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scozzd
10-11-2011, 05:25 PM
Hi everyone I'm a design student and for my senior thesis project I'm designing an super lightweight helmet for GA pilots. So I wanted to know how many of you wear helmets when flying. If not what would make you wear one?

Dana
10-11-2011, 05:39 PM
I wear a helmet when flying my ultralight and my ppg. I don't wear one for flying GA aircraft.

scozzd
10-11-2011, 06:14 PM
I wear a helmet when flying my ultralight and my ppg. I don't wear one for flying GA aircraft.

What helmet do you wear for PPG. If you had to wear one for GA what would you like to see in the design? i/e comfort, looks, cool functions?

Bill Greenwood
10-11-2011, 07:02 PM
I wear the David Clark one when flying experimentals because it is light and comfortable. I don't wear one in a normal gen av airplane like my Bonanza, The big heavy military types aren't comfortable to me.

Chick
10-11-2011, 10:05 PM
My LSA is very open. Noise is a problem for hearing and transmitting. I would like one that is light, strong and quiet.

dewi8095
10-12-2011, 05:49 AM
I don't have a helmet, but would like one. There two main reasons that I have not yet bought one: 1. cost, they are expensive; and 2. I have yet to see one that would accommodate my noise cancelling headsets which means I would have to choose a helmet with its own headset incorporated in it.

My preference would be a lightweight helmet with full-face, tinted visor, low cost (under $150), and one that would allow use of the headsets I have (Lightspeed XL 20s).

Dana
10-12-2011, 10:52 AM
What helmet do you wear for PPG. If you had to wear one for GA what would you like to see in the design? i/e comfort, looks, cool functions?

For PPG I wear a light BMX bicycle helmet that I added hearing protection (industrial ear muffs) to. My reasoning is that PPG speeds are similar to bicycles and the impact types would also be similar. For summer, I remove the earmuffs and use foam ear plugs/

For the ultralight I use a Comtronics helmet with built in headset.

I can't see a helmet as being necessary in a GA aircraft (except for flight testing) for the same reason that I don't wear one when driving my car.

teknosmurf
10-13-2011, 07:20 AM
Most of my flying is in the heat here in AZ. This last summer I started messing around with ways to keep me cool while flying in 115 degree temps in the middle of the afternoon in my "greenhouse" of a cockpit. I came up with ice packs wrapped around my noggin...using a baseball hat.

If you want to get my attention, design something that can be plugged into an aux power port that will draw heat away from my head while providing a useful way to wear a headset of my choosing (both in-ear and standard cupped headsets), and doesn't interfere with headroom significantly (headroom in my plane is at a premium as well).

In other words...it needs to do something more than just sit on my head as "protection".

Enemy Ace
10-21-2011, 02:15 PM
I wear an HJC motorcycle helmet when I fly my Pietenpol Air Camper. The HJC has already prevented one head injury when I experienced an engine failure in a previous homebuilt. I like the full-face protection; I don't like how heavy and bulky it is. A flight helmet doesn't need to be beefy enough to meet the DOT standard, IMHO -- just strong enough to protect your head if it gets slammed into the instrument panel.

Mike Switzer
10-21-2011, 04:07 PM
If I'm doing something that I feel I need a helmet for I will be wearing a Simpson full face racing helmet. I have seen cheaper "off the shelf" motorcycle & bicycle type helmets bust wide open.

Frank Giger
10-22-2011, 12:56 AM
Since my plane is an open cockpit biplane, I'd like a decent helmet. My design requirements:

Reasonable protection - think low speed up-and-over. The full harness will keep me from the panel; but it would stink to get a stick through the mellon or a knot on my head at a three foot fall.
Lightweight
Doesn't interfere with vision
Can be used with a normal aviation headset
Cool - I'm in Alabama, and it gets hot here!
Cool - I'd prefer not to look like a dork. A full modern fighter pilot helmet would look dumb coming out of a butt slow WWI replica....