Earplugs? Personal preference or a real reason?

[Profman 0]

I started using them about 3/4 through my training and noticed an immediate improvement. Noise is a major distraction. I use simple wax inserts.

The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety.

[sundevil777 93]

I find it easier to concentrate without my brain being bombarded with so much noise.

How about the headmaster for the New York School for the Deaf to help us out...(wait a few seconds)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESyTVnxxrPc

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[3mpire 0]

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How about the headmaster for the New York School for the Deaf to help us out...(wait a few seconds)...

haha. i need that guy to sit in the back of the caravan so when someone with a full face helmet on tries to tell me something I can hear wtf what they're saying.

[pinkfairy 0]

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apart from protecting your ears from a loss of hearing: loud noise also has a high stress potential - so waering some sort of protection makes a lot of sense

That's why I wear them, I found out that if I keep comfortable in the plane, I get less tired when I'm jumping. They don't significantly reduce my ability to talk to other jumpers in the plane, but I don't really like talking on the ride to altitude anyway.

I take them out before exit because I sometimes have problems equalizing pressure in my ears with earplugs. If we go high with O2, I take them out before I put on my canula or hose, so I have less to think about at the top.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[jurgencamps 0]

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So at most, it looks like during free fall you're potentially at risk, but it's not that far out of acceptable standards. I guess over many dives and many years it could add up, but unless i'm looking at this data wrong, it doesn't sound like it is a *huge* risk.

Wrong, it is a problem.
85 db is for 8 hours in a period of 24 hours. 88 db is twice as loud as 85 db. 115 db is "okay" for less than 30 sec in a period of 24 hours. You can safely make only one jump every day from 8300 ft.

If you make more jumps a day, you will damage your hearing. Also do not forget the noise you have in the plane.

For ex: you make 5 jumps from 13000 ft
==> 5 x 15 min in the airplane (95 db)
==> 5 x 1 min freefall (115 db)
= 1 hour at 95 db and 5 min at 115 db

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CDC says that "for every 3 dBs over 85dB, the permissible exposure time before possible damage can occur is cut in half." 85dB is permissible for 8 hours. . Their chart shows that 90dB is ok for 60 minutes, and 115 is ok ~30sec.

Right, but in a periode of 24 hours.

You have to add the different times. For ex. you are exposed during 4 hr at 85 db and 30 min at 94 db, you have already "used" 100 % of your daily quota. More exposure is expected to lead to hearing damage.

So if you make your 5 jumps a day, (1 hr at 95 db and 5 min at 115 db) you will have hearing damage, because you are already over the max eposure time.
The same goes for 1 x 30 sec at 95 db per 24 hrs.

At work (in Europe, don't know USA regulation), you have to use hearingprotection if you are exposed at 85 db and your boss has to provide hearingprotection when you are exposed at 80 db.

CU

Jurgen
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0010:en:HTML

[Erroll 49]

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But if you are having a busy weekend, with lots of jumps, or work at the DZ, then I'm pretty sure it could be significant.

Spotting out the door (eg. a C182) also adds dramatically to the noise levels you ears are subjected to.

[3mpire 0]

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You have to add the different times. For ex. you are exposed during 4 hr at 85 db and 30 min at 94 db, you have already "used" 100 % of your daily quota. More exposure is expected to lead to hearing damage.

That makes a lot of sense, I wasn't interpreting the information I read correctly. I have some ear plugs that I'm going to try next jump. Thanks for breaking that down, it was very informative!

Given that it is pretty much a given that you are at risk of hearing damage, I'm surprised that it isn't mentioned in the SIM. Does anyone know if the USPA has ever spent much time on this issue?

[CornishChris 5]

I put them in before boarding and remove after landing.

I also wear them in the tunnel and on the bike and on the few occasions I do car tracks days. In my thirties I have already noticed some hearing loss from lots of biking and a bit of jumping.

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[robinheid 0]

Some interesting stats from der deutschelander und der motorshykler... but what I think would be more interesting is for the sponsors of some of the mega-sponsored teams to pay for some hearing tests for their teams.

various combos of before-after joining the team, and just current absolute numbers, as in: Team guy X has 10,000 jumps, he's 26 years old, how does his hearing compare with the average for that age,

average compared to people in "loud" professions versus "quiet" professions, that sort of thing.

just anecdotally, i don't hear too many high-jump, high-frequency jumpers saying "Huh?" any more than the average jumper, and them no more than the average person.

Of course, maybe I just can't hear them going "Huh?"

SCR-6933 / SCS-3463 / D-5533 / BASE 44 / CCS-37 / 82d Airborne (Ret.)

"The beginning of wisdom is to first call things by their right names."

[topdocker 0]

I see them come and go at various dropzones, whatever the latest fad/fashion there.

Personally, never wear them. I like to be able to hear what is around me in the plane, on opening, in the pattern, on landing, and walking through the landing area. You never know when someone is going to say, "Lookout!!!" That split second warning could be a lifesaver.

After twenty plus years of jumping, and many refuels of the turbine aircraft without ear protection, my kids still complain that I have "bat hearing."

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[happythoughts 0]

I keep a bottle of earplugs in my gear bag. When we are
jumping a Skyvan, I hand them out.

Even with a full-face on, a Skyvan is a noisy machine.

[kallend 1,623]

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I see them come and go at various dropzones, whatever the latest fad/fashion there.

Personally, never wear them. I like to be able to hear what is around me in the plane, on opening, in the pattern, on landing, and walking through the landing area. You never know when someone is going to say, "Lookout!!!" That split second warning could be a lifesaver.

After twenty plus years of jumping, and many refuels of the turbine aircraft without ear protection, my kids still complain that I have "bat hearing."

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Good earplugs have a nonlinear frequency response that attenuates background noise more than speech frequencies. You may just find you can hear "Lookout" better with good earplugs.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Zlew 0]

When I started jumping, our main plane had a Garrett engine on it (like most skyvans) and they are louder than most PT-6's. Also, we had a lot of pilots who jumped at my DZ, and all of them always had ear protection in on the ride up. I figure this might be total BS, but one of them always talked about damage that can occur from exposure to some of the high frequency noise created by props.

I got in the habit, and now I always have them on in the airplane. I've spent lots of time in noisy airplanes, and figure it cant hurt to have something in. I have the plugs on a rope that I put through my jumpsuit zipper.

[danornan 64]

The downside to wearing good earplugs is -0- Not wearing them is like rolling the dice. You might get lucky and not hurt your hearing or not develop tinnitus, but why risk it?

I try to wear them from the moment I'm geared up till the time I get back on the ground. They WILL help to protect your hearing and you will actually hear people talking in the airplane where before the engine noise cancelled the conversation out.

I wear a full face helmet and can hear just about everything better with earplugs. I try to wear them on my motorcycle too. They reduce most of the bad noise.

Dano

[P-dro 0]

same here (I put them on before boarding, remove them after landing). They protect my hear from wear and damages: aircraft noise, freefall noise, audible noise (my Optima at minimum level is extremely loud, and actually painful under canopy without plugs). On the plus side, it's easier to concentrate in the plane when you can block out ambiant noise (I mostly do FS jumps)

[Inspired 0]

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I see them come and go at various dropzones, whatever the latest fad/fashion there.

Personally, never wear them. I like to be able to hear what is around me in the plane, on opening, in the pattern, on landing, and walking through the landing area. You never know when someone is going to say, "Lookout!!!" That split second warning could be a lifesaver.

After twenty plus years of jumping, and many refuels of the turbine aircraft without ear protection, my kids still complain that I have "bat hearing."

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Good earplugs have a nonlinear frequency response that attenuates background noise more than speech frequencies. You may just find you can hear "Lookout" better with good earplugs.

Can you recommend a good brand?

.

[topdocker 0]

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I see them come and go at various dropzones, whatever the latest fad/fashion there.

Personally, never wear them. I like to be able to hear what is around me in the plane, on opening, in the pattern, on landing, and walking through the landing area. You never know when someone is going to say, "Lookout!!!" That split second warning could be a lifesaver.

After twenty plus years of jumping, and many refuels of the turbine aircraft without ear protection, my kids still complain that I have "bat hearing."

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Good earplugs have a nonlinear frequency response that attenuates background noise more than speech frequencies. You may just find you can hear "Lookout" better with good earplugs.

Good earplugs are not what are found around most DZs, just the plain foam ones. Piled in the ear, then covered with a full face helmet. Also, the "background noise" may be what I am trying to hear, a slider flapping, line whistle, the jumper next to me cussing his line twist, etc.

Most people who wear earplugs can't hear someone standing in front of them trying to talk to them unless the pull off their helmet, unstow their earplugs and shake out their hair, and then say, "Huh?" Try it sometime.

It's personal preference. I'd rather have one more sense telling me about potential danger.

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[riggerrob 558]

Agreed!
Airplane noise can ruin your hearing.
And where you sit - in the plane - makes a huge difference in how quickly your eardrums WILL get damaged.
Since I usually do tandems, I usually sit near the pilot's bulkhead, which is close to the propellers in C-130, Twin Otter, Skyvan, etc.

I always put my earplugs in before takeoff and remove them after landing.
If I have a hard time hearing my tandem student, I just ask them to talk louder!

[rehmwa 2]

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I keep a bottle of earplugs in my gear bag.

or,,,, you could just keep a bottle in your gear bag

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[dninness 4]

I spent 10 years in Army Aviation prior to skydiving. While we were supposed to wear hearing protection all the time, there were many times when we'd be cranking up an APU for "just a second" that we didn't bother.

Various turbine engines emit sounds along a wide spectrum of frequencies. Sitting up front along side the PT-6s of an otter can be a little different than sitting all the way in the back, but still, some of that high frequency sound is going to get to you and could cause hearing damage.

I thought I was a "tough guy" when I was a young enlisted troop, not grabbing my hearing protection when around APUs, engines, transmissions, ground power carts, etc. Then I started wearing my hearing protection far more religiously, but damage had already been done to my hearing (never mind the fact that hearing loss seems to be hereditary in my family. My grandmother and my dad were/are deaf as a haddock..) I got to the point where I was wearing the silicone "christmas tree" type earplugs or foamies under my flight helmet. (with the radios turned up a corresponding amount, etc)

I don't generally wear earplugs skydiving, but occasionally I have, and now that I'm an AFF-I and sitting up front in the Otter, closer to the engines and props, I do so more.

NIN
D-19617, AFF-I '19

[Skydivesg 6]

My wife says I don't listen.................

At least I think that's what she said.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[jsaxton 0]

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I have considered putting them in after people start drinking at the end of the day.

nice one!

[jurgencamps 0]

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I'd rather have one more sense telling me about potential danger.
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For as long as you can still hear, before your hearing is damaged.

I already have hearingproblems and I do not want it to become worse.

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[kallend 1,623]

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After twenty plus years of jumping, and many refuels of the turbine aircraft without ear protection, my kids still complain that I have "bat hearing."

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I used to think like that, right up until the day I realized I had tinnitus.

Fortunately I smarted up, started wearing earplugs, and it hasn't got any worse.

Tinnitus, like diamond, is forever.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[topdocker 0]

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I'd rather have one more sense telling me about potential danger.
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For as long as you can still hear, before your hearing is damaged.

I already have hearingproblems and I do not want it to become worse.

.

I just haven't had any hearing problems after 24 years of jumping.
When will they start?

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