by Patrick Lafleur, test pilot at Bell Textron, co-lead of the Rotary Wings Working Group (RWWG) and Serge Côté, Civil Aviation Safety Inspector, Flight Training, Evaluation and Examinations Rotorcraft Specialist, Transport Canada
Whether you ride a bicycle, a motorcycle or play any contact sports, you wear a helmet. It is for your protection, of course, but it’s also very practical. So it makes total sense to wear one flying your helicopter. Helicopter helmets come in many different styles, colours and options, so they can be customized to your specifics needs and taste. They are also very affordable, if you consider all the consequences of a blow to your head like injuries, disabilities, sick leave and medical related expenses, as well as your responsibilities to your passengers for landing them safely after a bird strike or leading them to safety after an accident.
Because of its ability to take off and land vertically, a high percentage of helicopter accidents occur at low speed during the hovering phase. In a rollover situation, the main rotor blades strike the surrounding obstacles or the ground with such tremendous force that the shock felt by the occupants is brutal. Wearing a helmet will protect your head from hitting the instrument panel or any other part of the cockpit so you can quite possibly exit the wreckage and walk away.
Also, helicopters mostly operate at lower altitude in bird territory. You have most probably seen birds up close during flight. It happens so fast, and every time, you’re relieved for not having hit them. Because of the speed at which you’re travelling in the air, you have very reduced or no lead time to avoid a strike. You’re comfortably cruising and the next second, your windscreen shatters and a bird hits your face at 120 kt. Had you worn a helmet with the visor down, there are good chances that you had sufficient protection to overcome the shock of the situation, giving you the ability to put the aircraft on the ground and save the day.
Your flight helmet is a tool to protect your head, your eyes and your ears. It definitely makes your pilot’s life easier. The integrated visors will provide physical protection on top as a visual aid in different lighting situations. They typically come with two visors, one shaded to be used in the sun and the other transparent or yellow to be used in low or flat light environments, enhancing visual cues to help provide good situational awareness. Today’s helmets offer different types of hearing protection. I strongly suggest adding a supplemental hearing protection, like a communication ear plug (CEP) kit or an active noise reduction system. The CEP kit provides a physical sound protection. The ear plugs will block noise while delivering precise communication through the integrated earphone transducer. The active noise reduction system will treat sound electronically to deliver a much more comfortable sound level to your ears while maintaining crisp and precise communication.
It is also strongly recommended that the flight helmet be connected to the aircraft with an intermediate intercommunication system cord, between the helmet cord and the airframe port, to permit a rapid egress. This will allow the cord to be disconnected in the direction of the egress. A direct-to-airframe port connection will typically take 31 kg (or 70 lb) of pressure to disconnect. Without an intermediate cord, in some emergency situations, it may be extremely difficult or impossible for the pilot to rapidly disconnect the intercommunication system cord.
The hardest part of the process will be to pick and choose the perfect helmet for you. Talk to pilots and instructors who own them, research the internet to select the preferable option for you and be diligent in the building and acquisition process, as this helmet will become your flight companion for many years to come. It will give you peace of mind and comfort to upgrade your flight experience while greatly enhancing your passengers’, as well as your own, safety.