Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:54 am
#1655056
I think it's a very valid point of concern. NC headsets are all the rage but they do cancel extraneous noises, and it's likely to be the noise that gives you an insight as to the state of health of your aircraft, be it mechanical or aerodynamic.
I still run around on a cheap headset with a volume control that serves me fine. My wife, who is clinically deaf found that at full volume the Bose only produced two thirds the volume of the one she uses now so that was not useful. When I was working there was so much protestation about 'hearing damage' from new first officers that the company provided high tech NC headsets. I had to turn them off until the cruise as it was so disorientating not to have external noise. Also on take off, not to be able to hear the 'sudden twang' that was going to ruin my day seemed to be a case of due diligence to the go/no go decision process.
Ah, you say. Your hearing will have been ruined by spending years on a flight deck and in light aircraft not using NC headsets. Really? 26500 hours and fifty years of flying and my ears are of equal efficiency only showing the standard deterioration that any 65 year old might expect. So, no. I am quite happy using my cheap headset knowing that whilst the noises are reduced I can still hear things that go wrong.