Hearing Protection

[jamnww]

Ok, been looking around for a while now at different ways of preventing hearing loss (or at least slowing it) while flying helos. Earplugs are always an option but the problem comes when flying with instructors / other pilots who aren't wearing earplugs and turn the radios down.

I had one instructor recommend a hush kit from Oregon Aero saying that he uses one. I plan on looking him up again to get more information about what exactly I need for one, but I thought I would try to get my questions answered here first.

1. For those of you out there who MAY use something like this, how effective is it?
2. What is the exact model ID for helicopter helmets?
3. Is this something that has to get cleared with paraloft before installing?

Thanks for all the help in advance.

 

[MasterBates]

1-- Pretty good. About 1/2 of earplug effectiveness on low pitch noises. Same as earplugs on turbine whine.
2- PRs bought it
3- Yes.

 

[skidkid]

I have the hush kit and it is in fact as good as they say. It has been approved by NAVAIR and I got mine from flight E, not usre if the contract maintenance types will be able or willing to get you some but ask.
No idea on the NSN or model number but someone there should be able to help.
Other things to look at are the CEPs, also navair approved, they are basically earplugs that have tiny speakers in the middle of them, they run off a wire from the helmet. Many people like them, I do not but you might want to try them.

Doesnt the 57 have seperate mixer switches for each seat? Most of the IPs when I was in ADV used earplugs as did I. I stopped using them in the fleet where the idea of missing a radio call was unacceptable but the hush kit is a nice compromise.

There might be a thread here already about this stuff that could have some more info.

 

[Gatordev]

The hush kit, generally, will not be bought for students due to funding. Basically if they buy one for one guy, they "have" to buy it for everyone. I've had the equivalent to the hush kit for a while in both my helo and Weenie helmets, and they're nice. Just make sure you're not getting the noise canceling version, as it will die a quick death on the boat.

I, too, thought there were separate master volumes in the -57. I know you share a radio repeater, unlike the -34, but there's still the mixer knobs for each ICS connection.

Also, good on you for trying to hold onto the hearing. I've always had problems w/ helmets where a Medium is too small but a large is a bit too big, so I always lived w/ the large. As a result, you get less hearing protection, but I've always used foamies and on my last exam, I asked how I'm tracking, and they said pretty consistently. Made me a continued foamie user.

 

[bert]

Not only do the ear cups work great for sound attenuation, but when you combine them with the zeta liner you will see a huge difference in comfort - especially with NVD's after you hit the fleet. I agree with skidkid, I don't care for the CEP's, but others swear by them. Regardless, start with double hearing protection now, you won't regret it.

 

[jamnww]

Thanks for all the advice and information, I will check with paraloft on Tues.

Regarding the -57 volume mixer switches...yes there are seperate volumes per seat, however everyone I have seen so far (instructor and student alike) keep that volume at full and adjust the overall volume off the actual radio selected. If the instructor doesn't wear earplugs (as a large number fresh from the fleet do not) then as a student wearing earplugs is unacceptable as it makes the radios VERY hard to hear and missed radio calls soon follow.

gator - what is wrong with the noise canceling versions? and how can I identify them from the rest?

 

[Gatordev]

Hmm, that kind of sucks. Not sure what to tell you. In theory, that seems like a stupid thing to be doing when it obviously causes problems, but I understand the real world doesn't always make sense.

As for the NC sets, they'll be labeled in the catalog. The problem is that the radars fry the electronics, so they don't last very long. Think about anytime you watch a Military Channel show when they're on the boat and you'll hear a buzz/beep ("BUZEEP") on the audio when people are talking on the flight deck. That's the radar zapping the audio portion of the video tape. Brett likes to claim it's the -55 radar, but in my experience, that buzz isn't there on the ICS when the -49 is down. Besides, what would he know about radars and stuff...

 

[jamnww]

Hmm, that kind of sucks. Not sure what to tell you. In theory, that seems like a stupid thing to be doing when it obviously causes problems, but I understand the real world doesn't always make sense.

As for the NC sets, they'll be labeled in the catalog. The problem is that the radars fry the electronics, so they don't last very long. Think about anytime you watch a Military Channel show when they're on the boat and you'll hear a buzz/beep ("BUZEEP") on the audio when people are talking on the flight deck. That's the radar zapping the audio portion of the video tape. Brett likes to claim it's the -55 radar, but in my experience, that buzz isn't there on the ICS when the -49 is down. Besides, what would he know about radars and stuff...

Thanks again for all the help, I will check with the PRs about it...worse case I will get them when I get to the FRS ...

 

[Brett327]

Hmm, that kind of sucks. Not sure what to tell you. In theory, that seems like a stupid thing to be doing when it obviously causes problems, but I understand the real world doesn't always make sense.

As for the NC sets, they'll be labeled in the catalog. The problem is that the radars fry the electronics, so they don't last very long. Think about anytime you watch a Military Channel show when they're on the boat and you'll hear a buzz/beep ("BUZEEP") on the audio when people are talking on the flight deck. That's the radar zapping the audio portion of the video tape. Brett likes to claim it's the -55 radar, but in my experience, that buzz isn't there on the ICS when the -49 is down. Besides, what would he know about radars and stuff...

I don't think I've ever commented on the -55, but will concur on the 48 and 49. Those are your biggest culprits on the CV. If you really want to geek out, you can time the interval between beeps and correlate that to antenna rotation speed for the emitters in question. /endjack


Brett

 

[Gatordev]

I don't think I've ever commented on the -55, but will concur on the 48 and 49.

Well, fookballs. You're right. The thread I was thinking of went in a different direction than I remembered. Disregard my last.

 

[Schnugg]

I wore foamy earplugs under my Helmet. We even had the newer helmets with the leather earcups. The F-14 was just too damn loud with it's hurricane like ECS system.

Never lost any hearing in the pasy 22 years....just as deaf as I ever was in my left ear.

Used to hear the bzzzz with every sweep of the radar, even filed HAZREPS on it as it blocked out LSO calls on the ball. We transitioned to some shielded mic amps and that solved that problem. The primitive fix is aluminum foil...it actually helped minimize the RF on the mic amp.

Best of luck.

 

[ben]

Thanks again for all the help, I will check with the PRs about it...worse case I will get them when I get to the FRS ...

I asked them about it several months ago... was told "they're not crashworthy so you can't have them..." Let me know if you find out anything different.

I think we'll have better luck in the fleet. The policy here seems to be to only give the students the bare minimum.

 

[Brett327]

FWIW, been flying for > 16 years in props, helos and jets and never used anything more than my helmet for hearing protection and I'm still right at my baseline hearing threshold.

Brett

 

[MasterBates]

Otherwise known as Brett was deaf before joining the Navy..

Seriously, some people seem to be affected by certain types of noise more than others.

Just like how I hear Rachael Ray talk and I want to change the channel or mute the TV, because it hurts my head, while other like her voice, or it is at least not painful for them...

 

[phrogpilot73]

If they're telling you that they aren't crashworthy, then they are full of crap. If they weren't crasworthy, they wouldn't be approved by NAVAIR. The Zetaliner and Hush Kit have been approved by NAVAIR and I wore them in my helmet. I'm going to weigh in as a proponent of the CEP. When I first got them, I was happy with the theory but they weren't comfortable (the foamie part was too long, so the earcup pushed in on the speaker and it hurt my ear). After doing a little research, I found out that they make short foamie tips. I sent an email to the company (their website is www.cep-usa.com) while I was in Iraq and they sent me a pack of the short tips for free. Made worlds of difference, and I can't imagine ever flying without them again.