Airbus 320 - own headset
 

Hi all,

As I understand it, Airbus chose to certify the aircraft together with only a handful of headsets, is this correct?
I was looking to buy a Bose A20 to use since I found the 320 quite loud and tiresome if you spend 10+ hr duties in it.
But as it turns out now, even though the Bose headsets are FAA/E TSO certified and are available with the 5-pin XLR (Airbus) plug, you are not allowed to use them in the 320 cockpit?

One very close friend of mine works in Lufthansa, and he said they are now evaluating a replacement headset for the standard Sennheiser HD26, and one candidate they are doing trials with is the Bose A20.
My question is, how does Lufthansa get around the certification issue with the Bose headset?
He was not able to answer it, but maybe some one here can shed some light?

Thanks

Do you keep your present headset on for the whole flight duration? What are your intentions for the A20 in this regard?

Yes, I intend to keep the headset on throughout the flight, for the sake of my hearing.
On a side note, in Lufthansa the majority of pilots on the 320 keep them on. But I know in majority of the carriers in Europe, people tend to take them off. It seems almost like an Airbus pilot's mantra "Fl 100, headsets off" I just can't understand it.
You need to shout to hear each other or lean over the pedestal to hear what the other is saying.

It's a personal choice, but for me I can't stand the noise and the speaker on the 320 is horrible. I want to have crisp hearing over the age of 50.

Sorry for the rant. But it feels like I am an outsider wanting to keep the headsets on.

Yes, the list is old and not exhaustive. But since there is a list, and its an official documentation from Airbus, I can't see how your company gets around it?
Yes, even though the headset is TSO approved, it is not approved by the aircraft manufacturer.

Why I am asking is:
The word from our fleet office is that it is forbidden, because such a list exist.

dcoded

You're not an outsider. I keep mine on for the majority of the flight, as do the other pilots who want to prevent hearing loss.

My company allows any TSO headset. I recently flew with someone who had an A20. The plane had the 2 pin plug, and he needed an adapter for the plug. Bose sent it to him.

FYI Bose is releasing a Proflight series 2 headset this month, which is also TSO approved. Less noise reduction but much smaller than the A20.

Protect your hearing.

No biggie, make yourself comfortable.

---- edit ----
Having checked the Proflight 2: One may want to consider how are these to be replaced after donning the oxy mask.

Maybe I am seeing things, but it does not look very convenient to put on with a mask on. If that needs to be done quickly. Anyways, my presence here is not appropriate - company-issued Telex 750 user.

On a lighter note, who would have thought personal headset comfort is linked to auto thrust use habits? (not specifically mentioned, but the dots are all here).

lol. What? How'd you get autothrust habits out of this discussion?

Somewhat eerie, as my preference is for manual thrust :D

Have the people in your flight ops dept ever been in an A320 cockpit with a bose headset? Do they know how ANR works?

dcoded Check Airman Thank you for confirming my theory, that mostly manual thrust pilots prefer to wear their (ANC?) headsets at all times. Lufty is also habitually athr OFF for all approaches, I hear. That is 3 pieces of cake.

Now somebody find out about the BA's daily routine, who are mandated for A/THR ON.

Thomas Cook is going to equip their A320ies with David Clark DC PRO XA headsets. Currently on a test run. Very quiet.

Hm. Now you're going to make me pay attention to that when I fly.

Sounds like a good candidate for this website, that lists a few spurious correlations.

https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

Global Aviator

Some airplanes are louder than others. Maybe you're lucky to have a fleet of quiet airframes, but there's considerable variation in cockpit noise at my airline. I wouldn't go as far as saying I have to shout, but I do have to raise my voice when the other pilot is "topless".

You said the ANR sets cut out too much noise. What specific noises are you concerned about?

To your last point on GA sized headsets, you'll probably see them for 3 reasons:

- already owned a good headest
- the current GA headsets are quite comfortable for long periods
- being designed for louder environments, they're quieter than the "jet" headsets