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04-30-2014, 08:21 AM
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VAF Moderator / Line Boy
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Tuttle
I'd say if it gives you piece of mind and makes you feel safer, then those are reasons enough to wear one. I've responded to six fatal plane crashes as a firefighter and in all cases a helmet would not have changed the outcome.
I don't wear one myself because of what I feel are low odds that it would actually make a difference.
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I think Paul has the right take on it. I occasionally wear a helmet when the risk analysis says it would make a difference - primarily in test flying, if I am wearing a parachute. I wear it as a "bump hat" to make sure I don't get knocked silly on my way out and can't deploy the chute. If I HAD to fly and there were swarms of birds, I might put the helmet on, but gee...I don't fly in combat, so why would I HAVE to fly that bad?
I can't think of any fatal accident cases I have read about in the last decade or so where a helmet would have changed the outcome - probably there are one or two, but those are statistical anomalies.
I tested a Cassutt yesterday, and had my (very nice) helmet with me but didn't wear it - there was no room the way the cockpit/canopy was configured, and it would have been more of a hindrance than an asset from the standpoint of visibility. It's all about the risk trade for the mission.
Formation? Good idea if you also have a chute (if you hit someone else hard enough to need the helmet, my guess is you'll be jettisoning the airplane). Severe turbulence conditions where you might bump your head? Good idea...but why are you flying? Lots of low altitude flying with birds around? If that is the mission, some sort of solid eye protection is a good idea - and a helmet will help (if you fly with the visor down).
If you watch RV's arrive at a fly-in, I'll bet you'll see very few folks with a helmet - that's just if you want to know the answer to "how many people fly with a helmet?"
A helmet is a tool in the risk management box. Sometimes, it helps, sometimes it can hurt - one size does not fit all, and for "normal" flying, I find that I leave it in the bag.
Paul
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Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
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04-30-2014, 10:26 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 60
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I'd offer two potential negative consequences of wearing a helmet. One can occur over time, the second may injur you right when you think that it should help you.
Military pilots who wear helmets generally wear them for reasons that don't apply to most civilian side accident sequences (rotary notwithstanding). Helmets add mass to your head that your cervical spine and disks must support. This increases the prevalence of degenerative changes in the cervical spine. This subject continues to be an aeromedical concern in military research circles. Notably you don't have to be regularly pulling high G's to suffer the effects. A couple of (dated) studies:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8161325
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14960051
The other issue is that a helmet may contribute to a cervical spine injury during a flip-over more than it protects from a "dent in the head." In a flip sequence there is frequently precious little free space above your head and the earth once upside down. Wearing a helmet can cause the helmet to "fill the free space" and actually strike the earth (where a bare head would have not contacted). When this occurs, you will needlessly subject your cervical spine to compression. I would be especially concerned if I was "always hitting my head on the canopy" in turbulence.
Last edited by AV8AZ : 04-30-2014 at 10:30 AM.
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04-30-2014, 10:39 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Gardnerville Nv.
Posts: 2,828
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Hum... interesting, on the other hand, wearing a helmet could strengthen your neck over time, I have been riding motorcycles most of my life, and currently commute 100 mi every day on one, been down hard several times, smacked my head hard enough to be knocked out, ( maybe thats whats wrong with me) but I do not show any signs of cervical degeneration? the helmets now days are very light. I might wear one if I ever get my plane in the air.
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7A Slider, EFII Angle 360, CS, SJ.
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04-30-2014, 10:46 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Lake Country, B.C. Canada
Posts: 2,416
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options?
seems there are lots of options out there......for a couple hundred, these motorcycle helmets with retractable ( hidden) visors sure look like they'd work. Of course you'd have to use an in-ear comm for most of them.
[IMG]  [/IMG]
The stats may not be the last word in reasons to wear or not; how many people may have been able to survive a post crash fire or dunking if they had not been knocked out by head trauma. I see a lot of cases where the canopy handle, dashboard seem to contact the crews head with predictable, and avoidable, results.
just my opinion......
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Perry Y.
RV-9a - SOLD!....
Lake Country, BC
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04-30-2014, 11:01 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: PORT ARANSAS
Posts: 419
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Interesting discussion!
I, too, wonder how many deaths that are attributed to fire could have been avoided had the pilot not been knocked silly?
As for my statement (questioned upstream) about a high probability of an off-airport landing, I confess that in 20 years of flying I have not had one -- nor do I expect to. That said, I know an alarming number of pilots who HAVE, and we all know that piston engines are prone to failures.
I have zero interest in wearing a helmet, mind you. But I must openly wonder if I am being foolish by not wearing one. I wish i could find better statistics on this sort of thing.
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Jay Honeck
RV-8A N14EG
Port Aransas, TX
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04-30-2014, 11:25 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Sausalito, CA
Posts: 325
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I've never worn a helmet and have no immediate plans to.
I never thought about birdstrike protection... that's the best reason I've heard to wear one. But I'd prefer strong goggles to a helmet for that.
Both of my planes have rollover protection. My biggest worry in that case is egress, especially in the RV.
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Joe Zuffoletto
RV-8 (flying)
Fullerton, CA (KFUL)
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04-30-2014, 11:48 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: West Texas
Posts: 282
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Military helmets
I second the comments by AV8AZ on the wt./cervical spine issue. Military crews are also wearing NVGs ("nods") much more frequently which adds considerably to the pressure on the cervical spine and tends to pull the helmet forward. This is somewhat counteracted by the battery pack in the back, but which adds even more wt. which is then compounded by G levels.
NVGs have a more narrow angle of vision which forces the pilot to turn his head more to see and so the spine is subject to much more rotary wear and tear. The overall package increases the height of the helmet...not a factor in a C-130 but definitely could cause problems in a tight cabin.
I have a friend who flew night mission in rotorcraft most of his career and recently had some neck fusion surgery despite have an extremely muscular neck structure.
The RV canopy height can be a concern and in the quest for achieving a perfect tip-up canopy fit, you can decrease the overall clearance to not good levels. Van's partially addressed this by lowering the seat pan an inch or in the 7 series.
US military helmets are not designed to function as a motorcyle helmet or Kevlar bucket. They provide less protection. They are designed to accomplish several functions. Protection to the face and head from striking objects, the canopy on ejection, wind blast, tree limbs, etc, or the ground especially if being drug by the chute. They also provide additional noise protection and communcations which cannot be dislodged.
High noise levels supposedly, even with excellent hearing protection, can degradate performance over time on a long flight and the flight helmet helps to keep those sound impulses from being directly transmitted to the skull. I am pretty sure that I saw an article about designing a special helmet for the Raptor because the noise levels were so high.
Military helmets also provide a secure base for oxygen masks which must fit very tight at high altitudes and G conditions. Some helmets also provide clear/sunvisors that cannot be lost or blown off.
To me a properly fitted HGU-55P is a probably a pretty good choice for an RV because it does have a low profile but it may still be too high in a given RV depending on the pilot. There probably is not an ideal helmet for an RV, one that is very light, comfortable, low profile and which provides good sound protection and hearing and face and head protection.
Finally the Van's canopy is blown from what looks like 1/4" Plexiglass but a good portion is more like 3/16" thick or less in the rounded portion. Not very substantial. If you look at the pictures of RV bird strikes, they usually have a pretty big hole from a pretty small bird, with several fragments of plexiglass...secondary missiles. To me that is the best reason to wear a helmet with face protection in an RV.
Dave A.
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04-30-2014, 11:57 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: brazil
Posts: 316
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjhoneck
Mary and I have ridden motorcycles for 30+ years. We wouldn't dream of riding without a brain bucket -- not even down to the bathroom at the FBO. I've been down once, and the very FIRST thing that hit the pavement was my pumpkin head, ahead of my hands, shoulder, and knees. Without a helmet that day, I'd be goofier than I already am...
Yet, for whatever reason, it never occurred to us to wear one in all the years of flying -- until we got an RV. Then, all that...gorgeous glass...over our heads (and not much else) made us start to think...What are we DOING? If this thing flips, our brains are smeared all over the runway.
So...do any of you guys wear helmets when flying? If so, why? If not, why not?
Thanks!
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Here in Brazil many things are like third world but here helmets for bikers are mandatory and results in a fine case you don't use
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Guilherme Plassmann (Brazil)
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Donation made 2016
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04-30-2014, 03:52 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Harrisburg, Pa
Posts: 759
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Quote:
Originally Posted by koda2
I have a friend who flew night mission in rotorcraft most of his career and recently had some neck fusion
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I fall into this category. Not a whole career worth but at around 400 NVG hours, enough to give me several herniated discs in my neck - horrible pain when it would flare up, numbness in my arm, etc. I also commute almost daily on a motorcycle, so that probably exacerbated the condition.
I haven't had the slightest recurrence for a couple years since I stopped NVG flying thank goodness, but no helmet for me. I agree with some others that face/eye protection is probably highest payoff. It is a personal risk decision, but after years of wearing everything under the sun to take to the sky, I'm more than happy with my shorts, t-shirt, and headset.
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04-30-2014, 08:07 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Dallas, TX (ADS)
Posts: 2,180
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On the bike? Always.

Why? Proven to reduce injuries in accidents. Keeps **** (bugs, rocks, etc) from hitting me in the face on a regular basis ("you got a lot of bugs in this state" says a friend). Wind protection. Sun protection. Intercom / bluetooth music made easy.
Flying? Never.
Why? Bulky in an already tight cockpit (CT), not enough headroom (glider). Very hot in summer (which lasts 5 to 6 months here). Not proven to reduce injuries in GA.
TODR
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Doug "The Other Doug Reeves" Reeves
CTSW N621CT - SOLD but not forgotten
Home Bases LBX, BZN
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