I have three David Clark H10-40 headsets – one was dad’s, mine has a helicopter cord, and a spare. Good headsets, but apparently not made anymore. Anyway I was reading a review of the H10-60 from a guy who didn’t like it:
Really? OK, yes; I know that active noise reduction is better than passive noise reduction. But I did just fine in a 172 with the overhead speaker and no headset at all. It was The Way It Was Done in the early-to-mid-'80s. My H10-40 was perfectly fine in a helicopter, and quieter in a Cessna. I’ll never fly a plane with a cockpit so quiet I could use a lightweight headset, but I can’t imagine me flying an airplane where I would ‘need’ ANR.
So what do you think? Are ANR headsets ‘all that’? Or is it more about bragging rights?
I’m very sensitive about my hearing, having done enough damage in the 80s to make me more cautious now. I flew 172s, and had the Lightspeed something-or-other, either their top-of-the-line model or near it. I loved it; it was magical. Compared to the David Clarks I had been borrowing, they were substantially quieter, comms were much easier for me to follow, and the clamping pressure was much lower since the seals were less important relatively. Were I to take up flying again, I would go ANR again, no question.
Maybe it’s like a lot of things, where you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you try the New Thing. I’m sure a lot of people didn’t see a need for microwave ovens 40 years ago.
I’m only planning to fly once or twice a month (we’ll see hot that works in the rainy season), so I’ll use what I have. I do remember the clamping on the trips from SoCal to Southern Oregon. Long trips are not going to be an issue nowadays.
I read this question to my husband (an EMS helicopter pilot) - he says he won’t use ANR because it is too important to be able to hear what the rotors are doing. A good headset will protect your ears without keeping you from hearing what you need to. Unless you are flying an S-61 or S-92 you shouldn’t need ANR.
Yeah, I’d listen to the rotors during autorotations. I made sure to listen to the engine today, since I posted this thread. Old School works for me.
I haven’t actually checked prices on ANR headsets, but I think I happened to see a Bose set for about a kilobuck. You know… If I don’t buy 25 of them at that price, I could get a plane!
I have the DC-h10-60 headset which I bought many years ago. They held up well and I added more sound insulation from a kit. I also bought a set of ligthspeed active noise cancelling headsets. They didn’t last long. For some reason they continued to reduce noise level but over time I found it hard to hear voice frequencies. I then bought a noise canceling kit for the DC’s and was extremely happy with it. I plan on buying another kit for the other 10-60 I have. a buddy of mine was equally impressed with the kit compared to his noise canceling headsets.
To me, noise canceling headsets are as desirable as a GPS in an airplane. I don’t NEED to have them but it adds significantly to the enjoyment and safety of flight. Loud noises and bad radio transmission is an unnecessary distraction.
the only thing I didn’t like about the kit was that you had to solder directly to the board and I would have preferred they pre-wire leads to it. I almost burned off the contacts because of a crappy soldering iron.
Like all equipment, you need to know when to use it & when to not, or take off the head set and LISTEN.
For example, full electrical failure in an old C-150 on final and we won’t talk about the flashlight. Got to be able to hear those wings talking to you.
ANR is a boon to C-130 crew members, especially those that are in the older models. The J-models are much quieter, but if you get anywhere near the prop line you’re in for some pain without it.
I generally agree with this, and it’s why I don’t use noise cancellation. I have a pair of standard David Clarks, but I changed the ear pads for better ones. The muffling effect is good enough that I don’t even feel the need for noise cancellation.
I’ve tried both extra sound insulation and noise canceling circuits in my DC h10-60’s and I much prefer the noise canceling unit. I can hear sounds that are drowned out by the engine and voice communication is substantially better.
