Army's newest flight gear..

[Brett327]

I have yet to figure out how you guys can stand flying with ear plugs. I've tried it a few times and just can't stand it. Even with the volume turned up.

Concur. All you sissies who insist on shoving those things into your ears before each flight - WTF? You don't need THAT much hearing protection in your aircraft. After 17 years in three platforms using only a headset or helmet (as well as a prodigious amount of close-quarters guitar playing), I'm right on baseline WRT hearing tests. Everybody relax with the foamies, will ya?

Brett

 

[Harrier Dude]

Personally, I think they should make an AIRSAVE, even just the vest (no radio/flares/etc.) part of everyone's initial gear issue when they enter the jet pipeline. Those things are great when they're fit to you, but a pain when issued as pool gear.

Well, I guess that make 1 person who like the damned things. Personally, I've never met anybody who didn't prefer the SV2 (like I still wear). The AIRSAVE vest has lots of problems with the koch fitting holes (hazrep'd many times) where it is fouling the connection. The vest is so bulky that the pilots didn't notice that they were either disconnected or partially connected until landing. Not a good deal if you have to eject.

As for the CEP's, I've never been able to wear earplugs (very small ear canals), but i've used the CEPs. The sound quality is great (except Betty is very quiet) and it lowers the sound level, but they hurt my ears on longer flights. They become uncomfortable at about an hour, and nearly unbearable at about the 2-3 hour mark. I'm not wearing them these days until the flights get shorter or I get back to the states.

 

[hscs]

The HH60Hs have a TD out to convert to wireless ICS. However, as far as I know, the TD will only cover the aircrew -- pilots will still plug in to the plane the old fashioned way.

My squadron also has the CEP (earplug speaker things) -- we did nothing special other than making sure our PRs knew how to install them.

The airbag system has been asked for by the H60 community, but like most things it will probably won't show up.

The one thing that I would like is one vest that will carry everything and accept soft armor and chicken plates.

 

[phrogpilot73]

The AF and Army bought the HGU-56 along with the maxiofacial shield - far superior brain bucket than HGU-84/P - yet why do we / did we buy and design our own helmet instead of just using whatthe other three services use - including USCG?

Honestly, I have no idea... When they started talking about helmets to use for the CH-53K, I made the suggestion of the -56. Seems that actually listen to me sometimes since I'm a pilot

 

[phrogpilot73]

Concur. All you sissies who insist on shoving those things into your ears before each flight - WTF? You don't need THAT much hearing protection in your aircraft. After 17 years in three platforms using only a headset or helmet (as well as a prodigious amount of close-quarters guitar playing), I'm right on baseline WRT hearing tests. Everybody relax with the foamies, will ya?

CEP's aren't foamies, well they are - but sort of. They've got a little miniature speaker in them that plugs into your helmet. Makes the radios much clearer and louder. I never wore foamies before, tried the CEP's and love them. As for the double hearing protection, you'd be shocked and amazed the level of noise that you are accustomed to. The first flight with my CEPs, I kept checking the instruments 'cause it didn't sound right...

 

[Oh-58Ddriver]

The Air Warrior is pretty cool - overall its functional and comfortable (well, as comfortable as wearing steel chest plates in the cockpit can be). This forum is the first I have heard of wireless ICS, but CEPs are definitely a must-have. I know of only one pilot in our Squadron of 70 pilots that doesnt use them. The face guards are ok, but most people dont wear them because it gets hot. It also reduces your field of vision. But they look really cool when you get spray paint art on it, let me see if I can dig up a photo. For now, here is one of me two days ago with the Air Warrior as we wear it now here in Iraq.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Is that a Hellfire, or are you just happy to see me??

 

[Single Seat]

Well, I guess that make 1 person who like the damned things. Personally, I've never met anybody who didn't prefer the SV2 (like I still wear). The AIRSAVE vest has lots of problems with the koch fitting holes (hazrep'd many times) where it is fouling the connection. The vest is so bulky that the pilots didn't notice that they were either disconnected or partially connected until landing. Not a good deal if you have to eject.

As for the CEP's, I've never been able to wear earplugs (very small ear canals), but i've used the CEPs. The sound quality is great (except Betty is very quiet) and it lowers the sound level, but they hurt my ears on longer flights. They become uncomfortable at about an hour, and nearly unbearable at about the 2-3 hour mark. I'm not wearing them these days until the flights get shorter or I get back to the states.

Concur. Airsave vest sucks. I'd kill to have back my old SV-2. As far as the holes for the koch fittings, I've given up trying to keep/get them buckled through the holes, and I just pull the fittings out of the sides of the vest and buckle. Not quite as comfortable, but I've gone to unstrap more than a couple of times to find the koch not fully snapped down because of all the vest material bunched up.

 

[kmac]

Concur. All you sissies who insist on shoving those things into your ears before each flight - WTF? You don't need THAT much hearing protection in your aircraft. After 17 years in three platforms using only a headset or helmet (as well as a prodigious amount of close-quarters guitar playing), I'm right on baseline WRT hearing tests. Everybody relax with the foamies, will ya?

Brett

Brett obviously hasn't flown front seat in the COD.

 

[kmac]

The C-2 has also gotten a new wireless ICS in the last few months.

Didn't some Hornet guys hear you talking on ICS out there on the boat?

Also (not directed at HooverPilot), the C-2 AWICS system was created to talk to crewman on the boat (long cord just doesn't go that far). Right now our crewman have been using them as a primary ICS system even though that's not what was sold to us. Unfortunately the system has an amp for the mic, and so they have to unplug the amp on their helmet before using the AWICS. Not only that, but the headsets must be adapted and now the masks must be adapted (they're not compatible for both AWICS and regular ICS because of the difference in the mic amp). Oh I love change.

 

[othromas]

I really like the idea of the CEP and want to give it a shot, even if I'm not flying anything that noisy--I like understanding ATC as well as I can.

That said, I read the modification they have for David Clark headsets like we're issued in the training command, and I have a feeling they wouldn't be happy with me if I go drilling holes in the sides of the earcups. Is there a less destructive way I could go about using it? Could I plug it directly into the earphone receptacle and just snake the earplugs in under the cups?

 

[Pags]

So, I've been thinking about the whole idea of the Army getting better gear than us while I sit in class all day. Someone had mentioned that no one HAZREPs the stuff, so NAVAIR never knows that there's a problem. I would tend to think that the reason no one HAZREPs their gear is because they don't know that there's a better alternative available to them. And since you don't know that an alternative is available, everyone just sucks it up, NAVAIR never hears about the problem, and it doesn't get bumped up high enough in their list of priorities for it to be deemed worthy of the small amounts of money available. I know of at least one HAZREP written on the subject of someone's ass that eventually resulted in some upgraded seat cushions for the 60. Of course, you can fight with WESS to your heart's content, it doesn't always mean that your CO is gonna release a HAZREP about how your ass hurts after a long flight or how NVGs make your neck sore.

Getting back to the knowledge of other gear, how often do you actually get to find out about other flight gear that's available? Maybe a trade show? How often do you get to go to a trade show? How do we know that there's anything better available? I know my TV sucks because I see an ad telling me that my current TV is obsolete and that I really need to go spend my money on the newer, better model. But I don't see very many ads for NAVAIR approved flight gear. How often does a flight crew actually get to use something different? Unless you happen to score some sort of drug-deal hop with the Army or AF, it's hard to know whether or not you're keeping up with the Jones'.

All that being said, from OH-58D's pic, it doesn't look like their vest is any less bulky and intrusive than ours. It might look a little smaller, but it doesn't have the lobes on for flotation, plus it doesn't have the huge HABD hanging off of it. Also, not sure if I'd be happy with changing out my thigh pockets for BDU style pockets on the side. Seems like that'd make it harder to get at all the scraps of paper I put in them while flying.

If it wasn't for airwarriors, I'd never even know about CEP. I don't think a single guy in my squadron uses them. A few have personally purchased oregon aero stuff, but that's about the only non-standard gear I know of. I think our PR shop is currently spending a lot of it's money on survival suits for the AWs, leaving very little left over for the finer things in life.

 

[hscs]

Pags -- the bdu pockets aren't that bad -- I fly with the two piece flight suit in the desert. I prefer it.

The nice thing about the army system is that it has the ability to combine body armor with vest -- rather that two separate pieces.

I don't understand why the survival suits are that expensive that it would prohibit buying other things. Many squadrons that I have been at have bought the suits and found money for other oregon aero stuff. Sounds like some BS to me.

 

[HooverPilot]

Didn't some Hornet guys hear you talking on ICS out there on the boat?

Yup, 2 seperate crewmen have reported conversations. Of course both pilots were below deck and the aircraft was shutdown so it's just on their word (never seem to mention it until back @ homeguard). Can't seem to find a SuperHornet guy to fess up to talking to them yet though. The engineers are having fits over this one - something about it's not possible for that to happen...

 

[HooverPilot]

So, I've been thinking about the whole idea of the Army getting better gear than us while I sit in class all day. Someone had mentioned that no one HAZREPs the stuff, so NAVAIR never knows that there's a problem. I would tend to think that the reason no one HAZREPs their gear is because they don't know that there's a better alternative available to them. And since you don't know that an alternative is available, everyone just sucks it up, NAVAIR never hears about the problem, and it doesn't get bumped up high enough in their list of priorities for it to be deemed worthy of the small amounts of money available. I know of at least one HAZREP written on the subject of someone's ass that eventually resulted in some upgraded seat cushions for the 60. Of course, you can fight with WESS to your heart's content, it doesn't always mean that your CO is gonna release a HAZREP about how your ass hurts after a long flight or how NVGs make your neck sore.

I agree that knowing about the stuff that can make it tough for you, but knowing what can replace faulty gear isn't necc'y your job -that's what NAVAIR is there for. they are supposed to research the problems and come up with the solutions. It just helps if you can give them a suggested replacement. there is an assload of stuff listed in the different pubs too. Check out the PR's available gear catalog sometimes and you can see all the gucci stuff that they don't let us buy.

We did recently release a hazrep because of prolonged flights when deployed have caused at least 1 of our pilots to require back surgery & many to have back pain. If that isn't an argument to replace our ancient cushions, then nothing will be good enough. Most of us fly with some sort of lumbar support that we've had to buy on our own to prevent these problems.