Headset for the Classic

[blingair]

Looking for advice about which headset to use while flying the 747-200 (Classic). I've heard lots of recommendations for the Telex 750 and 850. I've also heard that the 850's ANR won't work in the Classic. Any advice about which headset is preferred and where a good place to buy one is appreciated.

Thanks,
Bling.

 

[FreightGod]

Telex 750, been using 'em on the Classic for years.

Look for deals on ebay.

 

[MD11Drvr]

My 850 worked great in the MD-11 and works well in the DC-10 as well. Ebay is good idea for a good deal.

 

[GittinFatter]

Some of the older classics, mostly -100's would not power the 850's, but most of the -200's will work. I would highly reccomend an ANR type of headset. They will save your hearing and reduce the "what did he say ?'s" I went so far as to buy and use a Lightspeed Zulu. Several guys have the Bose, several guys use the UFLY Mike, a few have a sennheiser. The common thread here, get a ANR!

 

[blingair]

Some of the older classics, mostly -100's would not power the 850's, but most of the -200's will work. I would highly reccomend an ANR type of headset. They will save your hearing and reduce the "what did he say ?'s" I went so far as to buy and use a Lightspeed Zulu. Several guys have the Bose, several guys use the UFLY Mike, a few have a sennheiser. The common thread here, get a ANR!

Thanks to all for the advice. I was looking at the 850 but have heard that it won't power the ANR with the older 747's. But if its only the -100 I think I will give it a go. I do have a Bose X and love it but I didn't think it would work in the jet environment very easily with the whole one cup on and one cup off configuration.

Again,
Thanks.

 

[lear24]

From what I've heard and witnessed it's only certain 200s that will power an 850. I think it has to do with CVR setup.

 

[l8fr82hub]

I tried an 850 in Evergreen's 100s and 200s when I worked there. The noise reduction would only get power when the mike was keyed. I ended up returning it.

 

[FearlessFreep]

Classic = Batteries.

I use a Bose X, the latest model uses two AA cell batteries. Depending how "hard" the ANR has to work to cancel out the noise the batteries will last a fair amount of time. I used a Sennheiser at one point in time. That also used two AA cell batteries and lasted at least as long as the Bose X if not longer. I found the Sennheiser to actually be superior than the Bose. I had to give the Sennheiser up for fit issues, my situation with it is pretty unusual and not usually an issue for most people.

Using the Bose X is ok in the jet environment. I do have to do the off the ear thing on occasion and depending upon how much talking is done. I can hear conversation with both ear cups on, though depending on the pitch of other people's voices or how loudly they speak it can be an issue. The Sennheiser has a pivot on one cup so that you can rotate off ear. They also have a new version that supposedly allows you to communicate in the cockpit without re-positioning the ear cup.

The thing about the Classic is that there are a lot of variations on the headset plug-in. I carried a number of adaptors to facilitate jacking into most of the aircraft.

Just do a search on ANR or headsets here on flightinfo, airlinepilotforums, and the pprune boards and you will find more information than you will need.

 

[blingair]

Thanks to all for the replies, I appreciate it.

 

[Jack Campbell]

I use a LightSpeed ZULU on the corporate jet I fly and I find it very uncomfortable. At the end of any flight more than 2 hours, I have to take it off because it applies way too much pressure on my head.

 

[Draginass]

Telex ANR-500

 

[avbug]

In the 747, I've found that the lightweight Telex headsets work okay, but my hearing is far enough gone that I sometimes have a hard time understanding everything. I don't do well with hearing in one ear only, so a headset which reaches both ears is a big plus.

The Bose X works great in the Classic 747, and the battery life is no problem at all. Cocking one earcup off the ear slightly isn't a problem, and just moving it slightly to one side is enough to hear conversations in the cockpit.

A headset with which I've been very impressed is the Uflymic, used with the Bose Quiet Comfort QC-2 or QC-15 noise cancelling headsets. I have one and use it with a QC-15. It works very well. Battery life is on the order of 30+ hours for a single AAA battery. It's a compact arrangement that can take up very little space in a flight bag. It's also very affordable.

I picked up a Bose X on ebay some years ago, and it's seen all kind of abuse around the world in piston cockpits, turboprop cockpits, and in turbojets. It's suffered in the heat in the sun in the middle east, and been bounced off canopies in the mountain west, and still works like a charm. The only complaint was a ticking in one ear, which went away with a new set of ear seals. In fact, I stopped by a Bose booth at Sun & Fun a few years ago, and was talking to the factory representative about how well the headset had held up in the abuse of a blazing hot cockpit in the middle east...and the bose rep handed me two new ear seals and told me to try them, see if they improved the little ticking noise...no charge. They worked like a charm.

The uflymic arrangement is nice because it's extremely light weight, very clear, and reduces fatigue on long flights. It can be used when riding somewhere as a passenger just by inserting a different cable, that comes with the headset. The mic has a music input, or one one can order the mic with a backup set of earbuds which are fully TSO'd. I carry the extra earbuds. It's proven to be a very reliable, very comfortable, very easy to use headset with far better sound quality and clarity than any other headset I've used.

 

[urflyingme?!]

UFLYMIC translates to GIVEMEHEADACHE Make sure you tune it for your Aircraft. Lots of them have a ton of background noise with intercom setups...

 

[Booster]

I flew 100/200's for five years.

750's work just fine. Hey you are a freightdog use earplugs all the time. They work just fine and are normally free. You will not have the 750's/ANR's on that for that long during the flight but you can wear the earplugs throughout the flight.

Remember you need the $$ for the bar etc.imp:

 

[avbug]

The uflymic has provided the clearest transmission and reception (with the QC-15) of any headset I've used, including the bose X.

 

[Kruger Stellman]

The uflymic has provided the clearest transmission and reception (with the QC-15) of any headset I've used, including the bose X.

Just remember that the QC-2's & QC-15's are not TSO'd headsets. Some company's are requesting that they not be used in the cockpit!

K.S.

 

[avbug]

It's largely a matter of semantics. The Uflymic is TSO'd. It can be purchased with earbuds that are TSO'd. I carry a set in my bag, and will plug them in if someone throws a fit. I've heard one person whine about the QC-15, who was then caught shortly thereafter with the same headset. Go figure.

While some companies do stipulate a TSO'd headset, one is splitting hairs. The uflymic is TSO'd, the earbuds are TSO'd, and if one uses both, the presence of the noise-cancelling QC-15 becomes superfluous...little more than a device to make things quiet. Under the regulation, a TSO for the headset isn't required. Only various company requirements stipulate as much.

I find that the combination of the two works very well, and have found very little need to drag the earbuds out of the flight bag.

http://www.uflymike.com/id19.html

 

[Kruger Stellman]

It's largely a matter of semantics. The Uflymic is TSO'd. It can be purchased with earbuds that are TSO'd. I carry a set in my bag, and will plug them in if someone throws a fit. I've heard one person whine about the QC-15, who was then caught shortly thereafter with the same headset. Go figure.

While some companies do stipulate a TSO'd headset, one is splitting hairs. The uflymic is TSO'd, the earbuds are TSO'd, and if one uses both, the presence of the noise-cancelling QC-15 becomes superfluous...little more than a device to make things quiet. Under the regulation, a TSO for the headset isn't required. Only various company requirements stipulate as much.

I find that the combination of the two works very well, and have found very little need to drag the earbuds out of the flight bag.

http://www.uflymike.com/id19.html

Original Uflymic's were NOT TSO'd We were issued a voice mail from the chief pilot not to use them. Lot of guys still do. I personally use a Plantronics MS 50 with a custom molded earpiece. Have for 25 years and still have some of my hearing left. What he say?

 

[avbug]

I had a plantronics MS-50 for a while. I used it with an earpiece, rather than the over-the-head band. The microphone transmitted well enough, but without being able to hear in both ears, I found it difficult to use.

My hearing is far enough gone that I have a hard time making out what's being said unless I can hear it with both ears, and can concentrate on what's said. I could get away with the Plantronics headset domestically, but internationally, and in the Northeast US (which might as well be a foreign country), I found that listening with both ears was necessary.

I used the airman 750 headphones, and keep one as a backup, but it doesn't cut out enough sound to really improve on communications. I don't believe that ANR is necessary, but it's a nice feature.

All of the uflymic have met the same standard of construction and meet the requirements of the TSO, but only more recent ones have the sticker. The folks at uflymic will TSO the older micsets if required.

 

[blingair]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm going to stick with my Bose X for my first trip and think about switching to the 750 is it doesn't work out. And it seems that the common thread between most pilots is we are all deaf or going deaf. What?