ANR headsets

JOhnH

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Got this in an email. Anybody going to discontinue using their ANR headsets?


FAA Safety Team | Safer Skies Through Education FAAST Blast –Drone Safety Checklist, Noise-Cancelling Headset Bulletin, Flying with Glowing Gizmos and Gadgets
Notice Number: NOTC6321
FAAST Blast — Week of Dec 07, 2015 – Dec 13, 2015
FAA Safety Briefing News Update
Bulletin Issued on Noise-Cancelling Headset Use
On November 20, 2015, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB CE-16-08) that advises GA pilots and operators of concerns with the use of noise cancelling headsets. In many cases, pilots are using the noise cancelling headsets as supplementary equipment during operations. When wearing these headsets, the pilot may be unaware of environmental sounds and audible warning annunciations in the cockpit that do not come through the intercom system.
The FAA recommends that if any audible alarms or environmental sounds cannot be discerned, operators should elect to find other solutions to discern such alarms or sounds, or discontinue the use of noise-canceling headsets. The agency also recommends pilots review the information found in an earlier bulletin (InFO 07001) on noise-cancelling headset use which can be accessed at http://go.usa.gov/cZdDz.
 
Got the same via email... Keeping mine!!
 
They should have specified which headsets. As I stated in the other post, our headset use technology that amplifies those sounds so they don't get missed. Something no others do.

Hopefully they revise it to be more specific.

As for me, I'll just keep telling you guys what's up and hope you "listen" to it most of the time. hehe. Oh and I'm going to say the word again cause I like it... warble! :)
 
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Bull****. At least in my plane. ANR only counteracts continuous droning sounds. It has no effect on speech or alarms that stand out from said droning sound. If your alarm sounds like your engine noise then I would suggest that's a pretty ****ty alarm and would be less likely to be heard than another type of alarm even without ANR.

Anyway, ANR has an R in it. Reduction. Not silencing. The noise is still there just reduced. Pilots should listen for changes or patterns in the noise.

Far more detrimental, in my view, is hearing loss which was once endemic among pilots.
 
I'd really like to see hard data on this, otherwise I suspect it's BS.

Maybe some pilot who gear-up'd his retract told investigators "I didn't hear the horn, must have been the headset".
 
MyDavid Clark H10-13X's work pretty well for this. You get enough ANR to really cut the noise but you still can hear the motor up front as well as anunciators in the cockpit.
 
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