Saving Hearing: Saving Lives

The paramountcy of a pilot’s headset cannot be overstated.

It is the helm of his panoply, the instrument of his radiotelephony, and the badge by which the nature of his flying may be determined: for the thrifty student pilot, ASA’s HS-1; for the physician endeavoring to advertise the seriousness of his aeronautical commitment, Peltor’s WS ProTac XPI; for the salty airline pilot, Bose’s ProFlight Series 2; for the Mountain Dew-swilling, aerobatic madman, Gentex's HGU-55/P helmet; and for the enigmatic, jack-of-all-trades who might be a CFI, a crop-duster, a corporate-pilot, an aerial-firefighter, or a drug-runner, David Clark's H10-13.4.

Truly, as tweed jackets define professors, and gold chains identify Major League infielders, so headsets define aviators.

But what of the pilot who sports Lightspeed’s new Delta Zulu headset? What might be inferred about such an individual? The headset’s sleek lines and two-tone ear-cups connote a sense of style. The Delta Zulu’s braided connecting cord implies appreciation for durability and practicality. What cannot be seen, however, are the state-of-the-art Active Noise Reduction (ANR), audio-augmentation, Bluetooth, digital recording, and carbon-monoxide-monitoring/warning technologies that speak compellingly to the Delta Zulu wearer’s prioritization of safety, and best airman practices.

Lightspeed’s Delta Zulu ANR headset affords aviators degrees of personalization, data availability and analysis, and in-flight safety hitherto unseen in an aviation headset.

Utilized in conjunction with the Lightspeed smartphone app, the Delta Zulu headset customizes incoming audio to a pilot’s unique hearing profile, equalizing discrete frequencies to compensate for individual hearing-loss. In addition to enhancing pilot auditory acuity, the Lightspeed App serves as the user interface for a cockpit voice recorder feature which allows the capture, instantaneous playback, and saved retrieval of all radio and intercom-based flight communications.

The Delta Zulu headset’s function is not predicated upon pairing with the Lightspeed App. The headset may be used independently. The app does, however, unlock capabilities conducive to the expansion of flying freedom, and the betterment of flying safety.

Owing to sensors built into its ear-cups, the Delta Zulu headset detects cockpit carbon-monoxide levels and alerts wearers of such by means of audible alerts sounded via the headset’s speakers—no app required. Integration of the Lightspeed App, however, allows aviators to monitor and track levels of CO in their aircraft.

The advent of smartphones dramatically broadened the functionality and practical applications of mobile telephones. Similarly, the introduction of Lightspeed’s Delta Zulu model stands to forever alter pilots’ perceptions of the headset’s role in day to day aircraft operations. That Delta Zulu headsets will enhance pilots’ enjoyment of flying is an attractive likelihood; that the gadgets carry within them means by which to save pilots’ lives is a mortal certainty.

FMI: www.lightspeedaviation.com