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?
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?
I wear a helmet when flying my ultralight and my ppg. I don't wear one for flying GA aircraft.
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.
My LSA is very open. Noise is a problem for hearing and transmitting. I would like one that is light, strong and quiet.
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).
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.
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".
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.
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.