Avonics Headset for the Private Student Pilot

[TheBoatDude]

Hello All,

Wondering about people's reccomendation on Aviation headsets. Is it worth spending $$$ for the ANR headset, or will a Passive David Clark do the job? I heard the phrase 'You get what you pay for' really applies here and if I wanted to shell out $850 for a Lightspeed Zulu 3 I want to make sure it is actually worth it or if I should just get the David Clark's for now then upgrade later.

Thanks All!

I have an older version of these. https://www.ruggedairheadsets.com/collections/headsets/products/ra200-general-aviation-pilot-headset

Super plushy? No. Noise reduction? Functional? Yes. I’ll probably spring for something fancier after I get my PPL but I find these to be fine for now...

 

[Hippike]

Also isn't it essential to hear the motor, and other aural information like wind, etc?

Don't think about it like that. It's not like you turn on your Bose and everything outside of you gets muted. You can still hear the engine, the horn, everything. But it is much quieter than without the headset.
I could hear the engine just fine with my Bose A20, so much so that my CFI had me practice the following: close my eyes and pull the throttle to 1,500 rpm, then back to 2,100, etc. At first I was all over the place, but with practice your hearing will improve and your ears will recognize the various sounds of the engine so you know when you are at 1,500 even without looking at the gauge.

 

[LongRoadBob]

Don't think about it like that. It's not like you turn on your Bose and everything outside of you gets muted. You can still hear the engine, the horn, everything. But it is much quieter than without the headset.
I could hear the engine just fine with my Bose A20, so much so that my CFI had me practice the following: close my eyes and pull the throttle to 1,500 rpm, then back to 2,100, etc. At first I was all over the place, but with practice your hearing will improve and your ears will recognize the various sounds of the engine so you know when you are at 1,500 even without looking at the gauge.

I believe you, just seemed weird to me.

With a given at how much the regs control behavior and requirements, I was just surprised to learn that active headphones were allowed, or rather maybe allowed without training on them.

I just assume here, but it seems like I would expect some kind of decibel reg for stall horns, which active headphones would defeat or at least minimize under the reg. Also, seems like pilots, and some exercises like stalling mention that some of the goals say in a stall maneuver is to aquaint the student with the feel and sound of imminent stall, the sound of the air passage,or awareness of the motor (which you point out can be done with active but with training), and just in general that a pilot uses all their senses, hearing being one of them, when flying.

I'm not for or against, just surprised. When I use active headphones at home, they work pretty damned good, they DO isolate me from my environment. Seems like yeah, I can see where it would help with radio calls, but you'd be losing a good deal of input information about the state of things. The air rushing by, motor, and stall horn among them. It's not that they are eliminated but they definitely are attenuated.

So one would have to learn to react. But then again, I haven't tried them in an airplane so I don't know.

I'm just speculating and wondering if the loss of urgency such as a stall horns volume could lead to bad situations?

 

[PaulS]

Huh???? I splurged and bought Bose A20s, best decision I've made.

 

[PaulS]

I believe you, just seemed weird to me.

With a given at how much the regs control behavior and requirements, I was just surprised to learn that active headphones were allowed, or rather maybe allowed without training on them.

I just assume here, but it seems like I would expect some kind of decibel reg for stall horns, which active headphones would defeat or at least minimize under the reg. Also, seems like pilots, and some exercises like stalling mention that some of the goals say in a stall maneuver is to aquaint the student with the feel and sound of imminent stall, the sound of the air passage,or awareness of the motor (which you point out can be done with active but with training), and just in general that a pilot uses all their senses, hearing being one of them, when flying.

I'm not for or against, just surprised. When I use active headphones at home, they work pretty damned good, they DO isolate me from my environment. Seems like yeah, I can see where it would help with radio calls, but you'd be losing a good deal of input information about the state of things. The air rushing by, motor, and stall horn among them. It's not that they are eliminated but they definitely are attenuated.

So one would have to learn to react. But then again, I haven't tried them in an airplane so I don't know.

I'm just speculating and wondering if the loss of urgency such as a stall horns volume could lead to bad situations?

Bob, I hear the stall horn just fine with the Bose on, along with most other sounds, it's just at a comfortable level. I was taking off last week in an SR 22 and had forgotten to turn on the ANR, I was amazed at how loud that airplane is, in fact, I would say I hear better with the ANR on.

 

[Jim_CAK]

Bob, I hear the stall horn just fine with the Bose on, along with most other sounds, it's just at a comfortable level. I was taking off last week in an SR 22 and had forgotten to turn on the ANR, I was amazed at how loud that airplane is, in fact, I would say I hear better with the ANR on.

I read this thread yesterday and did some flying last night to get in the night landings. I heard the stall horn very clearly on landing each time with the Lightspeed Z3s. I understand and agree with the advise to make sure you are going to stick with it before you spend a lot of money. I would suggest you don’t wait too long after you get your license to get a good headset. I should have gotten a good headset years ago.

 

[Stan Cooper]

A20.

When I learned to fly in 1963 we didn't have headsets; we used the cabin speaker with the volume turned waaay up so we could hear the radio and yell at each other over the engine noise. Many of my friends from those days are now deaf and need $6,000 hearing aids. I was lucky.

I know you've already bought a DC H10-13.4 headset, but my advice would be to try different ANR units early in your training and choose one that you find most comfortable on longer flights, and has the best noise reduction and audio quality. For me that's the Bose A20, but YMMV.

 

[Crashnburn]

More like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Harry Potter. Once and a while, you get the one tasting like ear wax

Could be worse than earwax!

 

[Hippike]

I'm just speculating and wondering if the loss of urgency such as a stall horns volume could lead to bad situations?

CFI always told me never trust the fuel gauge (always verify with fuel level indicator stick prior to every flight) and never trust that the airplane stall horn works properly (learn to rely on other indicators, like the buffeting, shaking, etc). In fact we had a C172 with a broken horn and we practiced stalls in it so I could learn how not to rely on the horn's audible warning but look for other indications.

 

[sarangan]

I don't think anyone needs a stall horn under normal circumstances. But it can be helpful in a panic situation where you are not paying attention to the aerodynamic indicators.

 

[sferguson524]

I bought a UFQ in ear on amazon last year. I've been pretty happy with it. I sold my Bluetooth A20 before BasicMed became a thing, and kinda regret it

 

[LongRoadBob]

CFI always told me never trust the fuel gauge (always verify with fuel level indicator stick prior to every flight) and never trust that the airplane stall horn works properly (learn to rely on other indicators, like the buffeting, shaking, etc). In fact we had a C172 with a broken horn and we practiced stalls in it so I could learn how not to rely on the horn's audible warning but look for other indications.

What I was learning, besides buffeting, shaking...even before that is the sound of the air passing the airplane gets quieter. Our syllabus says that is some of the purpose of stall training, to listen for that as well as the shaking, etc. That is the kind of thing I was wondering about too, but according to folks that have used them, not a problem.

There is no question that noise cancelling attenuates the volume, which in a stress situation might be undesirable since it is less noticeable, but I will take their word for it that it still is audible. I'm very tempted, with my tinnitus I think noise cancelling could help me hear radio calls better.

But now am wondering, is it legal to fly in an airplane equipped with a stall horn that is not functional?

My original point too, is it functional if the function of it by design is a horn at a certain dB level, yet one defeats that with headphones?

I've been shuffled around on airplanes since beginning. First was an Aquila, with a stall "tab" that on preflight you just lift while master sw. is on, and can hear it. Then over to a Piper Warrior, same deal. So the club sold that and I had to transition to a Cessna 172SP. First preflight with my instuctor, I get to the stall device on the left wing...no tab. "how do I check this?" "you have to suck on it" "yeah...heh heh...good one. Really though" "I'm serious, you have to cover the hole and inhale hard and you will hear it"...

I was sure it was BS. So he gets fed up with this and shows me, stands on his tiptoes and inhales and I hear the stall warning.
I'm not as tall as he is. I can't reach it. Now I need a stepladder for preflight?

Thinking of jury rigging a snorkel with some kind of seal to be able to test it.

 

[PaulS]

What I was learning, besides buffeting, shaking...even before that is the sound of the air passing the airplane gets quieter. Our syllabus says that is some of the purpose of stall training, to listen for that as well as the shaking, etc. That is the kind of thing I was wondering about too, but according to folks that have used them, not a problem.

There is no question that noise cancelling attenuates the volume, which in a stress situation might be undesirable since it is less noticeable, but I will take their word for it that it still is audible. I'm very tempted, with my tinnitus I think noise cancelling could help me hear radio calls better.

But now am wondering, is it legal to fly in an airplane equipped with a stall horn that is not functional?

My original point too, is it functional if the function of it by design is a horn at a certain dB level, yet one defeats that with headphones?

I've been shuffled around on airplanes since beginning. First was an Aquila, with a stall "tab" that on preflight you just lift while master sw. is on, and can hear it. Then over to a Piper Warrior, same deal. So the club sold that and I had to transition to a Cessna 172SP. First preflight with my instuctor, I get to the stall device on the left wing...no tab. "how do I check this?" "you have to suck on it" "yeah...heh heh...good one. Really though" "I'm serious, you have to cover the hole and inhale hard and you will hear it"...

I was sure it was BS. So he gets fed up with this and shows me, stands on his tiptoes and inhales and I hear the stall warning.
I'm not as tall as he is. I can't reach it. Now I need a stepladder for preflight?

Thinking of jury rigging a snorkel with some kind of seal to be able to test it.

https://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/s...&creative=75797585338496&device=c&matchtype=e

 

[Anthony Windfield]

Hello All,

Wondering about people's reccomendation on Aviation headsets. Is it worth spending $$$ for the ANR headset, or will a Passive David Clark do the job? I heard the phrase 'You get what you pay for' really applies here and if I wanted to shell out $850 for a Lightspeed Zulu 3 I want to make sure it is actually worth it or if I should just get the David Clark's for now then upgrade later.

Thanks All!

Is 400 way too much for original lightspeed Zulu used???

 

[hamer]

As I said previously I bought a set of Bose A20 when I bought my own airplane. I love them and I usually give them to my passenger so they have a more comfortable experience while I go back to my DC H10-13.4s. I got an email about the Nflightmic being on sale today and decided to give it a try. It's basically an aviation mic you stick onto a set of standard Bose QC35 or any other consumer noise cancelling headphones. I've had a set of QC35s for years because I travel alot for work. I figured this would be a good solution for my passenger and I can sell the DCs.

Costco has the QC35 on special for $269 + $225 for the Nflightmic you're looking at $500 for a Bose noise cancelling headset. I'll report back with how it works after it arrives. I got a ship notification about an hour after my order.

Nflightmic (sale ends 12/19): https://nflightmic.com/collections/nflightmic-store/products/nflightmic-nomad-aviation-microphone

 

[Flying Pete]

Man, the info on this site is nothing less than incredible. Thank you.

 

[will44s]

But now am wondering, is it legal to fly in an airplane equipped with a stall horn that is not functional?

It is quite common in the tcds to list a stall warning as required equipment, in which case I would think it needs to be functional.

 

[hamer]

The Nflightmic arrived today. I will give it a test flight this week and report back.

 

[hamer]

I got to test the Nflightmic last night. It worked really well. The audio was crystal clear and ATC had no complaints about my audio. The only thing I could caution, I don't think the Bose QC35 was designed for the noisy cockpit environment. My airplane is relatively loud, so it may be better in a quieter aircraft. It's definitely worth a shot, and good enough for passengers on shorter flights.

 

[Tantalum]

Wondering about people's reccomendation on Aviation headsets.

Just buy the ones you can own and keep. I never understood why people get different headsets for training vs being licensed.. if you are serious about flying just buy the one pair to own for life. Even a $1,200 Bose A20 pails in cost comparison to how expensive flying is, and you might as well enjoy the peace and comfort of a nice headset. I've worn my A20's for 9hrs in a day and have not had any discomfort in the slightest. Your ears and comfort are just as important while training as they are when you are licensed

 

[Crashnburn]

Just buy the ones you can own and keep. I never understood why people get different headsets for training vs being licensed.. if you are serious about flying just buy the one pair to own for life. Even a $1,200 Bose A20 pails in cost comparison to how expensive flying is, and you might as well enjoy the peace and comfort of a nice headset. I've worn my A20's for 9hrs in a day and have not had any discomfort in the slightest. Your ears and comfort are just as important while training as they are when you are licensed

And, hearing is a non-renewable resource. Sure, you can get hearing aids, but with hearing loss, you get noisy ears. It's not always a "ringing", sometimes you get whines or hisses. I know from experience. Now, I am probably over careful, but as they say, "It's better to be safe, than sorry."

 

[Eric Hineline]

I've been using DC H10-13.4s since I started flying over ten years ago. They're comfortable, work well and are reliable. Best bang for the buck.

 

[DFH65]

I bought a pair of the Gulf Coast Avionics ANR sets on sale I think I paid $230. They were running a special and ran out of the basic ones and sent me the bluetooth ones for the same price. They are decent not Bose but they work and I figure if i ever upgrade they will make a nice passenger set.

 

[Dra200832]

What do people think about the UFQ? I have been looking at the A7 model that seems to be designed after the Bose A20?

 

[Ronbonjovi]

I would throw it on my 12 Month 0 APR Promo Amazon card if I was going to spend the cash but I'm seriously considering Zulu 3 I just don't want to get it if it really is not necessary

That is exactly what I did. Never have regretted the decision. I have the Bose A20. I do wish I tried some others but no one I knew at my airport uses anything other than DCs or Bose. Bluetooth is super handy for those cross countries once you are out of initial training. When I fly with my parents or girlfriend I let them use my Bose and I use a backup set of DCs I have and man do I notice a difference. It makes me want to invest in a second set of ANR, maybe older generation Bose.

I will say though, if I am flying an unfamiliar airplane I almost would rather have the DCs on so I can listen closer to the engine and sounds of the airplane. The Bose shuts that stuff out.

 

[Dra200832]

That is exactly what I did. Never have regretted the decision. I have the Bose A20. I do wish I tried some others but no one I knew at my airport uses anything other than DCs or Bose. Bluetooth is super handy for those cross countries once you are out of initial training. When I fly with my parents or girlfriend I let them use my Bose and I use a backup set of DCs I have and man do I notice a difference. It makes me want to invest in a second set of ANR, maybe older generation Bose.

I will say though, if I am flying an unfamiliar airplane I almost would rather have the DCs on so I can listen closer to the engine and sounds of the airplane. The Bose shuts that stuff out.

I just purchased my first headset as I am a new pilot, I ended up going with the company UFQ with the A7 model. Its modeled after the A20 with the same features at a fraction of the price. It is way more comfortable the the DC I used at the airport.