ipod headset interface

fisher37

Well-Known Member
what do you guys use to hook your ipod up to your headset? i know im going to get burned on this buy a few of you guys out there..but im getting ready to head into a lot of solo time for hour building for my commercial ticket...
 
Sounds like a recipe for an accident. A low time private pilot bombing around the country VFR listening to gansta rap (ok I was kidding about the gangsta rap).

Sound is an important cue in light airplanes. You can hear changes in your engine, changes in the airflow (indicative of speed), etc. When you read about RJ pilots listening to RJs keep in mind that they have an airplane that will give them chimes, flashing lights, CAS messages, TCAS, GPWS, all designed to enhance their situational awareness. So while i dont agree with RJ pilots listening to Ipods either, it is immeasurably safer for them to do so tha it is for you.

Full disclosure: When I was a freight pilot flying a Bonanza around the country at night, single pilot -- I listened to my walkman. I'm a lot smarter now than I was then.
 
lol, i know what you mean. i knew i was going to get burned. i do fly the g1000 which helps quite a bit to detect problems that may happen, and i will still be able to hear the plane fairly well...
 
The new 172s have a place for Aux audio input and will automaticly cut the music when the radio recives a transmition. If yours dosen't have this, get a headset with a jack for this and a "radio inturupt" feature". Don't put you headset on over your earbuds, you'll miss all sorts of radio calls.

I don't see any problem with listening to music while you fly, especially at cruise. We all do this while driving which is much more demanding.
 
Sound is an important cue in light airplanes. You can hear changes in your engine, changes in the airflow (indicative of speed), etc. When you read about RJ pilots listening to RJs keep in mind that they have an airplane that will give them chimes, flashing lights, CAS messages, TCAS, GPWS, all designed to enhance their situational awareness. So while i dont agree with RJ pilots listening to Ipods either, it is immeasurably safer for them to do so tha it is for you.

I know you said that you don't condone the practice of listening to music while flying so I'm not picking on you but I don't necessarily agree with the above statement. Yes we have different audio cues than light piston aircraft which increases our SA but they are no less important and no less hindered by distractions....why handicap them with background music? Furthermore ATC is such a dynamic part of the environment we work in I don't really think music helps matters much. I've been called rigid by some on this board regarding flight deck activity which is fine and perhaps true but there's no music on my flight deck.
 
The new 172s have a place for Aux audio input and will automaticly cut the music when the radio recives a transmition. If yours dosen't have this, get a headset with a jack for this and a "radio inturupt" feature". Don't put you headset on over your earbuds, you'll miss all sorts of radio calls.

I don't see any problem with listening to music while you fly, especially at cruise. We all do this while driving which is much more demanding.

i looked at the plane today, and there is a jack for aux input...now what cable do i need to hook my ipod to that?
 
The new 172s have a place for Aux audio input and will automaticly cut the music when the radio recives a transmition. If yours dosen't have this, get a headset with a jack for this and a "radio inturupt" feature". Don't put you headset on over your earbuds, you'll miss all sorts of radio calls.

I don't see any problem with listening to music while you fly, especially at cruise. We all do this while driving which is much more demanding.

How new does it have to be, and where is it?
 
i looked at the plane today, and there is a jack for aux input...now what cable do i need to hook my ipod to that?
A standard 1/8" to 1/8" stereo patch cable. Radio Shack has them in a variety of lengths, and as a bonus, the same cord works with many newer car stereos that have an aux input. This may seem incredibly obvious, but make sure you don't get one with a plug on one end and a jack on the other; you want a 1/8" plug on both ends.
 
How new does it have to be, and where is it?

not quite sure how new the plane has to be...i know that the planes i fly are 2005 models..and the jacks are under the throttle control area...in the old steam gauge planes we have they range from like 99-01 i think, and they dont have the jacks....
 
I've seen them on real old Skyhawks. Though I don't know if they are originals or after market. My Lightspeed Zulu serves me just fine
 
lol, i know what you mean. i knew i was going to get burned. i do fly the g1000 which helps quite a bit to detect problems that may happen, and i will still be able to hear the plane fairly well...

some of the g1000s, and many other systems, have XM radio. my instrument instructor liked to turn the music on. i found this very distracting, but i suppose that was the point. I guess it was better than Gann's burning matches in the face.

there is a cable you can find at avionics shops, i am not sure what it is actually for, but it will adapt standard ipod/walkman output to the aviation microphone input. you can plug this into a passenger headset jack to get music over the intercom, which is automaticly overridden by the radios, just like a chatty passanger. you only get one side of the stereo, so it is not as good as the headsets (liek lightspeed zulu) with an aux jack.
 
I dont know how much you want to spend but I have a friend who has a headset splice adapter that he has his Iphone or Ipod or whatever it is hooked in.... cant hurt to look around on line..

What you need is to get it hooked into that system I have seen floating around in some new planes... I know someone here will come up with the name for this product but what it does is anytime a squelch or communication comes over the radio it mutes the audio device and lets you hear the comm freq clearly....does this sound familiar to anyone?
 
lol, i know what you mean. i knew i was going to get burned. i do fly the g1000 which helps quite a bit to detect problems that may happen, and i will still be able to hear the plane fairly well...

Wow. With that philosophy, you are in for a rude awakening. What monitors the G1000 for problems. You can hear the plane fairly well? Not trying to be a youknowwhat, but that should be the least of your worries. There is so much to learn while flying, listening to music isn't it, especially this early in your training.
 
The new 172s have a place for Aux audio input and will automaticly cut the music when the radio recives a transmition. If yours dosen't have this, get a headset with a jack for this and a "radio inturupt" feature". Don't put you headset on over your earbuds, you'll miss all sorts of radio calls.

I don't see any problem with listening to music while you fly, especially at cruise. We all do this while driving which is much more demanding.

If you use earbuds as I have used them in the past, use only one(left or right ear) and keep it the volume down. I kept it quiet enough so it would not distract me from hearing anything on the airplane or a radio call. As long as you can make out what they are sanging about it will do just fine. Also, keep your ipod/mp3 player in your lap so you can press pause if needed.

Rock out :rawk:
 
If you use earbuds as I have used them in the past, use only one(left or right ear) and keep it the volume down. I kept it quiet enough so it would not distract me from hearing anything on the airplane or a radio call. As long as you can make out what they are sanging about it will do just fine. Also, keep your ipod/mp3 player in your lap so you can press pause if needed.

Rock out :rawk:

I do this as well, I switch ears when it gets uncomfortable. Flew a 5+ hr xc one day close to B airspace and didn't miss 1 radio call. Plus I zone out of the music after 5 min anyway :)
 
Wow. With that philosophy, you are in for a rude awakening. What monitors the G1000 for problems. You can hear the plane fairly well? Not trying to be a youknowwhat, but that should be the least of your worries. There is so much to learn while flying, listening to music isn't it, especially this early in your training.

have you even flown g1000? have you ever had a problem in g1000? i've had a low voltage problem...and what do you know? here comes a big ol 'DING' over the intercom...what does that que? oooooh!!!! wait...a big yellow message beside the altitude tape...hmm...sounds like a pretty good alert sytem to me...im pretty sure it does the same for low oil pressure, low fuel...etc....except those may show up in red? idk.

Oh, and has anybody found an adapter? I've found the muse device..but it's like 250 bucks..not really wanting to spend that..and I'm not flying the g1000 for awhile, its a lot cheaper to fly the steam gauge during the hour building that I'm going to have to do...I'm thinkin' about investing in the lightspeed zulu...anybody have a review of these? they look really nice!!!!
 
Brewmaster was giving you good advice and things to think about.

on topic. I have never flown with an Ipod, though I am tempted and will try it someday.

If you can get a system that cuts out the audio when a transmission is made, there is no problem what so ever. In the G-1000, the xm radio cuts out permanently with-in a Charlie/Bravo terminal area or if there are "X" amount of transmissions in a given time period. I can never tell what causes the xm to cut out, reaching the terminal area or the increase in radio traffic.

There is nothing wrong with listening to music as long as you are smart about it.
 
Sounds like a recipe for an accident. A low time private pilot bombing around the country VFR listening to gansta rap (ok I was kidding about the gangsta rap).

Sound is an important cue in light airplanes. You can hear changes in your engine, changes in the airflow (indicative of speed), etc. When you read about RJ pilots listening to RJs keep in mind that they have an airplane that will give them chimes, flashing lights, CAS messages, TCAS, GPWS, all designed to enhance their situational awareness. So while i dont agree with RJ pilots listening to Ipods either, it is immeasurably safer for them to do so tha it is for you.

Full disclosure: When I was a freight pilot flying a Bonanza around the country at night, single pilot -- I listened to my walkman. I'm a lot smarter now than I was then.

Hell, why not? Doug Masters used his walkman and was listening to tunes all the time when he stole an Air Force F-16 for joyrides (Iron Eagle). :rawk:
 
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