Helicopter helmets and license requirements..

ROH14

Newbie
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Forney, Texas
Aircraft
C172/182, PA28
Total Flight Time
250
Hi guy's
I'm from Dallas, Texas and new to this mosquito helicopters. I'm planning to buy one soon as I'm very impressed with it. I don't own any aircrafts and this will be my first one and my dream.

I was wondering what's the best helmet to buy and the price?

Also want to know about the license requirements to fly. I have a PPL with instrument rating but I don't have the medical due to my Stent in the heart. The Stent was inserted in 2012 June. Hopefully I will get my medical back.

The other question is my weight is 252lbs and stand 6'1"..... so what's the best model is more suitable for me.

I would be appreciated if any one let me know with some information.

Thanks...
 
Last edited:
Wow!

Wanting to jump into helicopters ? I wish you much success.
Be careful. Get training. Don't get hurt.
 
Hi Bryan,

Thank you so much and I will for sure... also I really appreciate your advice.

Take care
 
Hi guy's
I'm from Dallas, Texas and new to this mosquito helicopters. I'm planning to buy one soon as I'm very impressed with it. I don't own any aircrafts and this will be my first one and my dream.

I was wondering what's the best helmet to buy and the price?

I would be appreciated if any one let me know with some information.

Thanks...

I fly a gyroplane with a Gentex SPH5 with active noise reduction (ANR).

They are around $1,200 new; more with ANR.

I paid $250 for mine second hand.

It had military impedance so I had to replace the microphone and speakers and I added the ANR for another $250.

The helmet is comfortable and light and affords reasonable protection.

The way the visor works is very nice because I can still read the instruments below the shield while the shield helps with the sun.

I wear spectacles with the helmet.

Regards, Vance
 

Attachments

  • SPH-5.jpg
    SPH-5.jpg
    23 KB · Views: 3
Hi guy's
I'm from Dallas, Texas and new to this mosquito helicopters. I'm planning to buy one soon as I'm very impressed with it. I don't own any aircrafts and this will be my first one and my dream.

Also want to know about the license requirements to fly. I have a PPL with instrument rating but I don't have the medical due to my Stent in the heart. The Stent was inserted in 2012 June. Hopefully I will get my medical back.

I would be appreciated if any one let me know with some information.

Thanks...

In my opinion your choices of helicopters is somewhat limited with your lack of medical.

There is no sport pilot option at this time for helicopters although you could fly a gyroplane.

You do not need a medical to fly an ultralight helicopter.

An ultralight helicopter has many limitations.

You do not need a medical to take training in a helicopter.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp&r=PART&n=14y2.0.1.1.2
will give you some idea of what is required for a helicopter license.

It appears to me some experimental helicopters can be flown with just a PPL and a medical.

I feel that training in a helicopter is very important to help mitigate the risk.

Training would also help you to decide on what you would like to fly.

I am not familiar with the various model helicopters so someone else will need to advise you there.

Regards, Vance
 
Assuming you have no other medical problems, you should not have a problem with the medical. I am told there are pilots with a first class medical and flying the airlines with a stint.

I would encourage you to join either the EAA or the AOPA and contact there medical division for guidance before you make an application for the medical and to not send any information unless requested.
 
Well now if you're from Texas no helmet is required - your head is already hard enough !:D
As to your size and weight I'd get the three cylinder model - it should do fine for you. Talk to Dwight at the factory, he's good people.
 
Hi Vance, Jeff and Fly Army,

Thank you so much for your valuable time and information given to me. I really appreciate your help.

Beginning of this year I try to renew my medical and the doctor said that he had to defer the medical to FAA and they sent all the reports etc to them. They wanted me to do a full stress test so I did and send the report and they gave me a class III medical for six months from the day I did my renewal. That's till June 2014

Buy the time I got the approval I had only two months left on the medical. FAA wanted me to do another stress test by the end of june. I didn't do the test again cos it's costing lot of money. I paid almost $2000 for my first test even though I had insurance.

Well I'm going to try again when I see my heart doctor.
Any way thanks again for your help.

Cheers

Rohan
 
my advice, skip the little heli, fly a gyro. just as much fun, no medical needed, less $$, your weight will work, helmets are cool in a gyro. are you dreaming or are you serious. most people are dreamers. good luck with your dream. that is how most of us started. :cool:
 
Mosquito is good choice. The 3 cylinder engine is no longer available, replaced with the 85 hp Inntech. Yes, you can fly the mosquito experimental with ASEL and medical. Training yes! But the Mosquito is much easier to fly than a R-22.
Dave
 
qot an old SP-4 off Ebay for $100. Painted and lettered it. David Clark off Ebay for $130. Put DC electrics in helmet. TPL liner off Ebay too. $40 Wah-Lah ! Total costs... $350. Rotorcraft helmets ShOULD NOT use ANR !!!! The pilot NEEDS to be able to hear rotatinq parts and detect problems, malfunctions, and impendinq failures.

DSCN0010b.jpg
 
Some thoughts on Active Noise Reduction

Some thoughts on Active Noise Reduction

I first experienced ANR flying in my friends Bell Long Ranger.

My first thought was that I wouldn’t be able to hear problems. I experimented and found I could notice changes in most of the sounds a little better with ANR.

In The Predator gyroplane I feel I can hear the sound of mechanical problems better with ANR. For example I can hear from the sound of the exhaust if I forgot to enrichen the mixture as I descend sooner than without ANR.

In the Cavalons I have flown ANR was particularly nice because the ANR increased the volume of the radio and made it easier to understand the radio and the intercom.

So far all of the people I have flown with have preferred the flight experience with ANR. It is easy enough to turn off.

It is my understanding that the reason a helicopter helmet has bigger lumps on the side is so the ear cups can be bigger for more passive noise reduction.

Most of my friends that fly helicopters for a living use some kind of ANR.

I like chamber music so I have always been very protective of my hearing. Long term exposure to loud noise tends to kill the highs. Vivaldi would not be the same with much hearing loss.

Ed has lost a lot of her hearing because of her affection for listening to rock and roll at high volumes so that it moves her.

My father and many of his pilot friends had hearing loss because of long exposure to high noise environments and I don’t want to go down that path.

PS. The single plug is typically for helicopters and the two plugs are typically for fixed wing head sets.

PPS. The SPH-5 is lighter than the SPH-4. All are adjustable but come in different sizes. You can purchase different liners to adjust the fit a little better. A too tight helmet is very uncomfortable and a too lose helicopter offers less protection.
 

Attachments

  • Predator ride.jpg
    Predator ride.jpg
    48.4 KB · Views: 2
  • sph-type-helmet-aviation-survival.jpg
    sph-type-helmet-aviation-survival.jpg
    27.2 KB · Views: 2
  • gentex_hgu_55_fixed_wing_helmet-1444071962-59-e.jpg
    gentex_hgu_55_fixed_wing_helmet-1444071962-59-e.jpg
    34.9 KB · Views: 2
  • gentex_hgu_55_fixed_wing_helmet-1444072006-592-e.jpg
    gentex_hgu_55_fixed_wing_helmet-1444072006-592-e.jpg
    36.3 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
ANR typically reduces low frequency steady-state rumble, while the design relies upon passive reduction to damp the high end. It does not produce "silence" but cuts amplitude substantially. ANR does not suppress transient sounds, nor does it follow rapidly changing sounds well. Plenty of audible information gets through to the wearer, but meaningless droning is "turned down".

I have been using ANR in rotorcraft for 25 years and never missed an audible clue of a problem. Meanwhile, I have enjoyed much clearer communication with ATC, and most importantly for me, an impressive reduction in the fatigue resulting from piloting a loud aircraft. Many pilots are wholly unaware of how much the noise level contributes to fatigue, because they haven't had with-and-without experiences to compare. I consider it a safety advantage, because I remain sharp longer without the wearing-down effect of unnecessary noise. It makes the whole experience much more enjoyable, too.
 
I used HALO (http://www.quiettechnologies.com/) while learning in R22. Really worked well. Haven't tried with helmet, though, but I expect would work nicely.

smiles,
Charles
 
I’m firmly in the ANR camp. After 350 hrs. in my R-22 I wouldn’t feel comfortable without my Bose headsets. I find only the loud exhaust noise is attenuated. The remaining rotor sounds, bearing/gearbox noise, and engine sounds come thru clearly without being masked by the exhaust. Radio communication are clear and much easier to understand.

Years ago, I worked for Bill Lear’s R&D shop near Reno. We put a muffler on a bubble Bell helicopter in hopes of getting it approved by the Feds. One of our very experienced helicopter pilots went out to do the initial test flight and was very shaken by being able to hear the routine noises through out the airframe. He set it back down after a brief hover and did another pre-flight inspection of the rotating components thinking something wasn’t right.

I cannot think of a downside to flying ANR other than direct cost but the benefits far out weight that one time expense.
 
Rotorcraft helmets ShOULD NOT use ANR !!!! The pilot NEEDS to be able to hear rotatinq parts and detect problems, malfunctions, and impendinq failures.


Reading this post and totally agree. I flew 30 years without ANR until I started flying helo's. I spent $1300 and bought the Bose thinking I would enjoy them in the GIV I fly at work. First day starting the engine I almost burned up a starter because I didn't hear the fan spoiling up. My brain and my hand (on the fuel control) had been conditioned after 13 years to listen for that sound. The ANR blanked it.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have been looking at the Gentex helmets. New versions are just out of my price range. There are some reasonable prices for used units, but I have a serious concern about buying used, as to their safety. Most helmet manufactures recommend replacement of the helmet after 5 years, as the shock absorbing lining losses it effectiveness after a period of years. I don't know if the foam liner is replaceable ?

Dave
 
I have been looking at the Gentex helmets. New versions are just out of my price range. There are some reasonable prices for used units, but I have a serious concern about buying used, as to their safety. Most helmet manufactures recommend replacement of the helmet after 5 years, as the shock absorbing lining losses it effectiveness after a period of years. I don't know if the foam liner is replaceable ?

Dave

Hello Dave,

Everything on the Gentex helmet is replaceable.

I wear an SPH-5 that I paid $200 for including the bag. It had military impedance so I replaced the microphone, speakers and added active noise reduction. I think I have around $400 in it.

The parts are available from Headsets Inc in Texas.

I see Gentex SPH-5s regularly go for around $500 on EBay.

I missed one with the civilian impedance for $225 about six months ago. I wanted a spare for training.

Look for damage to the shell around the front of the ear bulge. If someone puts them on wrong it can crack there and the shell can’t be repaired.
 
Thanks, Vance. I will check out the parts.

Where did you purchase the ANR hardware for the SPH-5?

Dave
 
Top