remember what killed him is the lead which got caught on something in the aircraft and therefore pulled his head back. Since then I have made sure my lead can easily unplug if I were to leave the aircraft without unplugging the lead first. We used to tidy the lead away by draping it over the wander light but I have stopped that now for that exact reason.
As for the Scotland squirrel crash I have heard about that one as well and I seem to remember what killed him is the lead which got caught on something in the aircraft and therefore pulled his head back. Since then I have made sure my lead can easily unplug if I were to leave the aircraft without unplugging the lead first. We used to tidy the lead away by draping it over the wander light but I have stopped that now for that exact reason.
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"Leaving the aircraft without unplugging helmet"
There was a post on here some time ago (in association with the squirrel accident in Scotland i believe, I haven't found it so far) where a contributer had thought of the accident scenario and came up with a solution.
A short (about 10-15 centimetre) lead with another set of plugs was used to create a weak link that could adopt any angle and allow the user to disconnect from the aircraft. He'd had no problems with unintended disconnection because of the length, and although he'd not had to use it for it's intended purpose, he was satisfied that it would work. I thought this was such a great idea I went down to my local avionics engineer and now have a weak link in my flight bag.
The reality for most of us that the most likely advantage from wearing a helmet will be that we can hear our wives (or husbands) moaning about how we're under their feet after we've retired...... For those unfortunate enough to have an accident, hopefully we'll never know how bad injuries can get, which to my mind makes them worth their weight in gold.
A short (about 10-15 centimetre) lead with another set of plugs was used to create a weak link that could adopt any angle and allow the user to disconnect from the aircraft. He'd had no problems with unintended disconnection because of the length, and although he'd not had to use it for it's intended purpose, he was satisfied that it would work. I thought this was such a great idea I went down to my local avionics engineer and now have a weak link in my flight bag.
The reality for most of us that the most likely advantage from wearing a helmet will be that we can hear our wives (or husbands) moaning about how we're under their feet after we've retired...... For those unfortunate enough to have an accident, hopefully we'll never know how bad injuries can get, which to my mind makes them worth their weight in gold.
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I'm required to wear a helmet, and I have one with CEP (communications earplugs) installed. I also have a lightweight in-the-ear headset and a few DC and custom-made headsets I've acquired over the years. I've found that the helmet is actually increases the noise level. I can remove my helmet, leaving the CEPs in my ears, and the noise level drops. The helmet seems to amplify, or at least concentrate, the noise, making it rather loud even with the earplugs in place. I would never wear one by choice, because they're heavy, loud, and incredibly hot when sitting in the middle of a blacktop road in the middle of a Texas summer, and even when flying at altitude. Perspiration literally rolls off my head, and the discomfort and distraction outweigh, at least for me, any potential injury avoidance, and indeed make an accident more likely because of the higher noise and discomfort levels, with the accompanying distractions. I have no quarrel with anyone who wants to wear one, but I hate the g*****n things. I wore one for years in the military, and hated them then, but that hatred has only increased as the years pass.
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Gomer
Do you have a Gallet by any chance? I wore a Gallet for about a year doing longline work and found that earplugs were compulsory, there was some kind of weird resonance that made that helmet much louder than any other one I have worn. I have an Alpha Eagle that is perfect for me even without earplugs.
Do you have a Gallet by any chance? I wore a Gallet for about a year doing longline work and found that earplugs were compulsory, there was some kind of weird resonance that made that helmet much louder than any other one I have worn. I have an Alpha Eagle that is perfect for me even without earplugs.
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Noise attenuation
I have read/heard on a number of occasions about having the right mic/ear piece for the helicopter, that there are noise attenuation or other issues of having the right set up for the right helicopter (piston /turbine...)
I'm now brave enough to ask, how does it all work and how do I know if I am buying the right item for the right helicopter?
Will the same mic work across the board in R44/B206/AS350...?
I'm now brave enough to ask, how does it all work and how do I know if I am buying the right item for the right helicopter?
Will the same mic work across the board in R44/B206/AS350...?
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Helmets
Ogsplash wrote:
"Helmets have been shown over and over again to be very effective in reducing the chances of fatal head injuries in a helicopter accident"
While at Fort Rucker, Al. for UH-1 67N20 Training- a Tech Sgt. showed a US Army Aviators Helmet that took a glancing blow from a Huey. The helmet was damaged pretty good, the A/C Commander had a pretty good headache- but he lived.
Once again, bow to the "Huey"
Lee
"Helmets have been shown over and over again to be very effective in reducing the chances of fatal head injuries in a helicopter accident"
While at Fort Rucker, Al. for UH-1 67N20 Training- a Tech Sgt. showed a US Army Aviators Helmet that took a glancing blow from a Huey. The helmet was damaged pretty good, the A/C Commander had a pretty good headache- but he lived.
Once again, bow to the "Huey"
Lee
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Helmets
Is this still going on yawn! The only people I can see needing helmets are those flying low over land or SAR. Lets not get paranoid about safety. As I have said previously do you drive with a five point harness wearing a helmet. No! Why not? You are more likely to be involved in an accident, while you are at it put on a nomex suit. I hated wearing a helmet in the Military but due to the job accepted it. Now on the North Sea I do not want one. Quite happy with a lightweight headset.
Also do not wear my immersion suit during the Summer, again my choice, and most pilots do not. Rather be comfortable on my 8 hour stint.
Also do not wear my immersion suit during the Summer, again my choice, and most pilots do not. Rather be comfortable on my 8 hour stint.