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Helmets in light aircraft

I suspect the average spamcan is going to give very limited protection in case of an accident so there’d be a good argument for wearing a helmet in a PA28 or C152, but in more recent designs with airbags and properly designed passenger compartments I think it would be reasonable to do without

Somewhat counterintuitively, the C1xx models offer outstandingly good protection to the occupants when crashed with due care and attention (i.e. in accordance with FAA guidance). With proper technique in these aeroplanes, their 9g certification standard translates into a deceleration distance of about 2 metres horizontal and 15 cm vertical. It is only when out of control, or when splatted into terrain unnecessarily fast, that the 9g limit is likely to be exceeded.

So I agree with Jason that if one has the $2.5k cost of a decent helmet to spare, it is more profitable to spend it building a couple of hundred hours of experience above and below the lower boundary of the flight envelope.

On the other hand, whenever we cross the English Channel VFR and are therefore planning (if need be) to ditch in the sea, it is customary to wear a life jacket. Similarly, whenever we are planning to crash on land it seems sensible to dress for the occasion – including at least a light cap.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom

The Super Cub family, especially without the overhead cross brace that was introduced in later models, has a risk of the steel structure bending down towards you due to a wing being dragged in an aggravated ground loop or cartwheel. Hence the STOL/off airport fraternity do tend to use helmets, usually form the mountain SAR style.

https://www.teamwendy.com/products/helmets-accessories/helmets/exfil-sar-backcountry

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

I fly with an RAF Mk4 helmet in the Grob 115 Tutor, and have an Alpha equivalent for aerobatics and spinning. Don’t wear one in other ‘normal’ types and twins etc.. A few thoughts in no particular order:

- A badly fitting / not regularly serviced helmet can be just as dangerous as not flying with one at all.
- Many cockpits aren’t designed for them space / canopy wise and there isn’t the appropriate clearance.
- If you wear and plan to use a parachute, head protection is also pretty important.
- Visors need to be looked after otherwise they can also be a distraction / hazard.
- The security of a helmet vs glasses / headset during Aeros is really good

Ps RAF military transport crews wear helmets during tactical sorties I.e low level, air drop, strip landings etc

Now retired from forums best wishes

One of these would be good if you have a turbo and want to do FL250 regularly. You will just need to find suitable mounting points for the harness which is required for the full authentic look

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I wouldn’t wear a helmet in a touring aircraft as there seems to be enough aircraft structure to protect one’s head. I do think a helmet would be useful for serious aerobatics, open cockpit and warbird flying.

I have been looking at options lately and the Bonehead Composite models to me seem to have the best compromise between price, weight and protection. They currently have two models available. The Pilot-X and the more affordable Comm-It which retails at $750. When combined with in-ear CEP speakers this should also give good hearing protection when flying in an open cockpit. I haven’t tried one myself yet.

Bonehead Composites

EHLE

Jason: if you look up pictures of Chipmunks or Grobs online you will see lots of cadets wearing helmets. I don’t doubt that Hercules and C5 pilots don’t wear helmets (or perhaps put them under their seats), but although their mission may be more similar to ours in some respects, I think it’s the class of aircraft that is more relevant here.

Only a fool would avoid a helmet in a hang glider. You get bumped about a lot. You’re in an aluminium cage that you often get bumped against. Any crash is likely to have about the same energy as a high speed pushbike accident. You fly prone, so face-plants are not uncommon if your landing gear is too cold to function properly or the zip on the sleeping bag gets stuck. A helmet – ideally one with some neck support and chin protection – is clearly a good idea.

Next take a flexwing microlight. Crashes and forced landings are more likely than in an SEP but again, they’re likely to be relatively low energy – within the range where a helmet may be useful – and you’re not that well protected. They’re also pretty cold so you’re going to want to protect your face from the elements. Why not do it with something that also protects your noggin?

Although my aircraft is class A I count it more in the microlight category for helmet-wearing purposes. Sunburn is a real risk. Your head does get cold. It’s true that you can get leather helmets that might increase your physical comfort, but why not wear something that gives a measure of protection as well?

For typical spamcans I think the argument is more equivocal depending on the era from which they date. For a light jet such as the one you fly I agree there’s probably not much point in one.

I’m hoping to get my helmet made for <£60 which wouldn’t buy much training.

Last Edited by kwlf at 08 Apr 10:18

I would respectfully suggest that spending the time and money on training rather than a helmet is a better use of both and more likely to prevent injury.

EGTK Oxford

I’m working on adapting a helmet for aviation use – I found a nice scooter helmet to which I’ve attached a microphone and I’m about to experiment with earbud headphones. There may be room to install cups around the ears but it would be simpler and cheaper to do without. All of a sudden I find I can afford one, but the prospect of paying £1000 – plus for an aviation specific helmet annoys me.

I did once look into the academic literature around helmets in light aircraft. It’s not very good, but I think there’s a reasonably compelling case for them. MedEwok is partially correct in arguing that aviation crashes are high-energy and helmets may offer only limited protection, but a fair proportion of aviation related fatalities are due primarily to head injuries – 22% according to one author, with 42% of fatalities due to polytrauma. 6% of fatalities may involve a head injury only. That’s setting aside the effects of non-life-threatening concussion such as personality changes and mental blunting which are worth avoiding.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13930058_Injury_patterns_in_aviation-related_fatalities_Implications_for_preventive_strategies

As an aside, there’s good evidence for helmets saving motorcyclists, but relatively poor evidence that they are helpful to pedal cyclists. If you make a helmet sufficiently protective to be useful, it’ll be too uncomfortable to wear whilst exercising.

A few more links:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457502000374
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA114878
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2810202/

The other interesting things I learned were that

1) Burns were less common than I’d expected
2) As Maoraigh notes, shoulder restraints are a really, really good thing.
3) Brain injury correlated better with facial injuries than skull injuries, so one should go for a helmet with a visor. I confess that I didn’t.

My own aircraft (Turbulent) is open-top and in at least one accident report for the type the pilot attributes his lack of significant injury to his helmet. They’re not going to help you in a stall-spin accident, but if you hit a rabbit hole and invert the aircraft whilst making a forced landing then this is exactly the sort of low to moderate impact accident where a helmet might be helpful.

I suspect the average spamcan is going to give very limited protection in case of an accident so there’d be a good argument for wearing a helmet in a PA28 or C152, but in more recent designs with airbags and properly designed passenger compartments I think it would be reasonable to do without

There’s also a French squadron of Turbulents called ’L’Escadrille des Tetes Brulees’. Normally ‘Tete Brulee’ translates as ‘hothead’ or ‘desperado’ but I suspect it also means they get sunburned scalps like me. There are some nice youtube videos of them – all wearing helmets!

Last Edited by kwlf at 08 Apr 01:13

Interesting inputs thanks. Regarding „polytrauma“ have you compared reports of forced landing crashes where energy is lower vs. high energy impacts?

always learning
LO__, Austria

The medical publications on GA crashes I’ve read suggest that most fatalities in GA are the result of multiple trauma (“polytrauma” in German ) which in turn results from the high impact energy.

Head injuries are only part of this kind of high-energy injuries and in the case of aircraft crashes helmets will probably do little to reduce head trauma. The impact energy is just too high compared to say bicycle crashes where helmets can be a real lifesaver.

Low-hours pilot
EDVM Hildesheim, Germany
13 Posts
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