When to buy headset?

Y

youngflyer

Well-Known Member
Once again I am in another agrument with my parents. I think that I should get my headset asap and they say that I should just keep borrowing the flight schools crappy headset. I was thinking of getting the headset for my birthday with me paying about half. What are some good reasons of getting the headset before the training is done?
 
Well to me it would not hurt to save your hearing atleast for one more year when you are 80. If the headsets are as bad as you say, then deffinetly get some that you are comfertable with and most of all PROTECT YOUR HEARING TO THE FULLEST!!:)
 
youngflyer said:
Once again I am in another agrument with my parents. I think that I should get my headset asap and they say that I should just keep borrowing the flight schools crappy headset. I was thinking of getting the headset for my birthday with me paying about half. What are some good reasons of getting the headset before the training is done?
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I think that getting a headset is an investment you'll have to make. Being a student, you don't need the fancy David Clarks... I still use my trusty cheapo Flightcom headset from my private training...:)
 
Fancy David Clarks?

:crazy:

DCs would be the absolute cheapest I'd go, but that's me. I finally settled on some DCs because they were like $260 bucks at sportys. I find them very comfortable, I actually never though to reevaluate whether I liked them or not.
 
are the headsets at your flight school so crappy that it actually distract you in the cockpit? i never like the idea putting on something that's been sitting on another person's head, too close to my comfort zone.
 
I bought mine after I got my private. At that point, I was at a milestone, and I would have a good grasp if I REALLLLLLLY wanted to make aviation a career or if that was as far as I would go (little boy dream did become a reality, but I tried to keep an open mind) . If your going to buy one, make it a smart worth while decision. I bought a lightspeed XLC15 (I think i paid around 400 at the time) and I have put about 1,200 hours on them in the past two and a half years... hope that helps.
 
I bought mine before I started training. I actually bought mine from a guy here on JC who has since vanished in Peaknuckle land.:(:panic:
 
"when you have the money" is the correct answer.

That said, I bought mine while I was still a student pilot, somewhere back in the mists of time around 1993. They are still my primary (and only) set. Say what you will about DCs, they last.
 
Yeah when you have the money. When I was a student and wanted my first headset I started looking on ebay. I found a nice set of DC20-10's with ANR for $170. Only draw back was they had the jumbo battery pack but I still have them and they work great.
 
Buy a pair of ASA Air Classics, made with the same parts as David Clarks and only cost $99 at most stores. You can then add the soft top and gel ear seals and you have a DC headset for $150 with a lifetime warranty! I still have my first pair that I bought and now use it as a passenger headset.
 
just for the hygiene issue, id want my own ASAP.

i dig my DC's.... solid built, no complaints, takes lots of abuse in my backpack/flight bag/banging around the cockpit

modest price, no fancy ANR stuff, but gel ear seals get the job done.
 
Don't buy a cheaper headset like flightcom or air classic you will regret it in the future. Buy the DC 13.4 and it will last a long time plus the are very comfortable. Then when you start flying a few hours a day (CFI) get an ANR and you will still have a good backup or for passengers.
 
Whatever you do, don't get cheap vice grips. I have a headset that after wearing it for an hour you feel like your head is about to cave in. I now use DC's.
 
I bought one the night of my first lesson with my instructor. He has a deal where he can get discounts, so I got a basic AvComm for $105 and a set of gel earseals. It's pretty comfy for a low-end headset.

I've since purchased a used Pilot-USA with ANR that I like a lot, but it does need a bit of refurb work. Debating between keeping that as a backup and buying a Zulu (so that I have 3 headsets) or refurbing this one and having two.

I tried on a Zulu. Man that thing was comfortable.
 
beechpilot84 said:
Don't buy a cheaper headset like flightcom or air classic you will regret it in the future. Buy the DC 13.4 and it will last a long time plus the are very comfortable. Then when you start flying a few hours a day (CFI) get an ANR and you will still have a good backup or for passengers.
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Why does it matter when they are made in the same place with many of the same parts? The only thing that is really different is the plastic and the color.
 
Cessnaflyer said:
Why does it matter when they are made in the same place with many of the same parts? The only thing that is really different is the plastic and the color.
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I've worn cheap PNR headsets.

There is a huge difference.

It doesn't take more than 1.0 to figure it out.

Maybe I am just a sensitive pansy. But I do like my hearing.
 
beechpilot84 said:
Don't buy a cheaper headset like flightcom or air classic you will regret it in the future. Buy the DC 13.4 and it will last a long time plus the are very comfortable. Then when you start flying a few hours a day (CFI) get an ANR and you will still have a good backup or for passengers.
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I've been using a cheapo flightcom set since I started training in a DA-20. It's not great, but does the job for now. Are you saying that hearing damage could result from using this headset? Because the decibals seem to be fine to me. I don't ever have any of that "after rock concert" feeling in my ears after I fly. Just curious if this is a known fact and whether I'm at risk, or if that is just your opinion. Thanks.
 
The cheap ones will give you enough hearing protection. The problem is that they won't hold up as well and/or they won't be as comfortable as a quality set. I'll second the David Clark 13.4 as a really good value. Durable and, at least for me, very comfortable. I think you can buy a used set for about the same price as buying a new cheap set.
 
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