Looking for a helmet! I know a lot of backcountry pilots use them. I would use it while practicing ag, backcountry flying, and also test flying open cockpit or experimental planes that have just been built or come out of major repair. Prefer ANR, would like something lightweight and comfortable. Thanks!
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There have been several good discussion through the years. Here's a good one. http://www.supercub.org/forum/showth...?49243-helmets
Since a helmet is something people wear, 'best' can seem very subjective. After all, no two heads are shaped alike, and no two people seem to have the same tolerance for weight, heat, cost, ad nauseam...
Having said all that, it would be very easy to substantiate MSA Gallet flight helmets as the absolute best flight helmet you can buy, for cub like and fling wing aircraft. But again, whether you can justify the cost, or whether they feel the most comfortable to you, is a choice you will have to make.
I am in a fortunate enough place to go through an average of one a year, and routinely try to find a better one. While I have varied the comms installed, I routinely end up with another Gallet.
A good 'bang for the buck' alternative IMHO are the Peltor helmets. Cost wise, they are on par with the 'pop your headset in the bicycle style hat' that seem to be so popular now days, but unlike those, they are a real helmet.
Take care, Rob
And one last thought... while I burn through well over 1000 hrs a year in a flight helmet, none of it is in my cub or 180... YMMV
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I moved this post from another thread so it will show up in both. I bought two of these ANR paraglider helmets on eBay. They are made by Yueny and I had to wait about 10 days for shipment from China. Make sure you order the ANR helmet and get the double jacks. As of today, the eBay listing is https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANR-aviation-helmet-with-Active-Noise-Reduction-YUENY-YAHH-2000F-pilot-helmet/272705724911?hash=item3f7e8721ef:g:E24AAOSwPh5ZN2w 2 . The listing may not apply in the future.
The visors were clear, not tinted, but I removed them anyway because I prefer sunglasses. The ANR works very well in my Cub, about as well as my Bose headsets. The list price is very good and they accepted an even lower offer. A great deal. Military headsets require serious electronics revision, so avoid unless you want a soldering project with an uncertain outcome.
Last edited by Tennessee; 06-26-2018 at 07:06 AM.
Back when I flew ag planes, my mentor recommended a helmet big enough to crawl my whole body up into if things got ugly!
This one has always caught my eye. No hands on experience with it, though.
https://liftaviationusa.com/products/av-1-kor-aviation-helmet-test
$1350 for a helmet that doesn't come with a headset? Yikes.Originally Posted by skyline223
What’s wrong with getting a Quiet technologies earbud type and then wear any helmet you want, without the muffs
https://www.quiettechnologies.com/
I’ve started using them and they are great. Less than 1 oz. fit over the ear. Small plugs inserted in your ears.
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The Quiet Tech with an Ops Core Fast Helmet would work great. https://shop.gentexcorp.com/ops-core...gh-cut-helmet/ I have one of these helmets with an old Peltor headset attached to the rails... Works good but would like to try the Quiet Tech. I mostly fly with an HGU-56 since that is what I wear for my job.
I’ve got a ops core helmet just like that with nv attached. I’ll try it with the quiet technology and report back.
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Just tried the ops core helmet with the Quiet Tech headset. Will work perfectly. Id suggest clicking the chin strap first then and routing the tubes over the straps and not under them.
Another plus on the Ops Core is they make a GoPro mount that will fit the NVG mount if you are into that sort of thing... I've even modified a pair of old Bose (Aviation X) that will fit on the Ops Core. The yokes that held the earcups broke so that was when I started to get creative. It worked well however I think I can even get a better design. I'll post some pictures here after I get back from KOSH.
Realistically, I do prefer to fly with my Gentex HGU56. It's ugly and you look like a Storm Trooper / Darth Vader but is has the thickest styro liner (absorbs the bulk of the impact) of any helmet out there. It's built for the types of impact associated with helicopter crashes. Plus I tend to lean towards the "Dark Side"..
I look at helmets as part of my risk management matrix... If I am doing some simple touch and go's at my home airport on a paved runway I'll probably stick to the headset. If I am out flying in the bush (nowhere near I live, but do go up to AK and fly with friends!) where I'll be doing all off airport ops then the helmet is probably going to be an option. Just my 2 cents, your mileage may vary.
From Gentex website:
"The [Ops Core] FAST Bump Helmet is designed for less extreme environments where exposure to great blunt-trauma forces is limited or non-existent, or where the primary need is for integration of mission configured components."
This sounds like it not so much a helmet, but a place to mount stuff on your head.
Idaho drinks more wine per person than any other state in the country.
If you’re exposed to “great blunt-trauma forces”, is any helmet going to help?
It’s pretty amazing how little of a “bump” can knock you out. Anything at all is way better then a bare head. Even a hockey helmet is a good start, those have prevent countless trips to the hospital, and they take some serious hits.
Roddy
OpsCore traditionally makes ballistic combat helmets. This is their non-ballistic version which my guess is why they are pointing out blunt force trauma. My guess is that it's about the same protection as a bicycle helmet. Something is better than nothing....
Not
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If you are going to wear a helmet, you may as well protect your noggin as much as possible. A recent study showed that 50% of the homeless people in Toronto had a history of previous head injury. I'm just trying not to be a homeless cub pilot.
Last edited by Tennessee; 07-24-2018 at 06:42 AM.
Anyone have experience with Lift Aviation helmets?
While it may be true that something is better than nothing, one major difference between classes of helmets is if they are intended for single strike or multiple. On a bicycle or motorcycle, it is expected that there will be a single major impact. A bicycle helmet is little more than some foam and shatters on the first impact. Helmets intended to be used inside cars/roll-cages are designed for multiple impacts.
--
Bearhawk, RV-4
Cessna Skywagon-- accept no substitute!
[QUOTE=stewartb;723471]https://aams.org/toolbox/Considerati...ng_Helmets.pdf[/
The author is focused on helicopter ops; I suspect that the mechanisms of injury in helicopters is not the same as in a Cub.
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Do what suits you. I'll do the same. Like adding a new ANR system to my Gallet. My head, my ears, my choice.
Last edited by stewartb; 07-24-2018 at 11:40 AM.
Nice! Let me know what ANR system you go with. I see that Lightspeed is offering a set up now that is designed to be integrated into helmets.
Lightspeed changed their rules and now requires their helmet comms to be installed by an authorized helmet dealer. I didn't want to send my helmet away and wait for it to get returned. Tiger Performance is converting a Bose A-20 to drop into my Gallet, and I can do the install. They say it's the hot setup. I'll know soon.
This link Tennessee embedded to Ebay is currently reported by Norton as a Fraudulent Link. Just FYI
I've been wearing helmets for many years and still haven't found one that is perfect for everything. SPH -4 in the Army was heavy and hot but worked OK. I have a Navy deck helmet with a D.C. Headset in it , easy to wear all day but min. Protection. Next is a D.C. white hard shell helmet , reason able protection and easy to wear. Latest is a Comtronics Pro over a Bose A-20. It seems to have the best protection other than the SPH-4, and the A-20 is great. The cons are it's hot in 65 deg weather, hard to put on and off the head set falls out and not overly comfy. The chin strap is short also and chokes a bit. I wear it and guess I'll get used to it, but the Bose is great.
My commtronics helmet gets used all the time...even when I’m not flying!
I love it, and plan on outfitting the fam with em. Headsets are nothing great, but built it, and safe. To me it was a gamble because you can’t put a value on safety, but I am very pleased with their $400 product. Especially considering the affordability when the next price point +1k
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Ok I'm gonna share here.. after lurking for hours on all subjects relating to helmets and headsets...I just ordered a tiger p. SAR with a20. Looks like the lightest, simplest, and least expensive setup for help against a low level engine fail. Ill let you know later...hopefully without any real-world test results... thinking comfort and wearability for this report...
[QUOTE=Tennessee;723457]If you are going to wear a helmet, you may as well protect your noggin as much as possible. A recent study showed that 50% of the homeless people in Toronto had a history of previous head injury. I'm just trying not to be a homeless cub pilot.
There is one other thing you must consider is wt., a motorcycle helmet goes for a ride with the body as it flys thru the air. In airplanes the body is strapped to the airframe and the wt. of the helmet is going for the ride trying to take your head with it. The Army story goes that a UH1 crashed and the crew was wearing the Gen.1 NVG's with wt.s on the back of the helmet for balance and on impact they found the helmet in front of the aircraft, fully loaded so to speak. True or not food for thought with heavy wt. helmets.
Well, since I'm sharing... I just now spoke with the Tiger P folks, and decided to go with the 3M Peltor helmet instead..
Interesting - No problem when I clicked on it just now. The link is to eBay, which certainly is not a fraudulent organization. I got two helmets from them and they are great.
Maybe no one will come up with the perfect answer here but I had a small farm accident a few days ago which reminded me. You realize you had an accident when it's over.
So I'm getting a helmet and wearing it because I fly low and my airplane has these steel fuselage tubes close to my noggin.
A question that may have been already answered....
I use a Zulu 2 headset and it seems it tends to be incompatible with popular helmets. Suggestions please, that dont involve a new headset??
Gordon
N4328M KTDO
My SPOT: tinyurl.com/N4328M (case sensitive)
Its been said before, but once again.....The best helmet is one you'll wear.....regularly. I worked a job for a lot of years that required us to wear helmets for low level, which I did a lot. I tried a number of different helmets......SPH 4, SPH 5, HGU 55, etc, etc. Finally wound up with a Gallet helmet, and it was a winner.
If it's not PROPERLY fitted, you won't wear it, because it'll be uncomfortable....so get it fitted properly. Oregon Aero offers fit kits for helmets.....order one, no matter the helmet, it's worth the $$.
All these "helmets" you folks are talking about that are really Navy deck hard hats with comm may be fine in a fixed wing accident, but they are not going to provide the level of protection that a "real" helmet does. FWIW.
That said, I don't wear a helmet in my airplane nowadays. Part of the reason is because I'm no longer doing a lot of high risk stuff, and secondly because helmets are hot, and it's summer......again, if they're not comfortable, they'll wind up in the baggage compartment.
MTV
Gordon,
This one looks better than most of the "over the headset" helmets. I don't know much about it. Not cheap but they offer a money back guarantee if you aren't happy.
https://www.praetorflyinghelmets.com/
Thanks Stewart, looks promising.
Gordon
N4328M KTDO
My SPOT: tinyurl.com/N4328M (case sensitive)
Looks like the old Air Force Single visor helmets from the front. I like it!
Alot cheaper than this one!!
https://www.wired.com/2016/06/course...eality-helmet/
Here's what I have in my airplane. 5 of them. Everybody wears one. With Life vest and shoulder harness in the first 4 seats. Added a different adjustable strap. Light, wear a head set over it, inexpensive, easy to take care of. Probably at least doubles the protection of an unprotected skull. What do you think?
I just finished reading the article in the link below.. I haven't actually hit the buy button on anything yet. I now seem to understand that part of how ballistic helmets work is the "give" in UHMW. Also, it seems you don't want your head to be rotated, (ya, I know.. thats the knockout punch) which would suggest a smooth outer surface. Both of those count against the 3M. On the other hand, lightness seems to be an over-riding common criteria. The head deceleration part goes back to suggesting the airbag harness along with a helmet. Part of the helmet consideration to me is to just prevent getting scalped or poked through my skull. I kind-of wish Gallet made a "high cut" version of their helmet. I know if you go in like a lawn dart the helmet is moot... I'm looking at risk management for engine failure. I've successfully spent a lot of years and hours doing low level survey (started before shoulder harness was normal) and now thinking it might be time to build in a bit more protection. I did take you folks' advice on the SIRS compass and moved my head-cutter out of my face and put a SIRS on the dash, which works well. Thank you for letting me learn about those compasses, and thank you for your discussion on helmets.. it helps.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224915/
Also, I've long held it in my mind, but the formula listed in there for deceleration - .0333 (mph x mph) divided by distance = G is worth noting. Basically it means if you are going 50mph and can stop in 9 feet, you will produce about 9G's, which is the design limit for objects installed in the aircraft, and also what the airbag harness is set to deploy at. So you might not even set that off.. So that means don't be a lawn dart, dont hit the base of big trees, or big rocks, or glacier crevasses, and you'd be fine. Aim for the Alders.
My concern is with when all the soft stuff is not available. Maybe it's Gallet after all but it's hard to choose.
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