Porters68

You need to define FOV as "field of view" for the unedumacated.

:cool:

Max

Hi there, to PaPa 68: the pilot grounded has had a crash years ago - may be that contributed to the problems, he has to day. On the other hand, the operating time with NVG is to short to show already major effects on health - but I would bet, that with increasing NVG-time neck problems will increase by substancial numbers. to airborne-artist: I guess, you'd better avoid a hard landing ;-) Even so I like to play around with the choppers I fly, you better stick to the numbers, key points and so on an play it safe - when flying with NVG, always putting on an additional safety margin - just for the case to come. Even with a couple of hundreds hours with NVG - and more or less a constant experience, you still can't judge the height as accurate as when doing dayflying, especially when landing at unknown clearings. It's important to have a good feel for the aircraft and a good crew communication, allowing the pilot to look outside, while the other important information is brought to the pilot by the Co and/or the noise of the rotor and so on. With a well communicating and trusty crew, we went well below the normal operational limits, because the cause (life saving) was worth while. Greetings Flying Bull

Hi Max,
just take your normal Photocamera, 50mm lens, tape it in front of your head and start to ride your bike or drive your car - that is how it feels.
Greetings "Flying Bull"

Nato has already dropped leaflets in Afghanistan requesting the Taliban not to use SAMs/AA against their helos at night, in order to avoid NVG-induced neck injuries following hard/crash landings :ok:

I flew lynx and gazelle on night tactical flights in germay and nerver found the weight of the helmet and NVG to be a problem. maybee Ive just got to much neck.:ok:

wlynx, if you are built like most Army Lynx drivers (self included), the NVG and lead counterweight were barely noticable!

Hey you Lynx-Drivers - how ofen have you been night flying with NVG?
Just one go around the night low level route to keep up currency is one thing - operational flying, night after night - top score was six hours of NVG-flying - is another story. We started to trial new - don't now the word - the things on top of a seat, protecting the head from bending to the back in case of a crash - because the batterypack would prevent to keep the head upright.
With daily use of NVG problems will arise .
Greetings Flying Bull

yes to true, I was a fat boy lynx pilot who was just to heavy to remain a floppy jocky on Gazzelle, I flew with 654 Sqn, 4 regt AAC when they were based in Detmold, Germany.:cool:

Lots, actually.
Sometimes less, frequently more. Not just route-flying, either.

Wayne, check your PMs, Buddy.

Hey, diginagain,
when was that? I get a fax everyday about the nightflying activity of the British Army Lynx a/c in the Gütersloh area, because we operate in the same area and it is quite useful to know, if someone else is lowflying around.
And these guys really don't fly often - and are mostly back before midnight..... Greetings "Flying Bull"

Sorry, Flying Bull, my reference to NVG flying was historical. I started flying on goggles way back in 88, in Germany, when we'd do 3-4 hours continuous, both in the simulater and actual, to build up experience. I can't reach my logbooks at the mo, but I'm sure I've logged 6, 7 and possibly 8 hour night duties, all actual, in other places.

The crews are quite possibly restricted on how many hours they can fly at night - I know that in my time, the night route system was becoming restricted out of consideration for our host nation's citizens.

As for the point about neck injury and the strain imposed by the goggles, it wasn't something I came across during my time in, but as has already been alluded to, us Lynx drivers are generally built like props, as distinct from the 'winger-like' svelte floppy pilots.

Hi, diginagain,
that must have been with these old style NVG, the ones with the three batteries which you couldn't use for the privat equipment ;-)
We only use these ones for daytraining - with a black cap in front - light coming through a needlehole.

The ANVIS NVG are much better - but we had to put extra weight on the back, otherwise the system wouldn't be balanced on the helmet.
Normally operations should be limited to 4 hrs a turn - but what do you do, if someone crys for help?
I haven't had mayor neck-problems yet - felt some discomfort from time to time - actually I have more problems with the headset in my helmet - missing my british helmet - should have "lost" that one, when I left the navy in Portland ;-)
But looking around and thinking about the design of a neck - problems will come for sure.
Unfortunately, with low budgets, not to much is done for the pilots, to keep the health up. Somebody should tell the guys from the moneydepartement, how expensive it is, to recruit a new pilot and get him all the ratings and experiance, he needs to do the job....

Back to Portland - I was only a paying guest to her majestys senior service ;-)
Just to get my wings and the Lynx-Rating - the Navy Lynx-rating :-)

Greetings "Flying Bull"

Flying Bull, used the PNG once or twice as an Aircrewman on Scout, then moved onto the counterweighted ANVIS (still got the lead weight somewhere) with the fiddly little cells (kept two spares in those handy little earplug capsules). We had the luxury of a large amount of real estate east of Detmold where we were cleared down to GL. I don't envy anyone who has to try NVG without mounting them on a bone-dome.

Lynx - the British Army's finest anti-submarine helicopter!

Hello diginagain,

Lynx - the British Army's finest anti-submarine helicopter!
That would be another thread - Senior service via junior service ;-)

As a "guest" I had an outside view on the competition - especially, because some training was done on airforce airfields (Bulldog).....
It was advised not to visit some pubs on certain days - that were airforce or army days - on other days, airforce and armypersonal were wise not to enter - that were Navy-days....
childish play for grown up man ;-) Greetings "Flying Bull"

Flying Bull, thanks for your description re NVG's, but I'm very familiar with them.

Bull thanks for the tips with 2000 NVG hrs its in hand!

Max

:{

"Hey you Lynx-Drivers - how ofen have you been night flying with NVG?"

All my NVG Flying has been at night!! :p

Bose Helmets?
 

I heard something about a helmet that is designed to have the Aviation-X headset installed into it so you can use your Bose headset and have a helmet. Anyone know about this or where to get it?

helmets
 

What do people think about helmets for trainee CPL(H) anyway ? I wear one on my bike, but until reading this site just assumed that a headset was enough. Don't fancy wearing a bird though. Is it worth investing £1k ?

Yeah I had to surrender my Gentex for a Bose when I got too deaf to hear ATC properly, but I miss my bone dome. I briefly considered removing the Bose earpeices to fit into the helmet but the Bose has complex ports on the outisde of the earpieces & I was concerned the relocation might compromise the ANR.

So I'd be interested to know too if there is Bose quality ANR available in helmet form.