Helmets.....

[rumrunner]

I can also vouch for head room in a 300

 

Another site where I got my new melmet is

http://www.aviationhelmets.com/

 

Got one in 97 and same price today. Do spend the extra few bucks for the coil cord/ Straight cord is a total pain in some aircraft.

 

Also I would recomend a dual visor. Just putting in a conversion to dual now. A buzzard in the face is no joke, although it sounds amuzing

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Are there color tint options?

 

What is the preferred color for the tint. I would be primarly working in a forest fire enviroment, as well as over water. Any glassy water concerns. Iknow that polarized sunglasses are a non-no for water operations. I have been told that they make it hard to see the surface of the water.

 

Thank you.

[Skidz]

Polarized lenses of any kind are useless to a pilot as they make reading LCD panels almost impossible...

 

As far as color goes, it's all a question of personal preferences. Some say white is best as it doesn't get as warm in the sun. Mine's teal with rainbow metalflake in the clearcoat...

[skullcap]

Any helmut that is not made out of kevlar or graphite and over 5 years old is should not be considered structurally sound, the fiberglas over time loses its strenght. It is still better than nothing but is not as strong as a newer one. Could be why so many on e-bay that are used.

 

I understand that almost every brand could have been constructed out of graphite of kevlar but you need to check.

 

sc

[Winnie]

if you have a helmet to sell, let us know at the school. we always have students looking for used if available. thanks.

 

412driver

 

BC Helicopters

604 850 7711

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Hey 412D. I obviously missed that post... (I thought it was the younger guys looking)

 

You could try FLIGHTHELMET and buy used there. They have all the parts needed to refurbish them as well.

 

rumrunner, there is a company in florida that sells refurbished helmets, and they have a variety of colors, also Flightsuits can paint it for you, but for an exorbitant amount...

[rumrunner]

Hey 412D. I obviously missed that post... (I thought it was the younger guys looking)

 

You could try FLIGHTHELMET and buy used there. They have all the parts needed to refurbish them as well.

 

rumrunner, there is a company in florida that sells refurbished helmets, and they have a variety of colors, also Flightsuits can paint it for you, but for an exorbitant amount...

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I guess I was a little vague with my question.

I was asking if there are color tint options for the flip(slide) down visor.

If so what is the prefered visor tint?

I really dont care about the color of the helmet.

 

Thanks for the heads up on LCD and polarization.

[Winnie]

Dark tinted, and clear. The yellow (amber) is not too good, Gradient looks cool if you are Julio Iglesias

[rumrunner]

ebay has quite a few used Gentex, good prices too.

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Re . Take a look at these listings.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/G-FORCE-HELICOPTER-...geNameZl2QQtZkm

 

Good deals or bad deals? Prices seem right not sure about the quality.

All comments are appreciated.

 

p.s. some pretty fancy looking units .. chick magnet material !!!

[skullcap]

Yellow(or red tinted sunglasses) work excellent in poorer weather white days. Any colors are highlighted(ski flags or bag marks etc). Yellow is also nice in other seasons when the weather is not the greatest but is somewhat bright.

If I were to get a dual visor helmut, one would be dark and other yellow. Clear visors tend to show scratches easily and always look dirty.

 

sc

[Skidz]

I agree with Scullcap. Get a dark and a yellow (amber) lens. The yellow lens is good in flat light conditions, but if it gets sunny, you'll get a splitting headache in short order if you forget to change to the darkie ! If you buy a refurbished helmet, you need to do the following:

 

- make sure it has amplified dynamic or electret mike

- 300 Ohm earphones (milspec are only 17 Ohm)

 

- in Gentex, avoid SPH-3 or SPH-4 (web lining, very heavy) stick to SPH-4b, SPH-5 or HGU-56.

 

- beware refurbished helmets are often repainted to hide cracks in the shell. You can find out by flexing the ears in and out a couple times. Any painted cracks will reappear. If you can stretch or compress more than an inch, the shell is a tired ol' fiberglass model (SPH-3 and early SPH-4). Kevlar models are stiffer (and lighter) and kevlar, if properly cared for, lasts forever. Its the foam and TPL that need to be cared for and changed every few years.

 

One small thing I did on mine (by accident), was to have the dark lens (which you will use about 90% of the time with respect to the yellow lens) actuated by the small knob on the left edge of the visor housing. Usually, the dark lens is the outer lens, and is actuated by the knurled knob on top of the visor housing. You have to loosen and tighten the knob every time you lower or raise the visor. The small knob on the edge is spring loaded and very quick and easy to use. If you order new (or refurbished) ask that the dark lens be the inner lens and the yellow lens the outer.

 

Another goodie is earphone volume knob(s). This allows you to adjust your ICS volume independantly from all the other passengers. Very useful in machines that don't have a comm controller. A good quality 1 kOhm potentiometer costs about $2. You can put one to control both earphones, or you can install two (2 x 500Ohm) for individual volume control. I installed mine just above and behind the left ear, where it doesn't interfere with the TPL or the earcups and I can get to it easily with my goofy hand.

 

My ANR kit cost me $180 and works great. I ordered it from www.ANR-headsets.com and installed it myself. Not complicated at all. In piston machines the difference is remarkable in all respects. In turbines, it especially makes comm reception much clearer.

 

I checked out that eBay store. From the looks of it, those are all ex-mil helmets (straight skinny cords), so ask a lot of questions. I also noticed the visor knobs are almost all on the wrong side. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but...

[rumrunner]

I agree with Scullcap. Get a dark and a yellow (amber) lens. The yellow lens is good in flat light conditions, but if it gets sunny, you'll get a splitting headache in short order if you forget to change to the darkie ! If you buy a refurbished helmet, you need to do the following:

 

- make sure it has amplified dynamic or electret mike

- 300 Ohm earphones (milspec are only 17 Ohm)

 

- in Gentex, avoid SPH-3 or SPH-4 (web lining, very heavy) stick to SPH-4b, SPH-5 or HGU-56.

 

- beware refurbished helmets are often repainted to hide cracks in the shell. You can find out by flexing the ears in and out a couple times. Any painted cracks will reappear. If you can stretch or compress more than an inch, the shell is a tired ol' fiberglass model (SPH-3 and early SPH-4). Kevlar models are stiffer (and lighter) and kevlar, if properly cared for, lasts forever. Its the foam and TPL that need to be cared for and changed every few years.

 

One small thing I did on mine (by accident), was to have the dark lens (which you will use about 90% of the time with respect to the yellow lens) actuated by the small knob on the left edge of the visor housing. Usually, the dark lens is the outer lens, and is actuated by the knurled knob on top of the visor housing. You have to loosen and tighten the knob every time you lower or raise the visor. The small knob on the edge is spring loaded and very quick and easy to use. If you order new (or refurbished) ask that the dark lens be the inner lens and the yellow lens the outer.

 

Another goodie is earphone volume knob(s). This allows you to adjust your ICS volume independantly from all the other passengers. Very useful in machines that don't have a comm controller. A good quality 1 kOhm potentiometer costs about $2. You can put one to control both earphones, or you can install two (2 x 500Ohm) for individual volume control. I installed mine just above and behind the left ear, where it doesn't interfere with the TPL or the earcups and I can get to it easily with my goofy hand.

 

My ANR kit cost me $180 and works great. I ordered it from www.ANR-headsets.com and installed it myself. Not complicated at all. In piston machines the difference is remarkable in all respects. In turbines, it especially makes comm reception much clearer.

 

I checked out that eBay store. From the looks of it, those are all ex-mil helmets (straight skinny cords), so ask a lot of questions. I also noticed the visor knobs are almost all on the wrong side.    Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but...

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Skidz..

 

Excellent feedback..I will look into the dark and amber lens issue.

Like I said i will not be working in the winter snow.

Primarly fire and over water operations.

 

Thanks again.

 

I am looking at the HGU-56.