Do You Wear a Helmet?

[Smilin' Jack]

I have had the fortune to ride motorcycles and also fly most of my life.

I do not wear a helmet flying and this is an individual issue.

I was in a Citation CE500 jet and as we descended out of the clouds we were immediately into a flock of buzzards. We took a hit in the tail that almost ripped off the vertical stab.

If that bird came through the windscreen, no helmet would have helped.

I had a friend who flew DC-3 and in the military and an hawk went thru the co pilot windshield and did not stop after killing the copilot it continued to the rear of the passenger compartment going through all the hydraulics behind the copilot



I have seen a few bird strikes where birds went through a windscreen,Believe me it does not matter if your in a c310, baron, Lear Jet or RV if you live your lucky.
Military pilots wear helmets for several reasons.
1 they are likely to punch out in battle
2' the 02 mask attaches to the helmet
3. Their windshields are likely to be shot out and yes it would provide some protection if their head is not yanked off in the airstream
4 in some cases the helmets are pressurized and air conditioned
5 the helmet contains gun sighting equipment that monitors eye movement and other sensors will monitor the pilot's eyes in case of blackout and fly the aircraft until the pilot regains consciousness.
We're not flying at 600 Mph pulling 10 or more G's or landing on carriers

If I were flying acrobatics and close to the ground where an engine failure eliminates the use of a chute I'd probably wear a helmet.

Your choice like I said...
Jack

[n82rb]

I would, except I can't. I'm 6-1 and all my height is in my torso. I made my rudder links shorter just to get the pedals a little closer and had oregon aero take 1-1/2 inches off my front seat foam and my headset pad still rubs the canopy, there is no way I can get in the plane with a helmet on and still have any seat pad.

bob burns
RV-4 N82RB

[jjhoneck]

Originally Posted by n82rb

I would, except I can't. I'm 6-1 and all my height is in my torso. I made my rudder links shorter just to get the pedals a little closer and had oregon aero take 1-1/2 inches off my front seat foam and my headset pad still rubs the canopy, there is no way I can get in the plane with a helmet on and still have any seat pad.

bob burns
RV-4 N82RB

Heh -- sounds like my problem in our old Ercoupe. I finally modified an old grade-school plastic seat -- one of those fiberglass orange things -- to work as a seat, otherwise I couldn't close the canopy in flight!

Which, in an Ercoupe, didn't matter. But it sure was loud!

Basically, I was sitting on the wing spar, with NO cushion. Turbulence was not fun.

[smokyray]

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!

I wore a helmet for 25 years in the USAF and ANG with ejection seats. MAF wears them every flight for good reason. If your mission require it, wear one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1eHEQg_9iI

V/R
Smokey

[gerrychuck]

I started wearing an HGU 55 last year for rollover and bird strike protection. After going on anticoagulants (warfarin/coumadin) following the installation of my new mechanical mitral valve, the helmet option became attractive due to the increased risk of head bumps producing brain bleeds with these meds (which I will be on for life).

My response to some of the concerns:

1) Canopy clearance: I am 6'3" and have the "almost an RV 14" mod in my 6A; I have no issues with clearance at all, and wouldn't with the seatback in its original position either. There is very little difference in height between my helmet and a headset with a padded band (some headsets I've used are actually higher), and the helmet is narrower than my head in any of my headsets. I have never hit the canopy in turbulence etc. Someone asked if anyone was aware of an accident where a helmet would have made a difference - I have a friend who flipped his newly completed 7A with his commercial pilot son in the right seat. Both are tall guys. My friend suffered a serious neck fracture which would not likely have been helped by a helmet (he recovered following a fusion). His son, however, suffered severe head lacerations from the shattering canopy, which I believe would have been greatly decreased or prevented entirely by a helmet. Just one data point.

2) Comfort and weight: I have a custom fitted Oregon Aero liner and Oregon Aero ear pads. The helmet thus equipped is FAR more comfortable than any headset I have ever used. Pressure is distributed over a much greater area, as is weight, which is actually very light. I basically forget I have the helmet on, which certainly does not happen when I wear a headset. Probably because of the high tech liner, I actually find the helmet very cool to wear; much better than my motorcycle and racing helmets in that regard. I don't fly in Texas, however, and avoid flying in the heat of the day when we do have our version of hot weather, so I'll defer to others on that issue.

3) Noise attenuation: I have a Helmets Inc ANR setup in my helmet; excellent sound quality and noise attenuation; superior to my old Lightspeed (cheapo) units and vastly superior to my DC H10.13.4's.

4) Additional neck stress: I am a physical therapist and regularly treat military pilots whose necks have been done in by high G combat maneuvering made worse by helmet design, or by years of rotary wing/nvg use. Very real stuff, but these are stresses that simply aren't reproduced on any regular basis in our aircraft. Sure, lots of people pull g's in RV's, but not the same g's, not as frequently, and not for the durations that fighter guys do. Furthermore, straight g loading while looking straight ahead is far more benign than what happens to your neck when you're looking way back over your shoulder in a turning fight while sustaining 6 g through 360 degrees of turn. Comparisons re: head contact with canopy or ground or acceleration forces comparing bare heads to helmeted heads are not particularly useful either, as most of us do use headsets which add weight and reduce clearance as well. The helmet I use is much, much lighter than a motorcycle or racing helmet, and would have far less effect re: acceleration injury to the neck than one of those would. My analysis only; your mileage may vary.

4) Looking like a wannabe fighter pilot: I am sensitive to this one, but my response to this is that anyone who thinks I wear a helmet to look cool has never seen me wearing it! Those who remember the Flintstones will understand when I say I look like The Great Gazoo wearing this unit. Not flattering. By the way; my son has an identical helmet which he got the old-fashioned way (issued while flying the T-38), which he is getting converted to use in GA aircraft (my GA aircraft, that is). Therefore, if anyone sees us in the 6A and accuses us of being jet jock wannabes, they will only be half right, as one is the real deal, so there.

In summary, I fully expected that there would be some tradeoffs when I decided to start using the helmet, but have been pleasantly surprised to discover there have been almost none; I prefer flying with the helmet in every significant respect compared to using the traditional headset and ball cap except that so far I am not using a visor and miss the peak on my cap shading my eyes. My .02. Okay, that might have been more like a nickel

[Kitfoxbill]

My wife and I fly our RV8A with helmet s from Campbell Aero Classic NZ. The helmet is lighter than the ones I used in the military. And we'll made.


William Bennett
RV8A Flying For Sale

[Low Pass]

but I hear about rollover/tipover protection with helmets. Help me understand the benefit of a helmet in this condition. Most upside down conditions I'm familiar with occur at relatively low speed. Charlie Hillard died (I believe) from strangulation and was likely wearing a helmet. Other tipovers I've seen with RV type planes require a very tight squeeze to get out. Will there be room to negotiate this squeezing out with a helmet on?? Will you remove it before squeezing out? Where will you put it?

Just asking, because I see offsetting penalties in the helmet/tipover RV scenario.

[Andy Hill]

As per the summary I linked to on p1, the main benefit of a helmet seems minimising the effect of hitting interior elements in the cockpit during an impact.

As above, in a rollover it may help, but only in specific cases e.g. abrasion. If the rollbar sinks into the ground, or breaks, the helmet will do little.

As for:

Will there be room to negotiate this squeezing out with a helmet on??

the helmet need not be much bigger than your head.. but if shoving even forcing my head through shattered plexi, I'd rather helmet than a bare head!

Michael Schumacher's accident resulted in some interesting articles about the benefits. In a high speed / significant declaration crash, a helmet will not protect you from brain damage. It's main benefit seems to be the more mechanical impact to the head area.

Personally, my main motivation is to have something that stays in place during 'g', has decent sun visor ability, good noise attenuation etc. As with above posters, being ex-mil where helmets are always worn, even in GA types.

For safety, there is little question to me the helmet will always be the "safer" option than no helmet. But whether the difference is significant or negligible will depend on the type of accident...

[lella]

I personally have had a need for a helmet while flying an RV...
lost a canopy at 200 mph plus.
The impact of the wind almost knocked me out as I sustained two black eyes and a bloody nose. The thought of a bird strike is even more concerning...

Still don't wear one though, two RV's later and back to a 4. I would if I could find a comfortable one that would accommodate my headphones. Just a matter of getting used to it, like anything else.

And I wouldn't give a rip if it's cool or not and what others think of it.

[AV8AZ]

It would seem as though bird strike protection would be the only reason to use a military-type (e.g. HGU 55) helmet, and, if used for this purpose, would obviously require keeping the visor down during all operations where a strike could occur. Even with this protection, a bird strike to the protected head at velocities in excess of 80-100mph presents a risk of immediate loss of consciousness.

In an aircraft accident sequence, the ?toss around? durability and low sliding resistance properties of the hard shell helmet are arguably of no benefit. Thus, if only concerned about protection against blunt head trauma and scrapes, it would seem more appropriate to use lower-profile and much lower weight helmets. The HGU-55 helmet data sheet shows the medium sized lightweight model to weigh over 900 grams while other suitable helmets are available with weights under 200g that are much lower profile.

I would opine that most any helmet will provide ?clinically insignificant? protection from intracranial sloshing injuries (i.e. bleeding issues, DAI, and coup-countercoup) associated with the deceleration impulse involved in a typical aircraft accident sequence. Certainly every bit of protection helps. My 1 cent.

While on the subject of minutia theory, wearing headsets that are either proud of the head or helmet will concentrate loads on the side of the head (where the headset contacts the head) should the accident sequence result in the head striking or being struck from a lateral direction. Anecdotally, I lost a friend in a truck rollover where his head struck the shoulder belt pulley/ring cover just behind and to the left of his head. He had no significant trauma except a depressed skull fracture the shape of this object.

Another related issue is the lack of headrests in many older production aircraft and most homebuilts. This poses related safety implications that are outside the scope of this discussion.

Tyson