Any pilots here with cochlear implants?

[FlyGirlKHWO]

I have a pilot friend who is losing his hearing and is going to be evaluated for cochlear implants, before he loses his hearing entirely. If he gets them, he'll learn how to hear again, but, of course, he's worried about his ability to use a headset, etc...

Anyone here have experience with this issue?

Thanks for your responses, I'll pass them along.

 

[jcepiano]

Isn't the owner of Quiet Technologies an audiologist? He might be a great resource both medically and headset-wise to consult.

 

[mondtster]

I know a local guy who has one. He uses a ANR headset but nothing special.

 

[mrtyler]

I have a couple of friends who are Deaf. One of them has a cochlear but doesn't use it, so unfortunately I won't be able to ask him what the sound is like for you.

One thing I wanted to mention is that his (very old) implant has ambient pressure restrictions! He's not supposed to take it below ~60 feet of water (an issue when he got his scuba certification) or above something like FL150 -- I don't remember the exact number because it was quite a bit higher than my normally-aspirated experiences have taken me. This might be a good thing for your friend to ask about at the eval.

I'll add that ASL is a really cool language and any excuse to learn it is a good one imo