PN I've been wearing an in ear molded earpiece on the window side ear) since I was a 727 F/O (12 years ago). I wore it on the bus and dc-10. I like it because you can hear the radios better than an on the ear foam headset. I've used the telex 5X5 the whole time.
I had Shirley do my last mold (hard plastic) and I wasn't too pleased. My first mold was done by a "hearing" company out in Bartlett and they used silicone and were fantastic. I'll try and find the companies name and post it.

 

Wasn't me. I am in the Boeing.

I've only had one Captain ask me if I could hear ok. I tried to fly without the earplugs, I still couldn't hear him half the time. That Captain was nearing 60 and had been in the Boeing for at least 20 years, and he never wore hearing protection, didn't need it. You think it was me that couldn't hear?

The earplugs are most effective for the loud noise, someone speaking clearly and toward you, instead of into their lap while they look at a plate or chart, should be more easily heard because most of the loud background noise is reduced.

Sometimes people mumble and don't realize how hard they are to understand, but being the Captain rarely get called on it.

I agree that if you can't communicate it is dangerous, but as long as everybody is yelling anyway, as they do in the Boeing, and I can hear them with my earplugs in, I will continue to wear them.

Interesting that most of the dicey situations I have been in in the Boeing were compounded somewhat by the difficulty in communicating with each other over the noise.

You would think that using the intercom would be a no brainer, but I know better than to try to reinvent the wheel at FedEx, particularly in the Boeing.

That is the training department's job!

I often joke that I will likely die in a hotel fire because I often wear my earplugs to sleep. I have been woken up by the fire alarm in the middle of the night with them in, and I haven't missed an alarm clock yet. I do ask the other guys to check on me in the event of a real fire, which I would do for them, of course.

FJ

 

Anybody know the name/location/number of an ear mold person in Memphis or if anyone is still doing this for FDX/Delta/Pinnacle people in the area anymore?

 

[QUOTE= IT WAS DANGEROUS and I will not permit it the next time I fly with the guy.[/QUOTE]

Holy *******! That is awesome. Maybe give him a spanking, too.

 

I used commercial off the shelf sennheiser noise cnx headset above 18k on the MD. Foamies with the stock headset on the 727.

The A-320 makes the MD11 sound like a wind tunnel. Using the off the shelf noise cnx headset on the MD made a noticeable difference in fatigue- especially the ANC-HKG, EWR-ANC legs.

 

Back in the 1990's, I had an in-ear plastic mold made of my ear. My dad worked at a power station for 35 years and he had one of these, and he swore by it. Well, I paid for that thing and guess what? It didn't fit perfectly. It was good, but I found that using the Telex 750 headsets that we had in the plane, along with the free earplugs that the airline I worked for back then...were actually better!

Now I'm at Fedex and I just use the Telex 750 sets in the plane with earplugs; My hearing is good after all this time. Some of these people have the $800 Bose headsets; the problem is that you need to YELL in order for them to hear you! I don't think this is good-

 

Mark,

Before you tell the guy what he can and can't wear, you might try speaking up in the cockpit. We've all flown with captains who, for whatever reason, always seem to be looking out their L1 window, while talking in a very low voice, each and every time they speak to the F/O or S/O. I think it's a control thing or something. Anyway it's not always the other guy who is the issue, and being the Captain, isn't it your obligation to make sure that you're heard above the ambient noises?

On another note, I still use the foam ear plugs, not for yard work, but in the house, usually when Sports Center goes into commercial. That way, I can be assured of almost hearing what my wife has to tell me. After 40 years of marriage, she knows not to interrupt Sports Center, so she waits for the commercials, to impart her words of wisdom.

JJ

 

I used the Plantronics MS-50 with earmold for 15 years then accidentally broke the mike stem off. Was a good headset, never had any issues with it until I broke it. And considerably cheaper than the 5x5.
Cheers

 

Mark, did you ever consider that he might have been able to hear you the entire time? Sometimes, the small victories that are the sweetest! People sometime have a tendency to treat white noise like white noise.

 

OK ... and now the rest of the story. The 2 legs I flew with this guy were a line check to the west coast and back. The LCA didn't seem to have a problem with how I handled the situation (at least he didn't mention it in his debrief?).

Sorry, but I'm sticking with my safety position on this one. His earplugs interfered with cockpit communications and that is simply not a very good thing.