Headsets GA vs 121
 

The previous thread I saw on this was locked due to the forums distaste for the OP, so I'd like to reopen the topic for discussion. Currently I'm a CFI with about 3 months left until meeting ATP mins and will make the transition to a 121 regional. My entire flight career I've used the standard Davey Clark marshmellow model and am looking to upgrade.

I've heard mixed reactions about purchasing the a20's strictly for 121 flying, but it also seems that the qc15's have their own issues(especially with GA cockpit noise levels).

I'm looking to purchase something now, with 4 months left in a GA cockpit, before beginning 121 flying. Are the a20's worth the price tag with what little GA time I have left before transitioning to a 121 role?

Are the a20's too big and cumbersome for a 121 flight bag?

It doesn't seem like there is a happy medium between GA and 121.

Thanks in advance,

Bones.

I had the A20's left over fromGA after I made the switch and found the ANR unnecessary in the CRJ (you can't hear ANYTHING) and they felt to bulky after a long day of flying. I went with the telex 850's and I love them but they wouldn't work for GA. The David Clark on ear headphones pro-x I think they're called, would be a good balance between the two.

I've been using the same pair since I was a student pilot it cuts back on the noise. Regional jets are not as quiet as people make them out to be

Hadn't seen the DC Pro-x before, those look like they have potential to be a nice hybrid. Thanks!

Do the 850s have an audio aux jack for music, iBooks, podcasts, etc.?

I run the A20's in the CRJ, and I love them. I won't use anything else. Absolutely silent up front.

Nope. They're pretty bare-bones. They do manage ANR without batteries though which to me feels like witchcraft.

What about comfort level and portability in the flight bag?

Plenty of people fly with the A20s. They are big, but they sound great. I felt like they were too hot for me, so they went back. Chucking them in my flight bag with charts and manuals didn't work, but with EFBs out there for most people that isn't a concern. A ton of guys also fly with the regular old David Clarks from their CFI days.

DC ProX work well for some, not for others. There is definitely a sweet spot they need to be in to be nice and quiet. I like mine. Comfortable, nice Bluetooth function as well. I also fly a 172 occasionally and they work well there as well. Not as quiet as the A20s in jets or props, but also nowhere near as much money or as hot as the A20s.

I also had the uflymike setup for a while. It was great. No complaints. Not quite as quiet as the ProX (but close), also worked fine in GA aircraft. Nice and comfortable and could be used on deadheads. Audio input for music etc sucked though, and unless you also wear earbuds they die when the battery dies and are not TSO approved. Some airlines require TSO headsets. Mine does and I only had once time in a couple thousand hours that a check airman made sure I had the TSO version, but I'm glad I did because he would have made my life difficult.

Keep in mind that not all jets are quiet. The 900 is loud, just the way the fan setup is, if you turn them off it gets quiet, but you're not going to be flying like that. 200 is much quieter until you hit 300kias, then it's still quieter but the wind noise picks up. From time on jump seats, the 175 and 145 are in between the CRJs as far as noise level goes.

I can Tetris my A20 into a standard sized flight case perfectly. Anything bigger wouldn't fit. Now, once we drop the paper manuals and I can downsize to a EFB, I'll pick up a smaller headset.

Telex 850 ANR were fine for RJ series. No battery pack needed

My 18 year old DC 10.13 has been serving me well in the Dash-8. However, I'm planning on getting a new Bose A20 as an upgrade present to myself. I still do a fair bit of GA though, so there is that.

I am a huge fan of the Clarity Aloft Pro (they are TSO'd). Great for instructing, great for regional prop or jet noise & lightweight.

Thanks for that, haven't heard of these before.

As a general rule, the flight deck of aircraft used in 121 ops is not as loud of a place as anything in the GA world.

Smaller and lighter should be your goals.

Telex, clarity aloft, DC Pro-x... think along those lines. If you want extra noise reduction, wear earplugs under them.

I use Quiet Technoligies -HALO. Half the price of the other in ear headsets, I just the clarity aloft ear buds on it. Their warranty is great! I sent in an 8yr old pair for a repair and they sent me a brand new set. No more clamps on your head, the boom is reversable unlike the clarity aloft and the wire band forms to your head for snug fit unlike the clarity aloft. They aren't TSOd but I've never heard a word from anyone about it.

You'll find a ton of guys out there using the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 with the UFlyMike setup. Apparently they work well for noise canceling and are nice for commuting and watching stuff on the iPad without having to carry around two sets of headphones. Bose came out with a newer 25 model that the UFlyMike guys have been working on an adapter for, but that has been going on for almost two years now. Hopefully they get it done soon. A quick search in the forum search bar and you'll find a lot of guys on here who swear by them and they work well both GA and 121. Ps - I don't have them myself, holding out for their new setup.

They (clarity) were ok for short flights, but clamped and hurt after a while. I sold mine and much prefer my A20s. A20s were the best for both GA and CRJs for me. I had clarity alofts, Zulu 2s, and A20s. I only have the A20s now. I only use the supplied acft headsets now at my current airline, but the A20s will work when you are in the regionals. Also, the Bluetooth is great for listening to music.

Ditto, but the UFM setup kind of sucks in GA planes. Great in airliners. I commute with my QC25s and would get the new setup if I needed a headset in an airliner.

Sort of been thinking about this lately... Do the big 4 manufacturers provide built in headsets or are they all like GA and the airline/pilots have to supply their own into standard jacks?

What are Republic's policy?

What do you mean by this? Mainline supplies their pilots with headsets?

I use the QC15s, however, I fly with several pilots who have recently bought the new DCs and love them. Haven't heard anything bad (pun intended). This for the 747-8F cockpit which is outrageously loud. They'd be my next set.

Also check out the Clarity Aloft.

It's all personal preference. I bought the Halos and they went back in the bag after 2 days. I found them very uncomfortable, where I can't even tell that I have my Clarity Aloft on. Luckily the headset manufacturers have great return policies and they were taken back and refunded without issue.

The Clarity Aloft is a great choice, has a TSO model, but is pricey. It also works great in GA. I don't use it in my airline flying often because my ears get tired of earplugs on days when I have 7+ hours of block, but it does work well. When I take my family up in GA aircraft I use the Clarity Aloft and my son gets my DC Pro-X.

There are headsets in the airplanes themselves, just like at many regionals.

Each airplane usually has a ships headset that is always in the airplane. They are usually the cheapest of the cheap but they get the job done if you forget your headset.

I use the QT halos as well. Super comfortable, great audio quality, no bad hair days, and they make the CRJ whisper quiet. I have never heard anyone (including two feds) ask if they are TSO'ed. I am waiting for the UFlyMic QC25 to come out. Once it does I will probably switch to that.

We have ANR sennheisers in our planes. I was using my A20s for a while but got tired of unplugging the ship set, plugging mine in, then replugging the ship set back in at the end of each flight, every time I flew, and I was tired of lugging around a headset. Our sennheisers aren't bad. Not worth the hassle of having my own. The headsets my regional provided in the CRJ were bad, though, and it was worth it to have my own.

David Clarkes provided on the plane. Probably 80% of pilots there carry their own vs using a communal headset.

+1 for clarity aloft. I've used mine flying survey, King airs, and now CRJ-200/900s and they work like a dream. Nice and light and extremely clear speakers in the ear buds. In the 4 years I've had the headset I've had to buy replacement ear buds twice and now the stop over store sells them, so I just use my employee account to buy them.

The Telex 850s work pretty well. No batteries but....the ANR circuit is powered off the 5v mic bias voltage. Some airplanes don't have this, and even some airplanes of the same type are wired differently, and don't supply enough for the ANR or the mic to work. On my last two fleets, there were a handful of airplanes it didn't work on, and you're relegated to using the ship set.

The DC-Pro X looks like a nice unit and being battery powered, shouldn't be an issue.

You can roll the dice on the TSO issue. One hyper-anal Fed and you on probation equals no bueno.

Half the fleets at my current shop has old school DCs with 1 ear cup (no kidding, and some guys use them), and the other half has Telex 750s, which are very decent.

I've seen everything from A20s to those little 1970s glass mics that clip on your eyeglasses and a separate molded ear piece. It takes all kinds.

Nu

Don't know how you're going that long between changing the tips, I get ear infections if they aren't changed regularly. Anyway, save yourself a ton of money. They are just relabeled Etymotic tips, and can be purchased on Amazon or most music shops for much less. There's also a much wider selection available. Just look at the pictures, the ones with the plastic center are the ones you want.