The choice of aviation headset you make can be vital.
If you are a professional pilot or training to become one, you will need to protect your hearing as much as possible. If your hearing deteriorates, you may eventually find that you fail a medical examination which could have a serious effect on your ability to continue your chosen profession. If you are a hobbyist pilot, the medical requirements are usually less stringent, and you probably won’t be flying as often; but you should still carefully consider your purchase. Even if you spend hundreds on a good headset, chances are that that will be a small amount compared to the amount you spend flying, whether you do it on a private or professional basis, so it’s a good investment in terms of your health.
Headsets for aviation come in two main types as follows:
- Active, or noise-cancelling.
- Passive.
Active headsets tend to be more expensive because they are more complex. They also require a power source which is often a rechargeable battery. These contain circuitry that detects the noise on the outside of the headphones and plays back the same sound in anti-phase, cancelling out the noise. They are not perfect, but they work quite well to attenuate loud engine noises.
The rechargeable battery supplied with active headsets will get depleted in time. When there is insufficient power to drive the noise-cancelling circuitry, they will still continue to function as if they were passive headsets.
Passive headsets rely on the seals around the ears to attenuate the external noise. Active headsets usually also seal around the ears for the same reason. These seals can be made of foam, gel or simply gas. Headsets look bulky because the seal has to go around the ears; otherwise they would be extremely painful to wear! A considerable amount of pressure is used by the headsets to ensure a good seal, and on some models this can be uncomfortable, so it is worth investing in a good-quality headset.
This site is dedicated to aviation headsets of all kinds, and hopefully you will find the research that we have conducted useful. Happy flying!