Flying with music

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
So I've finally gotten myself a headset from this century, the David Clark One-X, and wouldn't you know it has this newfangled bluetooth thingy. For those of you that have mastered this new technology what do you do when you fly? Do you use it at all? Listen to music? Podcasts? Books on tape? Stored ATC archives? (that would get tricky!)
 
The most obvious thing is calling FSS to get a clearance from a nontowered airport, when radio contact is not available (happens more often than I'd like). They often have 10 minute void times, so calling before engine start doesn't work.
 
I have the XM in the panel so we tend to listen to that. Ron W and I were having a discussion over on the EAA boards about in flight music. While he had this idea...
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My own tastes lead to things I play myself:

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I think that's the first photo of you I've seen of you....ever!

I listen to the tunes on my phone... the audio panel and my Lightspeed both have the feature that can mute the music when the channel is active from the intercom or the radio transmission. My choice is to have that defeated so music plays all the time. But the volume is set low enough so it is more background and doesn't interfere with passenger conversation or ATC interaction.
 
We like to listen to smooth jazz or mellow acoustic while on long legs where not much is going on. Perfect for something like 4 hours down the Baja coastline at 1,000 feet. No traffic, no ATC or FF.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
So I've finally gotten myself a headset from this century, the David Clark One-X, and wouldn't you know it has this newfangled bluetooth thingy. For those of you that have mastered this new technology what do you do when you fly? Do you use it at all?
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Didn't think I would care much about it. Have grown to love it. Almost exclusively for music in my case because I don't like podcasts or books on tape being interrupted by ATC.
 
I just bought a Bose A20 headset and haven't used the blue tooth, just the plug in for my IPod and it really makes the monotony of a long cross country more bearable. Plus I can put on Born to Be Wild when I'm flying through the canyons.
 
CT4ME said:
We like to listen to smooth jazz or mellow acoustic while on long legs where not much is going on. Perfect for something like 4 hours down the Baja coastline at 1,000 feet. No traffic, no ATC or FF.
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I found the dynamic range of jazz to be a bit of an issue in the plane and I am constantly fiddling trying to find just the right volume setting during and between tracks. Any tips from your experience on how to overcome this? I use NC David Clarks.
 
My best and most fun flying is in my 1940 J-3 Cub. No electrical.... Hand prop, no radio, no headsets. I just put in my earbuds, crank up the tunes, look both ways for traffic and roll out. Door open, wind in my face and fly right above the tree tops. Just don't get any better!
 
GRG55 said:
I found the dynamic range of jazz to be a bit of an issue in the plane and I am constantly fiddling trying to find just the right volume setting during and between tracks. Any tips from your experience on how to overcome this? I use NC David Clarks.
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Switch to Rock? ;)
 
GRG55 said:
I found the dynamic range of jazz to be a bit of an issue in the plane and I am constantly fiddling trying to find just the right volume setting during and between tracks. Any tips from your experience on how to overcome this? I use NC David Clarks.
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Listen to combo jazz rather than big bands.
 
pigpenracing said:
My best and most fun flying is in my 1940 J-3 Cub. No electrical.... Hand prop, no radio, no headsets. I just put in my earbuds, crank up the tunes, look both ways for traffic and roll out. Door open, wind in my face and fly right above the tree tops. Just don't get any better!
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People like you run into me on sidewalks :D

One of my most memorable experiences was flying over the Wisconsin farms in the early morning light heading to Ripon on my first flight in my Cherokee into Oshkosh. Dead reckoning, pre-GPS, trying to beat the rush by timing arrival to airport opening. Could not believe how lush and green and Old MacDonald perfect that countryside looked that day - the image has stuck with me since. Closest I'll ever get to what you experience I expect.
 
denverpilot said:
Switch to Rock? ;)
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"Old time rock and roll, that kind of music just soothes the soul, I reminisce about the days of old with that old time rock and roll"
 
I do a lot of 6 to 12 hour flights. I have Bluetooth audio panels to listen to music and my headsets eat the battery's fast when Bluetooth is turned on but when I'm flying fairly low it's fun to talk on the phone on Bluetooth.
 
I've had my Zulus for quite some time, they have Bluetooth and a 3.5mm, used them lots for the cell phone aspect, music not so much, great audio quality and all but the only time I've put the tunes to them I was wearing them as non-PIC on airliners, or at home when I couldn't find my ear buds, looks funny but hey!
 
flyingron said:
Now you'll recognize me at Jay's party.
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Jay's having a party? I never get invited to play with the cool kids.

As for music, not for me, thanks. I'm not a multi-tasker so I don't listen to music while doing anything. Not while working, mowing, flying, etc. A few times a year I may push the button on the radio in the truck. If I'm listening to music it's in the recliner with the Bosebuds.
 
I'm a big audio book guy. I do like music as well while flying, but nothing like a long cross country to listen to a book.
 
I don't listen to music while I'm flying, but sometimes I do use the ADF to listen to AM talk radio.
 
I listen to the engine(s). That's all.
 
We Bluetooth our phones into our PS Engineering audio panel, and crank the tunes.

The theme from the movie One Six Right is perfect for cloud dancing aerobatics...

 
I listen to music pretty much constantly when I'm flying.
 
I've got a GDL69A so we tend to listen to the XM (The Bridge channel) when we listen to music but more often than not we don't have it on. My intercom is wired with the Karaoke Mode switch so that you can sing along without muting the music channel. Still any radio transmission mutes the music program and here in the busy NE that can make listening tedious.

At least I finally figured out why the XM Radio got muted when the gear is retracted. I kept asking my radio shop why this is and even some long time Navion experts (I think his head exploded when I told him what was happening). After sitting down with all the manuals for the intercom (where I thought the problem was), the GDL69A, and the Navion wiring diagram I figured it out. The first thing the GDL69A manual says you have to do is wire up the gear horn to mute the audio program. Alas, the way the gear horn works is kind of strange in the Navion and what they had effectively done is wire up the gear down and locked signal to an active low mute input on the GDL. A pair of wire cutters fixed that in two seconds.
 
Hey, as one of those who used to wish I had a controllable personal sound track, I'm a +1 for music. I'm also a musician, so that may have something to do with it.:):):)
 
I have never been able to get behind listening to anything other that ATC and my airplane....
 
retpd2001 said:
I have never been able to get behind listening to anything other that ATC and my airplane....
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ATC is a huge annoyance when not needed (which is most of my flights, thankfully), and the airplane is always talking to me, music or not.
 
I have an aux in jack in my panel but it cuts off the music for any audio coming in over the radio or intercom(which obviously it should). I find that unless I'm flying solo on a quiet night the constant cutting out for some transmission gets too annoying.
 
3.5mm jack or XM radio for me. I have music on more than I have it off but it's only during cruise and it's never loud enough to overpower the engine's noise.
 
cowman said:
I have an aux in jack in my panel but it cuts off the music for any audio coming in over the radio or intercom(which obviously it should). I find that unless I'm flying solo on a quiet night the constant cutting out for some transmission gets too annoying.
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You may have already checked, but many audio panels have a way of toggling this feature off/on. I didn't know mine could do that until someone showed me a couple weeks ago.
 
My panel has the Karoke mode which allows the pilot/passengers to sing along without muting the audio. There's no way to keep the radio from not muting it.
 
GRG55 said:
I found the dynamic range of jazz to be a bit of an issue in the plane and I am constantly fiddling trying to find just the right volume setting during and between tracks. Any tips from your experience on how to overcome this? I use NC David Clarks.
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You need a dynamic compression filter on your music app. Problem is, I don't know of any music apps that have this by default. I had this on RockBox which was a rom replacement for Sansa mp3 players back in the day, not sure why nobody is making more advanced options in the current phone apps, they seem to be going the other way and dumbing everything down and removing options. Don't want to confuse the i-users.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
So I've finally gotten myself a headset from this century, the David Clark One-X, and wouldn't you know it has this newfangled bluetooth thingy. For those of you that have mastered this new technology what do you do when you fly? Do you use it at all? Listen to music? Podcasts? Books on tape? Stored ATC archives? (that would get tricky!)
Click to expand...

In no particular order, Jim Croce, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Otis Redding, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Patsy Cline, John Denver, and Buddy Holly.
 
When I'm flying around 5500ft and still get service I would listen to Pandora on long XC's
 
XM watercolors jazz from Garmin 396.
 
rwellner98 said:
You may have already checked, but many audio panels have a way of toggling this feature off/on. I didn't know mine could do that until someone showed me a couple weeks ago.
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On the PSE audio panels it is the ICS feature.
 
I have an XM sat music subscription in my plane, but its a waste because I never listen to it. I just don't fly enough to get bored or need a distraction.
 
On the Garmin the karaoke mode is a pin on the tray, you can wire it to a switch like mine or just leave it strapped to the position you want. On the PSE you progressively push the MUTE button to toggle between four different muting behaviors (no muting, radio mutes, intercom mutes, both mute).
 
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