Noise Levels inside aircraft?

[Uncle Fester]

I've watched my hearing slide down every year at my flight physical. It's still in the 'not bad' range, but it started 'above average'. E-2 FOs sit between the nacelles, after all. I have no love for the new props, but they did reduce the DBs and vibration significantly. You started hearing noises you hadn't been able to hear before. "What was that?" "Hyd pumps" "Oh..."

I have to admit I couldn't wear foamies under my helmet for years. I tried, but they always just irritated the hell out of me. I felt like I had those Star Trek ear worms in there. Then the "SparkPlugs" started showing up (the shaped gel ones with trippy swirled colors). HUGE improvement. I could wear those all day. Even wore them to sleep on the boat last deployment.

 

[SynixMan]

I wear foamies plus the HGU-84 (Navy Standard Rotary Helmet). 700 hours later and I think my hearing is pretty much intact. Largest noise up front in the -60S, to be honest, is the stupid fucking RPS Avionics fan they added in the Block 3A. Thanks Uncle Igor and Co for designing the worlds loudest fan. Pull the CB for the fan, along with the MIDS terminal (otherwise it will overheat) if you don't need it, and it's downright quiet up there. The AWs in the back who sit under the transmission probably have different views.

My onwing in Advanced hammered home wearing foamies since I didn't like them much in Primary due to comfort. I think that was largely since the ones available in the Paraloft box in VTs were the harder green foam type. In HTs we started getting the Orange softer ones. Never had CEPs, but the folks that have them tell me unless you have the molded ones, it doesn't make a huge difference versus foamies.

All that being said, the NAVAIR's jihad against noise cancelling gear is beyond me. Just because dudes didn't need it to shoot down the Japs in '42 doesn't mean it isn't a good idea now.

 

[Gatordev]

I was guessing around 100 dB for the helo and sure enough. Although it wouldn't surprise me if the B/F/R were louder because of the avionics fans. The first time I heard those on a middy cruise I thought the APU was running.

I had tinnitus pretty bad while flying the T-34, but that has mostly gone away when I went back to the helo. I do still get it from time to time. So far, I've only just recently started to see a change in one freq on my last flight physical, but always wearing double hearing is why I think it's taken this long to show up.

All that being said, the NAVAIR's jihad against noise cancelling gear is beyond me. Just because dudes didn't need it to shoot down the Japs in '42 doesn't mean it isn't a good idea now.

When I was a JO, we had a det that took some out "unofficially." They lasted less than a week while deployed on a SPY ship. I think you'd really have to harden them to make them last at sea. Even the -49 radar puts out a good amount of juice, as evidenced when you have quarters on a ship and the PA system beeps every few seconds.

 

[Flash]

The Army has taken a novel approach to hearing loss.... They arent qualifying it as disability anymore...

The Army may not but the VA still does.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I have custom CEP's (the ones where they pour the mold into your ear), but the wiring on my helmet stopped working shortly before deployment. Went all of deployment and ever since then with the normal green/orange foamies. There is without a doubt a lot more noise creeping into my ears, but I guess I am used to it now, and my wife loves the pile of hundreds of semi used foamies that collect all over the house, so I think I will stick with that Actually, I have flown on a few occasions where I had forgotten to put in foamies and the first fire test you do prior to start is really startling without them in......

 

[SynixMan]

When I was a JO, we had a det that took some out "unofficially." They lasted less than a week while deployed on a SPY ship. I think you'd really have to harden them to make them last at sea. Even the -49 radar puts out a good amount of juice, as evidenced when you have quarters on a ship and the PA system beeps every few seconds.

I flew around the CSG with an iPhone 5 in my pocket most of deployment. Never had an issue with it. Not sayin it would've survived a direct blast from the SPY-1 or being on top of the APX for hours, but it held up well. Can't rememeber off th top of my head which big antennas were on top of the carrier, but they were on no doubt.

I've seen them advertised at NHA. Minimal footprint. Still need NAVAIR to bless them though. The only argument against them I've heard is battery length and "What if you couldn't hear the XMSN whine for the X seconds before it died". Both seemed like solvable issues. Our NVG packs all use regular AA batteries and we haven't gone off the deep end.

 

[lowflier03]

I flew around the CSG with an iPhone 5 in my pocket most of deployment. Never had an issue with it. Not sayin it would've survived a direct blast from the SPY-1 or being on top of the APX for hours, but it held up well. Can't rememeber off th top of my head which big antennas were on top of the carrier, but they were on no doubt.

I've seen them advertised at NHA. Minimal footprint. Still need NAVAIR to bless them though. The only argument against them I've heard is battery length and "What if you couldn't hear the XMSN whine for the X seconds before it died". Both seemed like solvable issues. Our NVG packs all use regular AA batteries and we haven't gone off the deep end.

I just want the old softseal ear cups with the sound dampening foam/cardboard stuff. Those things worked great till NAVAIR decided to take them away.

As for electronics, it is hit or miss. My iPhone has survived just fine, as does the GoPro and some other items. However I like to hang a cheapo digital G-shock watch on the instrument panel. When it starts to flicker and shut off I know that the ship hasn't actually secured/sectored radar. Additionally lots of guys in my first squadron used to wear a green keychain LED lights on their flight suit zipper for use around the boat at night and as a backup in the helo. Then one guy bought one of those fancy ones what had a circuit board in it and could be set to high/low/flash. Everytime he was on final to the Carrier it would turn on by itself just from those radars.

 

[Gatordev]

Friends that were on CGs would often complain about losing their watches, as well. I guess the iPhone has some better hardening. And these were guys that were trying to be very careful with their exposure since you had to maintain a standoff in the -60B for the ESM gear. I don't know what kind of ANR system was used, but obviously something not robust enough.

 

[Lawman]

Friends that were on CGs would often complain about losing their watches, as well. I guess the iPhone has some better hardening. And these were guys that were trying to be very careful with their exposure since you had to maintain a standoff in the -60B for the ESM gear. I don't know what kind of ANR system was used, but obviously something not robust enough.

If the snake eater special guy helmets survive when they are operating off ships like that there has to be a way to harden up the same gear and get it into a flight helmet.

Just seems unbelievably short sighted to not pursue this more widely when nearly every major civil aviation group has moved to some form of modern noise cancellation.

 

[Gatordev]

Are the special people wearing ANR headsets? It's been a long time since I've interacted with any special types, so I can't remember. I thought they just had amplified sets like the MSA Sordins and the like.

I agree, though, that it seems odd how it hasn't been made a priority.

 

[Lawman]

The guys we worked with (Rangers, MARSOC, ODA, etc) all had cool guy helmets which blanked out the 9 bangers and muffled gunfire but amplified whispers and directional speech.

Totally cool stuff to play with. Talking with the 2 guys I work with from the 6th SOS in AFSOC they both have the same kinds of helmets and they use them actively in the aircraft.

 

[Gatordev]

Alright...I know I'm going to go, "Oh, yeah," when I ask this and hear the answer, but what the hell is a "9 banger?"

 

[wlawr005]

http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/peltor-comtac-ii-military-and-special-ops-headset-kits.html

These...I've used them while playing OPFOR. They're incredible, you can hear quiet sounds with insane clarity, but they blank out when the decibel level reaches a certain threshold.

I could probably use a set for daily life, especially with two kids.

Edit: I'm not claiming these are "9 bangers"...I don't know what that means either. Your post popped while I was typing mine.

 

[Lawman]

Alright...I know I'm going to go, "Oh, yeah," when I ask this and hear the answer, but what the hell is a "9 banger?"

Flash Bang on steroids.

Basically it goes off more than one way so it has a greater total effect against the defensive force inside a closed space.

 

[RobLyman]

I was guessing around 100 dB for the helo and sure enough. Although it wouldn't surprise me if the B/F/R were louder because of the avionics fans. The first time I heard those on a middy cruise I thought the APU was running.

I had tinnitus pretty bad while flying the T-34, but that has mostly gone away when I went back to the helo. I do still get it from time to time. So far, I've only just recently started to see a change in one freq on my last flight physical, but always wearing double hearing is why I think it's taken this long to show up.



When I was a JO, we had a det that took some out "unofficially." They lasted less than a week while deployed on a SPY ship. I think you'd really have to harden them to make them last at sea. Even the -49 radar puts out a good amount of juice, as evidenced when you have quarters on a ship and the PA system beeps every few seconds.

I know the M model is definitely louder than the 60A/L. Just turning on the four displays requires you to talk loudly in the cockpit when plugged into external power in the hanger. There is also a fan in the cabin overhead for the two electrical junction boxes. This is just above and behind the pilots' heads by a couple of feet. The Blackhawk also has a vent blower (no ECS) located just above the pilots head which is loud as S%^$! And of course we all know the backup pump is loud.

I never wore foamies in the Seahawk until I got to the FRS as an instructor. By that time, some of the damage had been done. After 1400 hrs in the Seahawk, some with foamies and some without, I required a hearing waiver when I joined the National Guard. Now with 2500 hrs in the H-60, this past year my right ear bumped to 70 db loss in the 4000 hz range. I'll never hear a dog whistle in that ear again. I religiously wear CEPs, and always try to have foamies in my flight suit pocket should I get caught out on the line when someone cranks up.

At 51 years old I now have constant ringing in my right ear...all of the time. Speech becomes difficult to understand in a noisey environment. My hearing is what will probably dictate when I have to retire. My best advice for young pilots is to start protecting your hearing as early as possible.