DeepThoughts

I think I read somewhere that EDV aircraft do not have headsets on board - is that correct? Does the FOM require personal headsets to be TSO approved? Thanks!

Green Needles

Correct on both.

N0RD0

There is a spare headset(s) (sometimes) onboard. They are awful and only to be used if nothing else is available. You do have to have your own, and it needs to be TSO. Fun fact - the headsets on the A/C are not TSO.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

DeepThoughts

Thanks y’all. Too bad there’s no TSO backup onboard, but probably best to avoid the shared germ/virus incubator set. Appreciate the speedy input.

13pro

funner fact…. No one cares if it is TSO (or should I say checks) I know MANY pilots that use non-TSO headsets. Never been an issue.

invadertim

Those awful headsets are Joe R's., Mesaba's old DO, revenge. The story, as I've heard it: In the wake of the Mesaba/Pinnacle merger some things changed, Mesaba (XJ) used to have company headsets on each aircraft, one per side and a spare for the jumpseater or fed, Pinnacle expected you to have your own. About 4/5 of the XJ guys had their own set anyhow, but the rest used the ship ones. With the merger, XJ went over to the Pinnacle system, as I recall no financial assistance was offered to cover the expense; as result company headsets (usually the spare) started to wander off. I think it annoyed Joe to have to explain this to the Memphis brain trust more than anything, but annoy him it did. So, instead of the old, but passable David clamps we had, he got those things we have now. Joe's thinking was no one would be caught dead with those in their flight bag, he wasn't wrong.

The real downside to them is that they really are bad, like unusable junk. We have a spare in case your headset goes TU, which mine has in flight before, those things simply didn't work. Unfortunately they have stuck around.

Zerosilver84

Definitely a true statement

N0RD0

While a true statement, it’s not what OP asked. At no point did the OP ask if the requirement was enforced.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

ComanchePilot

As mentioned above, there is no enforcement of any TSO requirement. I've been here ~3 years and no one ever asked if my headset was TSOd. (Mine isn't.)

If you are asking because you're considering whether to buy a headset to use here, I strongly recommend getting a pair of Bose QC35s (used on ebay these are <$200) and adding an aviation microphone to it. There are two companies that sell the add-on microphones: UflyMike and NflightMic. They both cost around $250.

The QC35 is very light, extremely comfortable, has excellent Active Noise Canceling, and recharges by plugging it in to a USB charger. Its battery life is excellent - mine needs charging only once a trip. And when you're not in the flight deck, the QC35 is a great noise canceler - good for phone conversations in airports, and perfect for watching movies when deadheading on mainline.

darkman62

Don’t go with the cheap Bose substitute ! Your a professional pilot now & you are not making $20 a hour. Buy some Bose pro flights or something comparable. This isn’t GA no need for head clamps this is what you are going to be doing until you retire so why not spend a little bit of money on your tools for work???