Do You Wear a Helmet?

I wore a helmet in the Buff and T37 and frankly hated the thing with a passion. But as said before, there's no other way to strap O2 to your face, so I sucked it up. But not for my M2 or any other plane I fly in, unless obviously warranted.

That said, Gorbaks first pic does speak of another issue (and not trying to hijack the thread), but I'd think a nomex flight suit would be far more appropriate for our homebuilts with their "firewalls".

Not sure if RVs have a header tank, but my M2 does and this is far more of a concern than a helmet to me.

secondary eye protection

What about a cloth helmet for holding the mike and earphones, as well as a pair of goggles for secondary eye protection?

Doesn't scratch the canopy or take up a lot of room

Provides a place to hang the mike and earphones

Could provide a bit of comfort in case of canopy failure (for whatever reason...birdstrike etc)

Not particularly heavy so no massive neck strain.

Might contribute to comfort during those cold Winter flights.

Saville said:

What about a cloth helmet for holding the mike and earphones, as well as a pair of goggles for secondary eye protection?...

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And ack-ack-ack-ing the 109's over the Channel with Robert Shaw...priceless!

Sorry, rewatched Battle of Britain on our new widescreen telly last night...

I have laid awake nights trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets.

DrillBit said:

And ack-ack-ack-ing the 109's over the Channel with Robert Shaw...priceless!

Sorry, rewatched Battle of Britain on our new widescreen telly last night...

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You can teach.....................


A worthy way to spend one's evening

I can also suggest "Spitfire Ace" to be found on Youtube. It's non-fiction and terribly interesting.

Andy Hill said:

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...

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Substitute the word "sometimes" for "always" in order for this statement to be factual.

My opinion is that if one feels safer, wear a helmet. In an RV, I believe an helmet could be useful if in turbulence if the seat belt is loose...tighten the belt.

Bob

Bird Strike rough data

I used to fly police patrol in LA down low usually 500-1000ft AGL. Throughout the city at that altitude there are big ol' dumb seagulls flying around.

Two seagull bird strikes (no other type of bird strikes) in over 200,000 hours of flight for the whole unit while I was there.

In those two cases the seagull went through the co-pilot side front windshield of a Bell 206 and ended up on the lap of the observer. Blood, guts, injured bird flapping, noise, etc. We always wore helmets (required) and were supposed to always have the visor down. In both cases the observer did not receive any injuries probably due to the helmet and visor.

The pilots said the screaming of the observer was a bigger distraction than the noise.

Do I wear a helmet???

Only this........

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20131024X85621&key=1

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Interesting read. No final report but large bird feathers were reported to be discovered in the wreckage. Awaiting the probable cause from the NTSB..I believe both pilot and passenger were wearing helmets.

Do you know of any of the "lower profile under 200g" helmets? I am interested.

AV8AZ said:

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.


Tyson

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Only when I am ice climbing or riding my motor cycle.

I do, for 2 reasons. First of all, because I manufacture them, and secondly because I fear bird strikes. The RV wind screen is very weak IMO. A visor on takeoff and landing might just save the day.

No Way

No Way, No How. I wore one of those brain buckets for the better part of 20 years and mine will remain in it's display case. I enjoy the freedom of my Clarity Aloft / Ball Cap / Sunglasses approach and won't give that up while flying a light airplane. The protection issue aside, helmets are HOT - meaning roast your brain HOT. We don't need an exhaustive thermodynamics study to know that wearing a helmet in the summer in the sun belt is a prescription for HOT!

Climbing into an airplane is a calculated risk. I calculate that wearing an helmet reduces that risk by an infinitesimal amount. I'll take comfortable thank you.

One thing to realize is that not all helmets are the same, and are there for different missions (just like the vehicles they are meant to be used in).

Most fixed wing helmets are there to hold visors, O2 masks, and headsets. They aren't designed for impact protection at all, except maybe light impact to the visor. So if you buy one of these and think you're buying impact protection from hitting the panel, roll hoop, or ground, you're getting a false sense of security.

Helicopter helmets are designed for impact, and multiple ones at that. Of course, they weigh and cost a lot more in order to achieve this. Call up Gentex and tell them you're a rotorcraft pilot and ask for a fixed wing helmet and they'll refuse to sell you one.

This is true with car and motorcycle helmets too FYI- the motorcycle standard is for one impact (you fall off). The car standard is multiple (you're strapped in and banging the roll cage as the car rolls).

So if you're going to bother to wear one, make sure it's actually designed to protect you from the thing you are worried about.

glasses

I know it is a helmet discussion, but it makes me think I need better quality glasses in flight.
I tend to be mr. el-cheapo with sun glasses. I am quite sure the ones I have would not afford much protection in a bird strike.
Thanks for all the dialog... good safety info.

ALWAYS!

...While on my motorcycles, and occasionally during sex!..

Mike,

I assumed you wore a "anti-splat" during sex??

Oops. I meant Allen

Fixed wing

helmets are designed for a different type of impact than the helicopter helmets. The studies the Army did on helicopter accident injuries pushed the helo helmet design. There is more lateral energy absorbtion designed into them.

The fixed wing helmets are designed to protect in a more fore and aft impact. Additionally, they do protect the head during ejection/exit from the aircraft.

I do not put a yearly life limit on my helmets. After 3 to 5 thousand hours they get beat up enough to require replacement. Damage incurred in an accident/incident may not be visible, so a helmet gets replaced if that happens.

I plan on using my HGU-55 and a parachute during phase one... maybe forever.

I wear a hard helmet when flying acro or formation.


I'm also working on fitting an AN-H-15 with modern wiring, mike and receivers using a period-correct attachment for the mike boom.

Can we bring this thread back again, 7 years after the last post, and update it a little in the modern era of head injuries?

What are the thoughts about helmets today? I’m in phase 1 testing for my RV-10 and I’ve been wearing a Bonehead Composites helmet with ANR since the first flight. Am I the only one? My EAA TC (he has built 6 planes and has maybe 5000 hours) has been giving me a lot of $&#@ about it. It was fun at first, but now it is getting pretty insulting.

I like the helmet. The ANR is very good. Flying with a visor is great. I’ve been flying for the last several years in Randolph aviators, which are awesome, but i have come to love the visor. No frame edges. No pressure on the nose. At about hour 8, I tested the autopilot for the first time and I had a small issue, which involved hitting the ceiling. The helmet took all the impact.

I wear helmets skiing, biking, and mountaineering. I wear an old bike helmet when roller skiing to train for cross country skiing and biathlon. What’s wrong with a helmet for flying?

I will be flying Young Eagles in a few weeks. And I am starting to fly with experienced pilots during the test phase. Soon, I will be flying with family.

Should I ditch the helmet as my TC keeps telling me? Or tell him to bug off?

Your honest answers are welcome.

I wouldn't hesitate to own and wear a helmet if I was flying a back-country sandbar-type bush plane, or doing a lot of aerobatics where I might bang my head. Flying point A to point B with the family....no. Personally I see it as unnecessary. OTOH...apparel and equipment decisions are yours to make and you shouldn't let anyone bully you into adhering to their concept of how a pilot should equip him/herself.

I wore a helmet once in the beginning of Phase 1 and the hard plastic scratched the heck out of the inside of my beautiful new canopy! (I’m kind of tall)

Not a fan of head injuries, but my poor canopy

RV-9A

I wear a LIFT helmet with Bose A20 ANR headset inside. I know some would think a 9A does not warrant wearing a helmet. BUT, my reading indicates the noggin will likely come into contact with several parts of the aircraft depending on the severity of impact. Wearing a helmet minimizes the probability of head damage and likely decapitation if at an extreme.
Additionally, I find the level of noise reduction wearing the helmet and A20 is (in my opinion) significantly better than the A20 by itself.

Now, if I could only convince my wife to wear a helmet instead of P & M about getting "helmet hair."

As the previous post to your question indicated "the decision is yours alone" - anyone else can be told to FO if they push the envelope too far.

AlpineYoda said:

Your honest answers are welcome.

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Keep the helmet, ditch the friends. Anyone that would make fun of someone for using Personal Protective Equipment is wrong. It's as simple as that.

I have a Bonehead Composites skydiving helmet that I'm in the process of converting to a pilot helmet. Wear your helmet proudly, that's what I say.

I wonder what my Young Eagles parents would say if I strapped on a helmet before a YE flight?

-Marc

Chucklehead

I flew with a helmet for 28 years in the military but don’t now. Although, frankly, the bird strike argument is somewhat compelling. I guess I realized after the second or third funeral that flying is risky business. We may make it look easy but there will always be risk. I’m going to die eventually and, personally, I’d rather it be relatively quick and maybe painful in an aircraft crash than long and miserable in a hospital bed, or in a memory care unit. I’m happier flying than, almost, anywhere else. Why not die doing what I love? That’s just my personal opinion.

As far as the TC, he’s a chucklehead. That’s a nice way of saying what I’m thinking. If you want to wear a helmet, wear a helmet. ****, you can even paint it up like Maverick if you want, that’s fine with me. You can even have a big ole glass of white wine with ice cubes with your steak. You just be you!

The person who has to make someone feel little so they can feel big, is pretty small.

You can always wear a helmet that's airbrushed like mine and nobody will know you're wearing a helmet. I painted it to get back at a nosy flight nurse when I was flying EMS helicopters and she fell for it hook line and sinker ! KARMA !!

https://youtu.be/i2gxsZYPnUo

I have always wanted to wear this helmet when forced to use an overpriced FBO as a form of silent protest.

Helmet

I would wear a helmet if it fit under the canopy. But I’m tall enough that a headset barely fits.

I had a friend have a chicken hawk come through his windshield and it was still alive (barely.). Fortunately his helmet and visor save his face and vision. Wear your helmet if YOU want to and find another TC. His advise isn’t worth the trouble and insults.

Helmets for pilots in non-aerobatic/non-bush flying would undoubtedly save a few lives a year. In the overall scheme, the argument for them would be more compelling, however, if the proponents also wore them while driving, where they are statistically far more likely to suffer a traumatic head injury.

AlpineYoda said:

My EAA TC (he has built 6 planes and has maybe 5000 hours) has been giving me a lot of $&#@ about it. It was fun at first, but now it is getting pretty insulting.

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I would find a new TC. Sound like the one you have is past their best-before date.

I have an Alpha helmet I was gifted and wear it on all formation flights, and most aerobatic flights. I don't wear it all the time when i'm going cross-country to get somewhere, but maybe I should. Mostly I just feel bad that I don't have one to offer my passenger. Maybe I should fix that, too, but having a variety of sizes to fit the variety of passengers I could end up with seems impractical... As well as expensive.

I can assure you that the interiors of my cars are much more user friendly than my RV-4. I wear a helmet designed mostly for rock climbing and rescue workers made by Petzl.

I wear a helmet

Though it never occurred to me during the years I flew certified airplanes to wear a helmet, entertained wearing one when it became apparent that the little RV3 was not so easy for the birds to see and avoid. After the third or fourth close call with some big birds, decided wearing a helmet was a good idea.
My RV3 is painted off white and blends in quite nicely with any clouds in the background, travels a whole lot quicker than a lot of other general aviation aircraft and being a small aircraft, is difficult for other pilots and birds to spot.
In addition to now always flying with the helmet on and visor down, also installed the Flyleds leading edge lights with the wigwag module. I highly recommend Flyleds. Other traffic and birds are now spotting me more readily.
I haven't found the helmet uncomfortable and manages the deafening noise of the RV just fine, consequently my expensive ANR headset sits on a shelf gathering dust.
A bonus is the prop blast isn't a problem when taxiing with the canopy open. Because I sit pretty tall, even after reducing the seat cushion thickness was worried about scratching the inside of the canopy. The remedy was taping a couple of strips of high density foam to the top of the helmet and strapping in fairly tightly.
For me, it just makes sense to wear a helmet.

Helmets...... and life in general....

AlpineYoda said:

What are the thoughts about helmets today?

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I have worn a helmet since Day One of my flying SuzieQ. There were multiple reasons I chose to have my head and face protected. I was test-flying a newly manufactured aircraft and it just made sense to have one on. I have worn it since because it just makes sense to have one on! There is a bare 1/4 inch of polycarbonate between me and whatever the airplane is scraping along upside down. Or whatever has decided to bash its way through the canopy. I wear helmets when I ski, bike, climb, and other activities where my head might be the first thing to be hit or hit the ground. Why should flying be any different? I have also worked ERs.....

I’m in phase 1 testing for my RV-10 and I’ve been wearing a Bonehead Composites helmet with ANR since the first flight. My EAA TC (he has built 6 planes and has maybe 5000 hours) has been giving me a lot of $&#@ about it. It was fun at first, but now it is getting pretty insulting.

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My life improved substantially when, about age 9 or 10, gave up caring about what everyone thought. I would NOT have gotten where I am in life if I had listened to all those naysayers around me. I bought the Cub when I was 21 years old working as a carpenter saving up money for college. My family did not know for 2 years. I eventually did finish college and professional school (Mom: well, you can't do THAT!). Wait: you think you can BUILD your own airplane?? And on and on......

I like the helmet. The ANR is very good. Flying with a visor is great. I’ve been flying for the last several years in Randolph aviators, which are awesome, but i have come to love the visor. No frame edges. No pressure on the nose. At about hour 8, I tested the autopilot for the first time and I had a small issue, which involved hitting the ceiling. The helmet took all the impact.

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That should have convinced you your helmet was a great idea! I really like my helmet as well. Mine was "custom molded" decades ago when that was available and fits like a glove on my oddly-shaped head. Mine has an ANR as well and the noise abatement is second to none. The visibility through the visor is a compliment to the visibility out of the canopy! There is plenty of room between the helmet and the canopy. I have a piece of Velcro (the soft side) on top of the helmet to prevent scratching the canopy. I have hit the canopy more than once in turbulence (Wyoming...!) Mine is an HGU-55 without the visor protective slider (like the old HGU-2A). That knob would probably be too tall. If you saw Aimee "Rebel" Fiedler's F-16 demo at OSH, she was wearing the HGU-55. Good company!

I read through the posts dating back to the original post and have to disagree with a lot of the comments. I do not have a canopy shade on SuzieQ. Never considered it. Why mess with THAT visibility?? I have been in the hot weather on long trips (to OSH, for example) and did not find it uncomfortable. Multiple trips into Arizona and Texas: not an issue.

I am not trying to appear "cool" and wouldn't care if someone thought that anyway. I wear a Nomex flight suit having talked to a pilot (in the doughnut line at OSH years ago!) who was sporting some gnarly-looking skin grafts on his arms from an RV-4 fire. He wished he had a Nomex suit on. I wear Nomex gloves (I have always worn gloves when flying) as things can get HOT that you need to grab on to in an emergency. Do people think I'm trying to look like a fighter pilot? Don't care. See above.

I wear helmets skiing, biking, and mountaineering. I wear an old bike helmet when roller skiing to train for cross country skiing and biathlon. What’s wrong with a helmet for flying?

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Exactly!

I will be flying Young Eagles in a few weeks. And I am starting to fly with experienced pilots during the test phase. Soon, I will be flying with family. Should I ditch the helmet as my TC keeps telling me? Or tell him to bug off?

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BUG OFF! Gently, of course...! I have flown with first-time adults; I have flown multiple Young Eagles; I have flown with (chosen) family. No one has EVER said anything about my helmet and flight suit. (I did have a know-it-all at a local fly-in accuse me of "impersonating an officer...." Made my day!!) It might even be reassuring to your passengers that you take this flying thing seriously! Do what you feel comfortable doing.

"Few and mean as my gifts may be, I actually am, and do not need for my own assurance or the assurance of my fellows any secondary testimony. What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." Ralph Waldo Emerson Self-Reliance

Photo: first seconds of flight of a brand-new airplane!!

You just said it.
If I wasn't so tall I would be wearing one also.
At 6'3" and already installed the RV-14 mod and moved the seat bottoms back as far as structure will allow in my RV-6. With minimal seat foam.
I fit OK but am to close to canopy to fit a helmet.
I have a 5 point harness and cinch it down on my legs and cross my fingers
Even so a couple of weeks ago was wishing for the helmet as I was crossing some mountains at 10,500 hit a few bumps that had my head bumping the canopy harder than fun.
my three cents worth.
Maybe I need to build an RV-14
Art

i suppose helmets are a good idea.how far do you want to take it? how can anyone that believes in helmets in good conscious ever take a passenger for a flight without stressing how important helmets are. how can a helmet advocate support the young eagles program without mandating that before the flight parents are schooled in the dangers in not wearing a helmet? i agree helmets will save lives and i wear one always on my motorcycle but not in my plane. sticky wicket. i guess my answer is not an answer to the posters question.

AlpineYoda said:

Should I ditch the helmet as my TC keeps telling me? Or tell him to bug off?

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I think I'd ditch the TC...

ds

I've still got 2 helmets left over from my military days, but that was before they invented the noise attenuation earphones, so they're quite noisy. I'm just wearing a Bose 10 and a VAF baseball cap. Wonder how much it would cost me to put noise attenuation earpieces in my existing helmets? Or do they make new helmets now with the noise cancelling earpieces already built in??

donaziza said:

I've still got 2 helmets left over from my military days, but that was before they invented the noise attenuation earphones, so they're quite noisy. I'm just wearing a Bose 10 and a VAF baseball cap. Wonder how much it would cost me to put noise attenuation earpieces in my existing helmets? Or do they make new helmets now with the noise cancelling earpieces already built in??

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I installed ANR in my helmet.

https://vansairforce.net/community/showpost.php?p=1683183&postcount=78

You can buy the ear modules

ANR and helmets....

donaziza said:

I've still got 2 helmets left over from my military days, but that was before they invented the noise attenuation earphones, so they're quite noisy. I'm just wearing a Bose 10 and a VAF baseball cap. Wonder how much it would cost me to put noise attenuation earpieces in my existing helmets? Or do they make new helmets now with the noise cancelling earpieces already built in??

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You can do either. They do make an ANR kit that fits in a helmet. When I first got mine it just had the ear speakers. Noise cancelling was OK but ANR took it major steps ahead. I put the kit in mine without too much trouble. It comes with a 9V power box or you can hotwire it to the airplane. I just put the hotwire in SuzieQ.

Headsetsinc.com has the setup. Not too difficult to install if you have a little building skill. I'd call them to make sure it will fit in your old helmet, but I'll bet they will. They are good to work with. There are several places that make new helmets with the ANR built in if you order it: Flighthelmets.com sets them up with a new helmet. That's where I got my HGU55 decades ago and am completely satisfied with it. They custom molded the lining back in those days. And they were a bit less expensive.....

I really appreciate everyone’s responses. I have a feeling that aviation helmets are where ski helmets were 15 years ago. People who wore then back them looked like they were trying to copy the World Cup skiers. Today, only fools don’t wear them. Maybe In a few years, most GA pilots will wear them and the Iceman / Maverick jokes will fade away.

I share a hangar with a Frontier captain who has a 1976 super cub. He’s thinking about buying one, now that he has seen mine. But, he is also 6 inches taller than me (closer to the roof and glareshield) and he flies the Cub back country, while my RV-10 stays on asphalt.

I’m glad so many people here support the idea of wearing one. Yeah, the one disconnect is why is the pilot wearing one, but the wife / young eagle / passenger is not? Well, the pilot is more critical. Hit a bad air pocket / hit the ceiling, the pilot better stay awake. And I can’t have a bunch of sizes for passengers.

Thanks again everyone. I feel more comfortable telling him to bug off given the broad support,

And for the above Nomex suit response, thanks for the support. I have one from my Civil Air Patrol flying experience. I wore it during initial fuel flow testing and taxi testing, given the risk of fire. But I’ve reluctantly hung it up during phase 1. I figured I can’t be the helmet guy AND the flight suit guy. I’m taking that back out of the closet, too. With a wife, and a kid, survivability matters to me,

AlpineYoda said:

I figured I can’t be the helmet guy AND the flight suit guy. I’m taking that back out of the closet, too. With a wife, and a kid, survivability matters to me,

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Might as well wear a 'chute too! (Just kidding. I don't begrudge anyone wanting to enhance their survivability in an accident.)

Nice work, AlpineYoday. This is a good one from one of the most trusted and entertaining voices in aviation IMO.

https://youtu.be/cFbF4bfU_sA

Cheers

RV8JD said:

Might as well wear a 'chute too! (Just kidding. I don't begrudge anyone wanting to enhance their survivability in an accident.)

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Yeah, I added a BRS to my RV-10.

rmarshall234 said:

Nice work, AlpineYoday. This is a good one from one of the most trusted and entertaining voices in aviation IMO.

https://youtu.be/cFbF4bfU_sA

Cheers

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I saw that a few months ago. He is great. In the video he specifically says that helmets for backcountry are a fine idea. But he does say they are unnecessary / excessive in a 2x2 plane like a diamond or Cirrus (or RV-10)

Maybe helmets will join the list of endless debates.
To prime or not to prime?
are twins safer than singles?
Is a BRS chute a safety improvement or a waste of weight?
Paint or vinyl covering?
Helmet or not?

donaziza said:

Wonder how much it would cost me to put noise attenuation earpieces in my existing helmets? Or do they make new helmets now with the noise cancelling earpieces already built in??

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I had Gibson & Barnes refurbish my AF issue HGU-55 prior to first flight and Phase 1. IIRC the cost in 2020 was $700ish for replacing straps and foam and installing civilian comms with their house brand ANR earcups. I’m happy with the work they did.

It’s not as comfortable as my CMW in-ear headset, but I really like the quietness from ANR and additional padding in the earcups and shell.

HTH

Dave

No........

We fly little aeroplanes for fun - we are not Top Gun...

Good Grief

To each his own

What would I tell my passengers?
Wear a helmet too? Young Eagles with helmets?
Not very confidence inspiring is it?
What's next, an aviators vaccine and a mask to keep you safe?
I prefer a little danger that comes with the freedom of exercising our experimental privileges vs the constricted and false sense of security and comfort that a ballistic chute or a helmet affords you.
Parachutes and helmets are for combat aircraft, test pilots, racers and the like.
If you must wear a helmet in an RV, my hat's off to you.

N427EF said:

What would I tell my passengers?
Wear a helmet too? Young Eagles with helmets?
Not very confidence inspiring is it?
What's next, an aviators vaccine and a mask to keep you safe?
I prefer a little danger that comes with the freedom of exercising our experimental privileges vs the constricted and false sense of security and comfort that a ballistic chute or a helmet affords you.
Parachutes and helmets are for combat aircraft, test pilots, racers and the like.
If you must wear a helmet in an RV, my hat's off to you.

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You're running mogas in an IO-540?