If you have been a pilot for any length of time - flying with or without an aviation headset - you may have already lost some of your hearing. You can't reverse the damage that has already occurred, so you need to take action now to protect what you have left.
Pilots experience damaging noise for long periods of time - that is unavoidable. The sound in the flight environment is intense.
First, there are 3 aspects of sound that define cockpit noise:
1. Frequency (Hz - Hertz)
2. Intensity (dB - decibels)
3. Duration of the sound
This is how some typical environments rate in sound intensity:
* Jet cabin - 60-88 dB
* Small single engine airplane - 70-90 dB
* Single engine helicopter - 80-102 dB
* Average office - 40-60 dB
* Major city street - 80-100 dB
* Chain saw/lawn mower - 100-110 dB
* Rock concert - 115-120 dB
Here are the sound limits before hearing damage occurs...
* Ear discomfort - 120 dB
* Ear pain - 130 dB
* Eardrum rupture - 140 dB
* Temporary hearing impairment - 2-3 hours of noise greater than 90 dB
* Permanent hearing impairment - 8 or more hours/day to sound greater than 90 dB for 2 or more years.
The worst thing is the way loud noises affect your flying:
* Distraction and fatigue
* Hard to make out what others are saying and difficult to understand them - in other words, you have to shout to be heard
* Decrease in personal performance by decreasing concentration
Here's what you can do about it...
Use hearing protection - here are your options:
1. Earplugs - wax-impregnated polyurethane are the best and block out the most noise
2. Aviation Headset - the cheapest ones just physically block the sound out
3. ANR Aviation Headset - these headsets block out the sound physically with the added dimension of matching cockpit noise with mirror-image sound that cancels out the noise
4. Combine earplugs with headsets - this is an extreme step, really only for super-loud environments over 115 dB
Conclusion:
You can't regain your hearing.
The moral to this story is to get aggressive with hearing protection while flying. You spend upwards of 0 for flight in many aircraft, so what is the point of skimping on a headset?
Check out your headset options today. Try several types and makes to see which works best for you. Aviation headsets are like clothes or shoes - what fits one person doesn't necessarily work for another.
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