Helmet Discussion

[Slyfox]

Wasn't the weekend incident over a large, dry, lake bed?
I just looked at the Praetor that Brian mentioned. Pretty nice, but far more $$ than $300. Kinda looks like my helmet only with the ears cut out. Speaking of hitting heads up top. I am short but have a booster seat in my KF...three inch foam bottom cushion. I figure that is just putting my head up where a 5'10" to 6' tall guy would be. If I were subject to a lateral acceleration, Im going to knock my head on the frame over my left ear. I won't be able to wear a helmet while sitting that high. I have a two inch cushion I can use but then my passenger will have to be a short person like me if they use my 3" cushion.

Yup, that's why I said that. I also have a 3" under my behind. I be short also.
something to think about, if you think it's safer to use a helmet while flying are you going to wear it when you go on a commercial flight. ha, I bet you get some real looks from that one.

[rv9ralph]

All points made to support a helmet are valid. I have considered it myself. If you are a Kitplanes reader, the May 2017 issue had an article on why helmets are a good idea. It was: High-Desert Tales, Crashed helmet, By Elliot Seguin. A good read with some suggestions on helmet types. If you subscribe, you can register online to access their archives.

Ralph

[Dusty]

Logic suggests wearing a helmet,but I don't wear one in my Kitfox as I believe it is a calculated risk.We put our head in the noose every time we fly,but we can't eliminate every risk.A Kitfox is a very crashworthy design as some of the crashes here have shown,injuries are usually lower body.I don't plan on having an accident and also plan on living forever.So far so good
Anyone looking for a helmet should check out Campbell Aero classics.A top end quality product.

[smutny]

I've worn two helmets while flying acro, the David Clark K10 and ProTech A-Bravo. The nice thing about those two is that you can use pretty much any off the shelf headset.

I've since switched to using in-ear headsets, a FARO Air and QT HALO. Now looking at some of the lightweight skydiving helmets. If you went with a CEP system, you can utilize just about any helmet out there that you like.

Now, the reason I wear a helmet during acro is to protect my noggin in case of a bailout. The three things that can get your head is the canopy during separation, the tail as you exit and then the ground if you don't land gracefully. What you're talking about, protecting your face from the panel, is not going to help with 99% of aviation helmets. You'll need a helmet with face protection, like a motorcycle full face helmet, but that would be terribly uncomfortable to fly in. There are some skydiving helmets with a lower face protection, but most protrude out quite a bit.

The best protection against a panel strike are fixed shoulder straps and tightening them down close to the ground. I had inertial reel shoulder straps in my Cessna and didn't care for them. My Cub's are fixed and I feel much better with that.

[896tr]

Look at full face motorcycle helmets on eBay. There are good inexpensive ones with dual visors (tinted and clear). For those of you that ride a bike you know that you get used to wearing one very fast. For all of you old farts like me, do you remember all of the stupid reasons people had for not wearing seat belts in cars before they were mandatory? I predict that more people will use helmets when investigators and doctors start saying "the brain trauma could have been prevented...."
I'll bet if you ask Guy Buchanan even he had his "bell rung" when he lost his plane in the Colorado river and "walked" away from that. Injuries don't always show up right away, ask pro athletes. OK, I have convinced myself, I am going to get a helmet. I don't care if anyone looks at me like I just rode on the "short bus", I want to be able to see and recognize my sisters great grand kids.

[efwd]

pilotflighthelmets.com/ld-project-flight-helmets/62-ld-project-regular-flight-helmet-with-bose-a20-communications.html
Holly cow! put this into your URL. I found a helmet that can incorporate my $1095 A20 headsets!
I think it also scrubs your blood of nitrogen and delivers Oxygen to you through your external jugular while flying above 12K, Cuz it costs $3344!

[tracstarr]

Ohh that is a nice helmet... but pricey! But, it looks like that's because the Bose A20 comes with it (built in somehow). Without it it's far less, but not sure if you can put your own existing headset in there. Not enough details on that site.

[efwd]

Oh, I suppose your right. Other systems I have been seeing allow you to use your own headset. Thought this was the same.

[aviator79]

Not cheap, but not as insane as some other options. It also appears it may be possible to buy the one with no comms and retrofit your A20 or Zulu headset. The manufacturer's website says you can send them your headset and they'll install it for you. Of course, if you only plan to wear the helmet part time, it's probably not worth installing/uninstalling your headset every time. If you get their ANR coms, you're still under $2k. Still a hard price to stomach, but checks all the boxes in terms of being reasonably compact, and offering maxiliofacial protection without undue visibility or comfort compromises.

Icaro Rollbar Plus

Edit: Actually, this might be the sweet spot: About the same price as a high-end headset.

[Danzer1]

I'm considering these: https://aerolight.com/A/index.php/pr...-helmet-detail

May not offer full coverage, but they are pretty popular in the paragliding, paramotor community.

Might be a decent compromise at a reasonable pricepoint. Thoughts?

YMMV, Greg