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Hello! I've gotten a couple lessons so I guess I'm okay adding myself to the list Shavnir - Student pilot - KTKI I'm starting to look at getting my own headset and the club I'm learning through has a discount on Flightcomm headsets. What's everyone's take?
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Apr 17, 2013 04:54
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For your first headset. Go as cheaply as possible. When you get your license. Buy a ANR Bose or Lightspeed Zulu. Your ears are worth every penny.
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Apr 17, 2013 06:20
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State your intentions... With aviation, that is. I'd probably stick with loaner headsets until you're sure you're going to continue, and then it's a matter of how much you're going to be flying and what your budget is. I think if I were buying my first headset at this point, I'd go for a uflymic and a used qc15 off ebay, or a clarity aloft. But that's a big investment if you're just starting out. Nobody keeps their first headset, really. In fact, you may be able to get a used one from somebody upgrading to an A20/Zulu/Sierra or something at a nice discount. I know 10 people are going to come in here with david clark's and disagree with me, but they are the (vocal) minority. The nice thing about the more expensive headsets is they hold value really really well, so if it doesn't work out, you can get out of them pretty easily. When I was first starting out, I had a Victor1 w/ ANR from tinaspilotshop.com, and it served me fairly well, it's a rebranded lightspeed older model. It was way ahead of most of the david clark's I've tried.
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Apr 17, 2013 06:35
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The Slaughter posted:State your intentions... Get my PPL and dick around in VFR on sunny days in cessnas is my goal at this point. Maybe a year or two down the road get my IFR. Hobbyist essentially. Guess I'll start poking around eBay for a used headset.
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Apr 17, 2013 07:58
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The Slaughter posted:State your intentions... If flying is your career, then I guess spending $1,000 on a headset makes sense. Otherwise, a $200-400 pair of David Clarks makes a lot more sense.
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Apr 17, 2013 10:49
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Yeah that's why I asked what he's up to. If he's just going to poke around and do it as a hobby I wouldn't recommend a really expensive headset necessarily. If you're going to spend $400 I'd try and pick up a used lightspeed sierra or maybe consider a uflymic(haven't tried it but people i've spoken to are pretty happy with it). if you want to spend $290, i'd get that lightspeed rebranded victor 1. for $200, I dunno. I found the david clark's to be uncomfortable and really quite loud, although I haven't tried their higher end stuff.
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Apr 17, 2013 11:10
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In the Texas heat, I couldn't be happier with my QT Halo headset. http://www.quiettechnologies.com/ Horrible website, great product, and reasonably priced. Slaughter is no stranger to heat either and is happy with his Zulus, as are many people (lots of folks love the Bose headsets as well). However, they are quite expensive, and though I haven't used them, I can't imagine they're as comfortable as the nearly weightless and minimalist Halo. I was looking into the rebranded Lightspeed headset from some small aviation shop when I was doing my training, but then a coworker loaned me their David Clark 13.4s. They seemed ok, but were pretty heavy, and my ears would sweat a lot after about 10 minutes of wearing them.
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Apr 17, 2013 12:07
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Shavnir posted:Hello! I've gotten a couple lessons so I guess I'm okay adding myself to the list Added
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Apr 17, 2013 16:17
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AWSEFT posted:Added One of these days your going to read one of my posts where I try to add myself. KodiakRS. KPHX(Home) KORD(Base) ATP/CFII/MEI The Slaughter posted:I know 10 people are going to come in here with david clark's and disagree with me, but they are the (vocal) minority. The Slaughter posted:Nobody keeps their first headset, really. The Slaughter posted:The nice thing about the more expensive headsets is they hold value really really well, so if it doesn't work out, you can get out of them pretty easily. I admit that I'm something of a DC fanboy. I bought a DC 13.4 the day before my first flight lesson and 2200+ hours later the only problem I've had with it was a leaky gel seal which I replaced for $15. I've worn them on 15+ hour duty days with over 8 hours of flying. I've worn them in single digit temps, triple digit temps, humidity, piston singles, piston twins, and jets. I've seen our ground crews abuse the heck out of them, throwing them, dropping them, leaving them covered in snow, rain, glycol, and lord only knows what else. I've tried a few other headsets, a lightspeed zulu and a bose of some sort. I'll admit that they were marginally quieter in the props. Comfort was a tossup as I only wore them for about an hour and couldn't make a proper evaluation. In the end I decided that even for someone who flies professionally it wasn't worth the cost to upgrade. If I were starting from scratch I'd probably look at a more expensive headset but for less than half the cost, the DC's are a steal. On an entirely different subject: I'd like to apologize for anyone inconvenienced by AA's SABRE glitch yesterday. Especially you controllers who had to deal with our grumpy asses at 3:00 in the morning.
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Apr 17, 2013 17:39
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With DCs seems you either love em or hate em. Idk, sounds like Ferretking and I both had the same opinion, and KodiakRS likes them, so take that for what it's worth. Ferretking, the zulus are really light and comfortable even after 8 hours of flying. The sierra is pretty good too but a little heavier and you can notice the weight difference.
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Apr 17, 2013 21:51
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DC passives are great in that they are built like tanks. I owned their high end noise cancelling set (X11?) and not only did it break apart easily, the noise cancelling was hilariously lovely. Sold it and went with Bose. Right now I own Bose A20, and as amazing as they are, I am starting to think they are overkill for flying a regional jet. So I may sell them and get something more economic. Anyone who is interested let me know.
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Apr 17, 2013 22:38
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I will say that my Halo headset is a bit...flimsy? That seems like a harsher word than necessary, but the frame of the set is very thin, and the rest of the parts are jiggly rubber tubing and thin audio wires. The frame seems quite sturdy, in fact it's pliable so you can shape it to fit your head exactly. The manual cautions owners not to adjust the mic boom aggressively, as I guess it has a tendency to wear out and break (I'm always careful with mine). The clear rubber tubes that connect the speakers to the soft foam earplugs are long and floppy (hurr), and generally my biggest annoyance with the headset is that there's always a bunch of wires or tubes in danger of getting shut in a door, or caught on the yoke, or hooked on my hand etc. That's only when getting set up in the plane initially, once I have the wires routed where I want and I'm buckled in, I don't normally have an issue, but it is something I noticed. It takes longer to put on than a more conventional headset that you just throw over your head. All that aside, they are VERY quiet, and you absolutely can't even tell you're wearing the headset once it has been adjusted. To me, that's the biggest perk. The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Apr 17, 2013 |
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Apr 17, 2013 22:49
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Thanks for sharing your experience, Ferret King, as you have answered a question I was about to ask. I've been eyeing the Quiet Technologies and the Clarity Aloft headsets for a while now. The two concerns that are preventing me from going ahead with the purchase are A) flimsiness (which you brought up), and B) thin wires breaking when exposed to cold temperatures. Does anyone else have anything to say about this style of headset?
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Apr 18, 2013 00:20
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I just noticed when filling out my logbook tonight that it was my 100th flight. Hopefully the next 100 wont take me 13 years.
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Apr 18, 2013 04:19
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atehist posted:Thanks for sharing your experience, Ferret King, as you have answered a question I was about to ask. I've been eyeing the Quiet Technologies and the Clarity Aloft headsets for a while now. The two concerns that are preventing me from going ahead with the purchase are A) flimsiness (which you brought up), and B) thin wires breaking when exposed to cold temperatures. Does anyone else have anything to say about this style of headset? I have a Clarity Aloft Pro and it is the best thing since sliced bread and Netflix streaming. It's extremely comfortable, less flimsy than it looks, and I won't get the ol' sweaty ears. I'm not sure how the regular version would be, but I can't say enough good things about the Pro. It survived my month of blitzing through the last half of my PPL in a Wisconsin December, so I'd say it's going to hold up well as long as you treat it decently.
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Apr 18, 2013 06:28
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Animal posted:DC passives are great in that they are built like tanks. My DC is over 20 years old at this point, and it operates flawlessly. I found it lying on the ground, and nobody wanted to claim it. I wanted to find some new gel ear seals because it looked like the ones I had were kinda beat up. DC said my headseat hadn't been made in a while, but they'd send me a new set free if I sent my old set in. Nothing was broken, so I didn't send anything in. That was five years ago. No leaks, no problems, no complaints. For what I've paid ($0), I don't really feel like spending any more money on a headset. Even after very long days, I don't notice the weight.
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Apr 18, 2013 09:25
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I've used DC headsets of both the pilot and ground support varieties (the kind with the mouth cup for the microphone,) and I can echo their utter indestructability in just about any environment imaginable. Not the most comfortable, not the quietest, (there is something to be said for still being able to hear the airplane, though,) but far and away the longest lasting.
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Apr 18, 2013 12:01
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helno posted:I just noticed when filling out my logbook tonight that it was my 100th flight. I took off all of March (ear infection/vacation) and 100 flights ago was mid-January 2013. While I'm looking I have almost 200 hours so far this year as well. KodiakRS posted:One of these days your going to read one of my posts where I try to add myself. I don't remember you posting your stats. I usually say when I updated the OP so if I missed anyone they could speak up. Anywho, you are on there now for sure (I double checked) AWSEFT fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Apr 18, 2013 |
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Apr 18, 2013 14:23
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Any suggestions for a great sub $500 headset? I'm still rocking the $129 AvComm "rental special" and want to upgrade to something more comfortable that doesnt require me to put the mic IN MY MOUTH to pick up my voice.
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Apr 18, 2013 16:37
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Hi Aviation thread, you can add me to the list: SomeDrunkenMick - Student Pilot - Ireland I'm about 11 hours in to my career in aviation, I'm doing a full time course with a view to flying commercially. Just started flying circuits and my brain is pretty frazzled after a couple of hours of it, all the same I'm enjoying it massively! I still feel like I'm mentally lagging behind the aircraft at the moment, but I'm slowly catching up. There's plenty of stuff I'm sucking at but right now I'm trying to nail the flare/holdoff, even when my approach is good and I flare at the right time the holdoff is just not clicking with me fully and translating into a smooth touchdown, if you have a good video or something that could help with it, post it that would be cool. I have Sennheiser HME110's, I like them but I just got them, also I have 11 hours so what the gently caress do I know!
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Apr 18, 2013 16:48
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CBJSprague24 posted:Anybody have any experience in crew scheduling/dispatch/flight following? I did a job shadow thing in high school in NetJets' operations department at CMH in 2005 and it opened my eyes to another world in airline/aviation ops, but was a small sample size. I'd just be looking for a general idea as to what work environments were like and if it was a worthwhile place to be in aviation or if it's a "turn and run" type deal. I am a dispatcher for a 121 supplemental carrier right now, and have done some time dispatching at regionals and another 121 supplemental. Feel free to PM me with any questions. And you can add me to the thread list..... figby ADX/COM/ME/INST - ATL
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Apr 18, 2013 17:48
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kmcormick9 posted:Any suggestions for a great sub $500 headset? I'm still rocking the $129 AvComm "rental special" and want to upgrade to something more comfortable that doesnt require me to put the mic IN MY MOUTH to pick up my voice. I really like my Sennheiser passive headset that cost me $300. I got it after my first lesson and since I knew I was going through with a whole PPL it was way worth it not to use rental poo poo the whole time. It's pretty good, very clear comms, I find it uncomfortable with sunglasses on for over an hour, although this is probably due to my sunglasses being thick plastic framed. With some thin-metal frame they would probably be fine. No complaints, most people will get the DCs for that money but I didn't want them because I'm weird.
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Apr 18, 2013 18:10
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Just chiming in on the headset talk. DC H10-13.4's are my second headset after a $130 pair from the local flight school. I have been very pleased with the 13.4's noise and comfort levels. 3 hrs is the longest I have worn them at one time and the seat in the C172N was much more painful. Someone mentioned being able to hear the airplane is a good thing and I agree. Being able to hear the slightest change in engine RPM and wind noise I think helps control the airplane and reduces scan. The nice thing about buying headsets is keeping them for your passengers. It is burtal to make your passengers wear some POS rental from a flight school (I puked on a flight right into the rental headsets mic, disgusting for the next person I'm sure).
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Apr 19, 2013 01:45
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kmcormick9 posted:Any suggestions for a great sub $500 headset? I loved my DCs. I had the low model with ANR. Batteries were a bitch and by the time I started instructing I never replaced the batteries. Now I use a Telex 850 but the jet is quiet compared to your props. OP Update.
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Apr 19, 2013 01:54
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This is probably off topic as I'm not a pilot, but I'm wondering about an experience I had on a commercial flight the other day. We were flying from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to Toronto. About 2/3rds of the way through the flight I saw another commercial aircraft heading east pass above us what seemed really close. I'm a recovering fearful flyer and in one of the books I read I recall seeing that anything within a kilometer in any direction is counted as a near miss. The plane was close enough that I could make out its colouring/branding but obviously I have no experience with actually flying planes and wouldn't know how to visually discern a kilometer in the air. Is this kind of thing normal or was it a near miss? Is it something that I should report or would the appropriate parties already be well aware of it? My flying anxiety is getting a LOT better and I'm actually starting to enjoy the feeling of just about everything except takeoff but this shook me up a little bit.
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Apr 19, 2013 21:59
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Slight simplification of the rules: Standard radar separation in the US is five (nautical) miles horizontal, or 1,000 feet vertical. Most countries model their aviation rulebook on the US FAA, so that probably works most places. The "above" part in your statement is the giveaway that there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
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Apr 19, 2013 22:08
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prom candy posted:This is probably off topic as I'm not a pilot, but I'm wondering about an experience I had on a commercial flight the other day. We were flying from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to Toronto. About 2/3rds of the way through the flight I saw another commercial aircraft heading east pass above us what seemed really close. I'm a recovering fearful flyer and in one of the books I read I recall seeing that anything within a kilometer in any direction is counted as a near miss. The plane was close enough that I could make out its colouring/branding but obviously I have no experience with actually flying planes and wouldn't know how to visually discern a kilometer in the air. Is this kind of thing normal or was it a near miss? Is it something that I should report or would the appropriate parties already be well aware of it? 1000 feet vertical, 5 miles lateral for en route radar separation in the US. If separation were lost, people would know.
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Apr 19, 2013 23:48
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2/3rds distance would put you in U.S. Airspace. In U.S. airspace between 29,000' and 41,000' the required vertical separation is 1000'. While this may seem awfully close there are many systems in place to make it safe: -All aircraft operating at these altitudes must meet a very specific set of equipment requirements including multiple altimeters, a device called a transponder that reports your altitude to ATC, autopilot, and an alerter that makes a distinct noise in the cockpit anytime you deviate from your assigned altitude. All of this equipment undergoes a stringent inspection and test phase prior to being put in use. -Any time 2 commercial aircraft pass close together at least 3 people should know (both pilots and ATC), normally it's 5 people (2 in both planes and ATC). -Modern airliners are equipped with whats known as TCAS which alerts the pilots of aircraft that get too close to each other and will actually bark orders at the pilots if it deems that the aircraft will pass within an unsafe distance of each other.
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Apr 19, 2013 23:56
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It can look very close out the window, which is why atc is required to call out the traffic to the pilots, even though minimum separation exists.
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Apr 20, 2013 03:41
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Cool, thanks! I figured as much but it's great to know the specifics. The more I learn about how it all actually works the safer I feel when I'm up in the air.
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Apr 20, 2013 07:01
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500' VFR/IFR vertical separation looks even closer. In fact, it looks like you're going to hit, up until the point that the other traffic begins to pass over/under you. I was flying at 4,500ft a few weeks ago, and I knew that a Beechjet was holding at 5,000 over a VOR I was going to pass nearby. I saw the aircraft well ahead of time, and his turn outbound in the hold pointed him right at me. It looked so close I wanted to dive. I queried the controller who said (of course) "I was just about to call you, he's holding at 5,000ft." Sure enough, the aircraft passed over me. Minimum separation can look very close at times. As a passenger, it's fun going into airports with parallel runways when simultaneous operations are in effect, you can watch another aircraft lock step with you all the way down to the runway.
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Apr 20, 2013 15:47
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The Ferret King posted:As a passenger, it's fun going into airports with parallel runways when simultaneous operations are in effect, you can watch another aircraft lock step with you all the way down to the runway. This happened to me during my primary training. I was doing touch'n'goes at an airport shared with an air force base and apparently there was a small military trainer jet of some kind doing a high-speed low pass on the parallel runway. So here I am, with like 10 hours in my book, concentrating fully on my approach while my instructor in the right seat is giving me a play by play of the awesome action I'm missing out on.
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Apr 20, 2013 15:55
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The Ferret King posted:500' VFR/IFR vertical separation looks even closer. In fact, it looks like you're going to hit, up until the point that the other traffic begins to pass over/under you. This happens to me all the time coming into DTW, it looks so close then you get to the ground and the other plane is way far away.
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Apr 20, 2013 19:13
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So, furloughs start tomorrow. Be safe, try and take it easy on the controllers if poo poo does hit the fan. If you pilots have any issues, there should be a number to call that you can ask for. I know en route centers are going to have one and I can only assume that approach controls will have one as well.
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Apr 21, 2013 04:00
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fknlo posted:So, furloughs start tomorrow. Be safe, try and take it easy on the controllers if poo poo does hit the fan. If you pilots have any issues, there should be a number to call that you can ask for. I know en route centers are going to have one and I can only assume that approach controls will have one as well. Answering that line is going to be a poo poo duty...
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Apr 21, 2013 05:12
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MrYenko posted:Answering that line is going to be a poo poo duty... Ours goes to the watch desk. Not like they're actually doing anything up there anyway.
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Apr 21, 2013 05:38
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CBJSprague24 posted:Anybody have any experience in crew scheduling/dispatch/flight following? I did a job shadow thing in high school in NetJets' operations department at CMH in 2005 and it opened my eyes to another world in airline/aviation ops, but was a small sample size. I'd just be looking for a general idea as to what work environments were like and if it was a worthwhile place to be in aviation or if it's a "turn and run" type deal. I'm a scheduler at a regional....ask away.
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Apr 21, 2013 07:00
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Uncle Jam posted:This happens to me all the time coming into DTW, it looks so close then you get to the ground and the other plane is way far away. Back when St. Louis, Mini/St Paul, and Cleveland were busy and running the PRMs not only did it look close you were close.
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Apr 21, 2013 11:26
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b c n u posted:I'm a scheduler at a regional....ask away. What does it feel like when you lose your soul? JK. I worked for three Regional airlines, a National and two Majors and I wouldn't wish the crew scheduling position on anyone. Coming from the pilot perspective, we understand that most schedulers are doing as best they can with poo poo resources.
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Apr 21, 2013 19:46
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fknlo posted:So, furloughs start tomorrow. Be safe, try and take it easy on the controllers if poo poo does hit the fan. If you pilots have any issues, there should be a number to call that you can ask for. I know en route centers are going to have one and I can only assume that approach controls will have one as well. All of our previously scheduled overtime just got cancelled, too. The facility now has to scramble to fix the schedule where it can, but we're going to be short as all hell during this furlough. They could have done this a month ago, but for some reason this was a decision that had to happen yesterday, after all the work had been done to schedule the furloughs. Great job, FAA.
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Apr 21, 2013 19:51
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