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Pilots with Hearing Aids

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Hi, I am a small plane pilot (Cessna 172). Are there any other pilots on the forum who can give me info about plane intercoms equipped with MFI (preferred) or with Bluetooth?

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No experience of wireless devices in that respect. Flown Cessna 152 with good old David Clarke headset.

Not sure what the legislation is regarding MFI in aircraft. Secondly, wouldn’t like anything wireless in that regard due to the potential for it to fail.

I suspect it would be a retrofit as most of the planes are old. Perhaps look on some of the aviation communications manufacturers sites.

In reply to @Terost

I’m not totally deaf. When I got by Medical Certificate (two years ago) I was approved with no restrictions. Anyway I prefer smaller (non-controlled) fields anyway, but thanks for the input.

Just used them as is. The noise attenuation is quite good. They are roomy tho. so no problems fitting anything underneath. You can set the volume to whatever is comfortable.

They’re Model 10-13.4.

The medical requirements are basically the ability to use a radio. The AME will say words and you repeat them back.

Also in the UK, there is the NPPL with the same medical requirements as the Class 2 HGV.

Edited

In reply to @davart

Hello, just a simple question.(but i think you already answered elesewhere)
Do you wear your while you flying and use your David Clarke?
What kind of HA you use? . I’m trying to find out if I can use a miniRITE behind the ear HA device with noise cancelling Aviation Headsets.
Thanks in advance
Thanos

Being a pilot myself and having fit many hard of hearing pilots with hearing aids, the volume of the headset us usually sufficient. Some wore the hearing aids under their headset, as long as there was no feedback, and other just used the headset. If you have a in your hearings aids, they used to work good under the headset. As far as the bluetooth, it started coming on strong after I quit private practice and began consulting so I don’t have any experience in that department.

@DanTheMan said:

MFI

I’m a rusty pilot… started wearing hearing aids about a year ago now
and just a bit before this china flu thing hit, I started working on getting recurrent again after 16 years off… so about 3-4 flights in this pandemic hit and I’ve stopped for now.

Most of the flights I just left my ’s in under my old Flightcom headset. Not a problem…bu perhaps a little less comfortable. I think one time I just pulled them off before the flight. With my loss I have no problem just turning up the volume a bit…

that said, i do think the aids inside a headset would help
and one of the several things I had intended to do at Sun n Fun this year was to try on headsets to find one with a larger ear cup to completely enclose the aids comfortably (and to see if that gave any feedback issues…)

I know the original post in this thread is old…but I can’t wrap my head around how connecting the aids to the plane’s audio panel would work… unless I suppose they are worn under some muff style hearing protectors…but then there would be no mic… It would be cool though, if they could work sorta like the in-ear clarity aloft type headsets.

I wear my (just one aid) under my DC headset. I could take it off while flying and just turn up the volume a click or two on that side but then I have to stash the aid somewhere and not lose it. The only problem I have is after a couple hrs the combination of clamping force from the headset plus the aid behind my ear plus my sunglasses gets uncomfortable.

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