What headset do you use on the RJ85?

[speedwings]

Hello all. I had a few questions for you RJ85 drivers...

How noisy is the cockpit at high speeds? What headset do you use? Do you wish you used a different one? Are there any headsets I should avoid?

Thanks!

 

[sf3boy]

Mesaba has telex headsets. The lightweight ones like for a walkman. Company issued for the planes. At cruise, most everybody takes them off and uses the speaker. Plenty quiet.

 

[xjavro85]

Avro at "high speed" now thats funny Anyways yeah mesaba has telex airmen 750's.

 

[T-Gates]

Avro at "high speed" now thats funny

I was gonna say something too, but I have no room to talk about "high-speed" anymore....

 

[speedwings]

Yeah, I guess I should have thought about that one before I posted it. It'll be a change from Mach 0.80, but so far training has been great. I can't wait to fly it!

 

[4fanman]

I wouldn't go as far as calling the AVRO plenty quiet. There is a lot of wind noise (it has the cross section of a barn) and there are 4 jet engines (some say apu's) just behind the cockpit. The Telex 750's are marginal at best. The little spongy ear plugs work great at blocking high freq. wind noise while still allowing voice to be heard, but they are uncomfortable after a few hours. If you can afford them I would highly recommend some ANR's like Telex. A capt. I flew with once let me try his Telex ANR's on one leg and they were impressive. Remember, once your hearing goes, you dont get it back. Hope this helps.

 

[speedwings]

Were they those 850 Telex's that don't have a battery pack? I have been reading about them but they are still a little pricey $450.

I have a set of Bose X's at home that I could use if need be, but I am worried about getting them stolen or accidentally leaving them in the cockpit on a plane change (and never seeing them again). Do many guys use the large GA style/David Clamp type headsets in the Avro or do they just use the company supplied ones?

Thanks

 

[4fanman]

You will need the one's that have the battery pack. I dont remember the series, they were a couple of years old but I remember him saying that they were about $450.

Your Bose would work great if they have the standard jacks but you'll want to lock them in your flight bag. Unfortunately, they will give you so much crap to put in your flight bag there will be no room for them.

Most guys just use what's in the airplanes but there is one capt who uses the DC head-vise and he is easy to spot. I had tinitus before starting at XJ and after 3500 hrs in the AVRO I would say it is definetely worse. The main culprit is the high frequency wind noise. Like I said before, the cheap rubber/spongy ear plugs work pretty well and they usually have them stocked in all the crew rooms. Good Luck.



Edit:

[Pet-peeve rant] If you do use your own headset, don't be the guy that wraps up the company's set and stuffs them in the corner and leaves them there. When you switch a/c be a sport and plug back in the company's set so we don't have to. [End Pet-peeve rant]

 

[Fly2Scuba]

slow down

You're losing some speed Speedwings (might want to come with a new flightino name, maybe Turtlewings?), yet just think, you're paid by the hour. So unless it's your last leg home, enjoy raking in the big bucks in that living room size cockpit. It sure beats for instance say a corporate pilot's set salary in a cramped cockpit. Anyways in the Embraer 145, I use Telex 750s which I purchased from the Stopover store in MSP ($200). Then at Radioshack, I purchased mic headphones designed for internet phone talk ($20). The reason being the nice leather covered foam pads from those Radioscrap headphones make a great replacement for the standard foam pads that come with the Telex. Finally I gently place foam earplugs (no need to cram them in fully) in my ears before each leg and this cuts out the sound nicely in the noisy jungle jet's cockpit. Happy Easter!

 

[sf3boy]

As 4fanman said, those little ear plugs work well. If based in MEM, you will have to wait until you have a trip through MSP or DTW to get any. MEM being stocked with supplies and A/C parts is not a priority to Mesaba Lords in Mecca. We had a jumpseat deffered in MEM because there were not any of these Telex headsets we are talking about in stock in MEM. Very nice.

And plenty quiet is all relative. The 3500 hours I have in the Saab seemed a little bit noisier, but that's just me.

 

[xjhawk]

donnot buy any head sets

When i was hired, i was told to buy a purdy neat bag, which i did, and to buy a nice flight case, which i did, then i was told about the crash pad costs, then i was told by my IOE CPT. that i should buy noise cancelling head set to preserve my hearing. My visa was already burning up from use at the stopover store, i figured my ears can wait, besides, he has been the only one who has them so far. Good luck in training and try to have fun!

 

[speedwings]

Hey Fly2Scuba, how are those MP3's sounding at FL330?

Anyway, thanks for the info. I don't think I'll buy anything new in terms of a headset then. I'll try my Bose for a few trips, earplugs for some others and see. I'll be in DTW commuting from MSP so I don't think I'll leave the $1000 headsets in the flight case at DTW........Locked or not, I just am not THAT trusting.

Happy Easter!

 

[T-Gates]

Leaving ANYTHING valuable in DTW is a baaaad idea.

 

[Fly2Scuba]

Hey Fly2Scuba, how are those MP3's sounding at FL330?

Not quite there yet. The manager at a Radioscrap gave me a few references to obtain the specific capacitators. Keep you posted.

 

[j41driver]

I have a set of Bose X's at home that I could use if need be, but I am worried about getting them stolen or accidentally leaving them in the cockpit on a plane change (and never seeing them again).

Do you really think that you will just forget your $1000 headsets???

 

[speedwings]

Good point... I never used to leave them overnight in our Hawker that was locked on the ramp... The heck with it, I'll just use them.

Does anyone know if homeowners insurance would cover them if the groomer decided to help himself to them when we ran out to grab a bite to eat for a few minutes?