FAA and Noise Cancelling Headsets

[MidlifeFlyer]

But, that is kindda wierd about the letter saying that people can't hear warning horns and the likes. I don't think I have really ever heard of anyone having problems hearing it with any ANR headset.

As I said, I think came across this some years ago,when ANR headsets were something new. I wonder whether the concerns are base on:

1. people have reported difficulty in hearing cockpit sounds. period.

2. people have reported initial difficulty in hearing some sounds while their ears became more accustomed to the overall lower sound level (like your eyes adjust in low light

3. people who never used one gave opinions based on zero knowledge it wouldn't work and they would never wear one.

or

4. people testing the noise reduction circuitry in a laboratory figured out that people in a flying environment will have to have trouble and that curveballs can't really curve.

My guess is that the smallest group in the servey was #1.

Now, lets go back another 10-20 years to the early days of headsets, with even poor passive protection. Any takers on whether all four exact same arguments were being made with approximately the same distribution?

 

[Bumblebee]

The same type of argument was made on the fire department about the nomex hood. The tribal mentality was that you wouldn't know when it was time to get out because you were shileded from the heat, and would be able to withstand much higher temps more comfortably. The second argument was that you wouldn't be able to hear a victim. Both were proven incorrect.

I wear Bose and have for more than a year and a half. I treat them as well as I can with quick turns and aircraft change outs and they are holding up just fine (almost like new). I hear alarms with no problems and I can tell when I pull the engines into cruise power if I do it out of sync. I also can hear engine surges and other sounds that are out of the ordinary. I wouldn't want to fly without some sort of ANR system. (I'm spoiled)

FWIW
When we have flown without the headsets, I find it much more difficult to communicate effectively.

 

[PanJet]

Most ANR headsets are made specifically to cancel out the lower frequencies like the drone of the engine, not the higher pitches coming from alarms, etc.

I've never had an issue with my Bose, although I've been having weird ear issues and headaches every now and then the last few months, and I'm not sure, but it seemed to get worse when I went back to ANR (went back to Bose after using a DC for a while). Has anyone else ever experienced any odd sensations when using ANR? (Minor ear ringing, headaches, sometimes very slight nausea.)

 

[bluelake]

The same type of argument was made on the fire department about the nomex hood. The tribal mentality was that you wouldn't know when it was time to get out because you were shileded from the heat, and would be able to withstand much higher temps more comfortably. The second argument was that you wouldn't be able to hear a victim. Both were proven incorrect.

I wear Bose and have for more than a year and a half. I treat them as well as I can with quick turns and aircraft change outs and they are holding up just fine (almost like new). I hear alarms with no problems and I can tell when I pull the engines into cruise power if I do it out of sync. I also can hear engine surges and other sounds that are out of the ordinary. I wouldn't want to fly without some sort of ANR system. (I'm spoiled)

FWIW
When we have flown without the headsets, I find it much more difficult to communicate effectively.

I second all of this.

I bought my Bose when flying in an old Aero Commander, continued to use them through freight and now use them in the 121 world. I thought I would have broken them or sat on them by now. I have a hairline crack in one side, I think its from cramming them in my flight case and then seeing the case shoved into a CRJ belly, but they are still holding up well. If someone stole them today, I would turn around and buy another pair.

 

[flyguy]

Has anyone else ever experienced any odd sensations when using ANR? (Minor ear ringing, headaches, sometimes very slight nausea.)

Yeah, but only in the middle of a long XC when the batteries die and I don't have any replacements.