Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

By Paulie1957
#1606247
Hi all, I'm just 8 hours into my PPL training. I have a degree of hearing loss and wear hearing aids. I recently bought new, in-ear aids to work better with my SEHT non-ANR headset. While I can hear the radio loud and clear, my instructor's voice over the intercom is intermittently very distorted. I'm wondering if this is a technical issue with the aircraft intercom (it's an elderly Tomahawk) or a mismatch between headsets ( the instructor uses a Bose headset) Any suggestions or observations gratefully received!
Best wishes
Paul
By Paulie1957
#1606264
Hi Mick, you mean not wearing hearing aids? I was doing that until recently, but on one flight I was struggling to hear radio and intercom; mind you, I'd been landed with doing all the comms as the instructors PTT button was u/s and I was pretty stressed!
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By Lerk
#1606275
Pardon?!

I’ve found that as you get more used to what to expect over the radio, you’ll need less assistance in the mode of blasting your eardrums out with the radio volume - as far as the intercom however, there shouldn’t be an issue with Bose and SEHT compatibility but talk to your instructor and have a play with the settings and you should be able to find a mutually acceptable setting that works for you.
By Balliol
#1606292
Most intercom systems have an intercom volume control that is totally unrelated to the RT box volume. Also many intercom panels have separate volume controls for left / right hand seat - Garmin GMA340 does for instance. Have a chat with your FI - they probably just need to tweak up the intercom volume or adjust intercom squelch - good luck with your training!
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By mick w
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1606299
Paulie1957 wrote:Hi Mick, you mean not wearing hearing aids? I was doing that until recently, but on one flight I was struggling to hear radio and intercom; mind you, I'd been landed with doing all the comms as the instructors PTT button was u/s and I was pretty stressed!


Yes , I find I need the Headset Volume Control turned high , but at least there's no other noise . DC10-60's ANR'd by Anrman . :thumright:
By Paulie1957
#1606326
Hi all, many thanks indeed for your swift and helpful replies! I'll certainly look into these suggestions. I'm aware that comms anxiety is very common among newbies like myself as well, and I'm sure the more anxious you are the less able you are to process sensory information! An example yesterday was holding near my home airport (EGPF) for a few minutes and the R/T traffic was so intense it was really hard to make out what was going on.....Hopefully it'll improve soon!
Cheers, Paul
By PaulB
#1606354
That definitely will and is not really related to hearing aids.

You’ll soon begin to (if you haven’t already) hear patterns in the RT. If they say x then the response is going to be along the lines of y.
By PaulB
#1611618
Paulie1957 wrote:Hi all, I bought a SEHT ANR headset (SH30-75), and that, without the hearing aids, has done the trick! Many thanks for the help and advice


That's fab... I use a pair of ANR DC's but usually forget to switch the ANR on! I fly *with* my aids. There seems to be no one size fits all solution, you have to find the one that works for you.

Previously

Paulie1957 wrote:Thanks Paul. I have an airband receiver, so I'm planning to listen to that to pick up the jargon and the patterns.


It might be worth also comparing those "patterns" with the examples in CAP413 to see how they differ from what the examiner on the RT test will be expecting.
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By Sir Morley Steven
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1614733
The patterns are simple and the vocabulary is tiny.
If you are near Blackbushe we have a fab new instructor who is also an RT examiner. He does RT groundschool and will more than sort you out.
By Paulie1957
#1615692
Thanks for your words of encouragement ☺ I'm actually near Glasgow, otherwise I would have been pleased to hook up with your new instructor!