Headsets, Flight Planning And Aircraft Rental Made Better

By Bruce Brandon

Sennheiser introduced its S1 'Noisegard' headset at AirVenture 2013. It fills in the gap between the S1 Digital ($995) and the S1 Passive ($369) headsets. The Noisegard has active noise reduction but differs from the digital model by using analog technology. The consequence is that it doesn’t have the full ability of its more expensive big brother but does still provide quality active noise reduction. The Noisegard will retail in the U.S. for $795.

One of the nice features of the 13.76 oz. Noisegard is that it addresses the sunglass pain issue. Those of us who use headsets are all familiar with the low dull pain that manifest itself after wearing sunglasses and a headset for more than 15-30 minutes. The Noisegard addresses this problem by installing special materials where the headset presses against the glass frames, minimizing pressure on the temples. It also has a peak noise level protection preventing excessive noise being transmitted to the wearer as well as being able to distinguish from vox and music through special filters.

Sennheiser decieded to enter a strategic co-marketing partnership with iFlightPlanner in 2011 to create products for the good of general aviation. One of the results of this partnership is iFlightPlanner’s iPad impressive flight planning app. The app has a free version and one that gives more flexibility and options for a modest fee. Part of iFlightPlanners software version 2.0 includes making the iPad a cockpit voice recorder in addition to the flight planning functions it provides. This CVR function is part of the free app. Here is the really neat part. Sennheiser insisted that the CVR function be able to be used for ALL manufactures headsets, not just Sennheiser’s. This was part of Sennheiser’s continuing effort to give back to GA and enhance safety. iFlightPlanner’s version 2.0 will be in the app store in 6-8 weeks.

One additional effort to give back to GA by Sennheiser is in aircraft rental. OpenAirplane, is a new company that is standardizing aircraft checkout. OpenAirplane is providing a way that pilots can be checked out once and rent the same type and model airplane from numerous FBOs without having to be checked out again. This creates a strong incentive to fly while traveling because all one has to do is show to the participating FBO that you have been checked out in the make and type of aircraft you want to rent and you go fly. No additional checkout required. You don’t even have to bring your headset because Sennheiser, is helping reduce your luggage and rental cost by supplying two Sennheiser headsets for your use when renting the airplane.

Overall, Sennheiser is not just taking from GA, it is giving something back as well.

FMI:  http://en-us.sennheiser.com, www.iflightplanner.com, www.openairplane.com