Helmets...... Helicopter pilots use them, why not Fixed Wing?

[WLIU]

Helmets today are not what helmets were 20 years ago. I have a size large neck on size medium shoulders from wearing one of the older fiberglass, heavy helmets. My current helmet weighs nothing in comparison and I hardly notice that it is there when pulling "G".

Look up on You-Tube Sean Tucker's talk on his lat bail out. The canopy left a ding in his helmet as it departed despite his hunkering down in his seat to let it go by. A friend was run down and after bailing out found a gouge in his helmet. You can not exit the airplane or deploy your parachute if you are lights out.

As for crashing in an open field and not surviving, without a video record you really can not speculate, but too many pilots appear to lose control of the airplane during an engine failure. All of my friends and acquaintances who kept flying the airplane through touch down, and I am surprised at how many I can count, walked away. And they landed in trees, swamps, some at night. In contrast, a friend just showed me video of a Mooney engine failure during the day in good weather where the pilot never pushed the nose down, tried to turn as the airspeed decayed, and spun in, resulting in a big fireball.

In any case, each of us makes an educated decision of where to spend $$ on safety. Training does not increase the weight of the airplane or pilot. Most other safety gear does, reducing performance.

And if you expect that your airplane is likely to leave you suddenly over hostile landscape, then perhaps it is wise to invest your $$ in making the airplane more reliable.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

[Mayhemxpc]

You know you guys already had this discussion on another thread back in May. (I say you guys because I see that most of the responders here also responded to that thread then, and said the same things.) You convinced me then.

-- Chris

[Bob Dingley]

Just as the title says. Why not fixed wing? Some say its of no help in case of a crash. So why does a helicopter pilot use one then?

Tony

True story. One lousy day at KATL no one was arriving or departing due to the zero-zero weather. Lots of grousing from the pilots waiting to depart. Then a helo calls in asking for a special VFR. He's 20 west over Interstate 20. Tower replies immediately with a clearance into the Class B for a straight in, to remain clear of clouds and CLEARED TO LAND. That sure stirred up the waiting crews.There were hurt feelings and many questions such as "why him?" Tower simply replied "He's a helo."

Just look at the VFR weather minimums in FAR 91.155. There are many other regs that also shave the helicopter v airplane margins from common sense to nonsense. They run from minimum altitudes to fuel reserves and more. A good reason to "dress for the job" with Nomex, a good restraint system and a helmet.

Helmets are not applicable to the Sikorsky 76's that carry corporate execs on IFR flight plans.

Bob

[mrbarry]

i would wear it . even on my bicycle , sometimes

not to mention the airframe i am thinking on has no windscreen ,
in my mind
a lot of what a helmet does is keep from banging head on the canopy or whatever.

some MIL pilots do not wear helmets seem like i have 130's an c-17's operated in shirtslves

[Shroudcutter]

While there isn't a tremendous difference in the accident rates between helicopter and fixed wing aircraft per million hours, there is a big difference in the fatal accident rates.

[mrbarry]

i like these strings , makes me think, research , learn

i do not see a whole lot of emphasis in the advertisements about the rated impact resistance ,

even on my bicycle i worry about the ratings , and i seldom [but sometimes] reach 40 MPH rate of speed .
my selected airframe has Vne of 90 .. i think i am wanting at least a snell rated on account of possible second impact with crash cage

[WLIU]

People tend to fixate on individual pieces of gear and not look at the "big" picture. A helmet provides functionality in a number of ways other than a catastrophic crash situation. And in a crash, a helmet is no help unless the airframe and pilot restraint system gracefully consume crash energy so as to bring any impact of the pilot's head down to the range where a helmet can help. Or to put it another way, having an uninjured head atop a crushed chest and broken neck does not accomplish anything useful.

A helmet provides mounting for your comms and eye shading.
A helmet provides wind protection if you fly open cockpit or with the canopy slid back.
A helmet provides noise reduction for your ears and comms.
If you are so inclined, a helmet provides a place to mount other gear like lights and displays and O2.

A helmet provides protection if the airplane breaks, either due to pilot action or a mid-air. If you wear a parachute, you can not use it if you are lights-out (ask Sean Tucker).

In the event of a fire, a helmet provides some protection. But that only helps if you are wearing other fire-resistant clothing.

But in the end, if your aircraft is a minimal wooden structure and you hit something hard and immovable, a helmet and other gear worn by a pilot is unlikely to make a difference.

And aviation helmets confound a lot of people because they are not made to terrestrial transportation specs (DOT, Snell, etc). Military helmets are made to a Mil or NATO STANAG spec. Most folks do not know where to find these or understand what they mean. Skydiver derived helmets are made to field test experience (skydiver heads hitting the ground and other immovable objects - happens regularly). All of them have a limit to their ability to protect the wearer. All of them offer protection against some spectrum of head hits. Or to put it another way, the helmet on your head is much better than the one you could not afford and do not have.

All of that said, the vast majority of pilots do not need a helmet. Some folks wonder about what they are missing. Those of us that do need them, wear them.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

[Sirota]

A neighbor started wearing a helmet a few years ago after a FAA accident investigator told him many fatalities wouldn't have been fatal if the pilot had been wearing a helmet. A few weeks ago he ground looped his Husky and the compass took a 1" chunk out of the helmet. The injury wouldn't have killed him but it sure would have hurt like hell. He walked away without a scratch.

I've been thinking about a bike helmet because they're light and airy. Nothing will help if you spin in, but there's a lot of sharp and pointy things in our airplanes.

[Dave Stadt]

Wes I agree. Why I spare no expense when it comes to repairs.

To those who are in the know about crashes and such. Can a body suit like I posted, help in the case of a crash in a small EAB or even an ultralight. From some other posts, some of these crashes have caused impalement from such things as control sticks and such. Motor cross riders use them just for this reason. I wonder if those who have died from such crashes in these small aircraft might have had a better chance wearing something like these armor suits?

Tony

If you are going that far might as well add a HANS device

[SBaircraft]

I'm alive because of a helmet. Also, I recently watched a glider roll into the wing of a parked aircraft. It shattered the canopy and came very close to causing a serious head injury. Our hobby is about as dangerous as riding a motorcycle.