Head protection

[Snowbirdxx]

With the door open loading the Husky I often hit my head on the then lower rail of the folding window. A hat kept the damage magagable, but I often do not wear hats. I now found a very nice product that can be installed on that rail. It is inexpensive and looks very good. Should eng the scullprobes taken off my head.
it is available in black or transparent. The pic shows the door open with the liner installed.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005067011782.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.23.21ef5c5fIY62pS&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu

 

[Ksmith]

Great find Thomas!

 

[Ksmith]

Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/buy/thank...21000&ref_=chk_typ_browserRefresh&isRefresh=1

 

[Snowbirdxx]

The double adhesive stripe inside is pretty strong. I will try this liner on the gearduurs and the gear fuselage fairings soon.

 

[Ksmith]

Good ideas

 

[bumper]

Back in my "soaring" days (I sold my last glider a few years back), the canopy in many modern gliders doesn't provide for a lot of extra head room. No problem except in really strong turbulence, were banging one's head may occur. Heard of one glider that got the canopy cracked from the inside!

The fix is to make a disk of 1/4" extra firm (green) confor (green memory foam) to fit in your hat. 1/4" doesn't sound a lot, but you can put in on concrete and hit it hard with your fist with no damage (concrete is unscathed too!). Really remarkable stuff. Had 3/4" under seat pad for added crash protection too.

 

[JACK]

I found this on Amazon. Fits inside a ball cap. Not as good as a helmet, but gives some protection

 

[Ak Kurt]

Jack, I bought one of those a few years back, pretty much worthless except for hitting your head on flap hinges. Not much protection otherwise.

Kurt

 

[tbienz]

I switched to using a helmet several years ago (only for the Husky, not the Mits) and it has been a good switch. Audio fidelity is excellent. It takes a second to put it on and get it sitting comfortably, but once it’s on I pretty much forget it’s there. Great visor for sunny days too. I tend to make weekend sport out of flying around and looking for places in the Wyoming mountains to try and land. I figure I’ll probably need the helmet eventually. Gives me some peace of mind.

 

[LOWandSLOW]

I just purchased a helmet from Sky Cowboy and love it. A relatively Lightweight SAR helmet modified by them to accept my existing Bose A20 headphones plus a visor for the sun. Reasonably priced - just two tanks of gas.

 

[Ksmith]

I would like to see it, do you have a link?

 

[LOWandSLOW]

DIY Helmet Kit | Sky Cowboy Supply Co

PLEASE REVIEW INSTALLATION MANUAL BEFORE PURCHASE!-LightSpeed Zulu 2/3 & Delta (Not Compatible with Zulu 1 or Sierra)-Bose A20-Bose X-DC One X The Bose A30 will not be offered as a DIY kit due to the complexity of the teardown. -Team Wendy EXFIL® SAR Backcountry with Rails-Peltor Quick Release...

www.skycowboysupplyco.com

It can also be purchased with a New A30 already installed if you are going to upgrade your headset anyway. I flew with a similar setup in Alaska a few years ago and loved it, and was going to rig one of these up myself but it seemed like an expensive PITA.

After reading the story from Dan Kozak, which reinforced a story from a guy who crashed on a glacier in Europe a few years ago (who said the helmet, which broke in two from the impact, saved his life) I decided that since I wear a ballcap with a visor for sun anyway, I shouldn't take the risk of crashing without a helmet on.

I'm very happy with the product they sent.

 

[Clifford]

+1 for wearing a helmet. I flew acro with a helmet but was chicken to wear it flying the Husky for fear of looking like a poser. Then I figured I don't care that much about what people think and now wear the helmet all the time. I have a Kevlar custom-fit HGU-55 with Bose A20. The sun shield goes out of the way with no hassle; the sound attenuation is good; it's comfortable; and if things go side-ways I have some protection. Anyway that's my reasoning.

 

[Paul Collins]

Excellent reasoning! Taking care of head injured people is difficult, especially if it can be prevented.
You even might look like a fighter pilot - at least across the ramp from your airplane!
Paul C

 

[Ak Kurt]

Do any of you know anyone who has actually “bonked” their melon using the helmet from Sky Cowboy? Did it provide much protection?

Kurt

 

[LOWandSLOW]

The helmet shell and padding itself is manufactured by Team Wendy. Sky cowboy just makes the accessories to connect the headsets easily. it's either this helmet or one very close to it. Much more than a bicycle helmet but not as robust as a military or helicopter helmet.

Team Wendy® SAR Tactical™

The Team Wendy® SAR is the first purpose-built search and rescue helmet to provide tactical accessory mounting capabilities, including a standard NVG shroud, while meeting key industrial and mountaineering performance standards.

www.teamwendy.com

 

[Glider]

I don’t want to get into the helmet or not debate.

Team Wendy Helmet is not “so much more than a bicycle helmet” any more than a Ford F150 is so much more than an A1B. They are just not the same.

Bike helmets work really well; on a bike.
Team Wendy SAR helmets are well regarded in the Search And Rescue world. (I have no data to prove how well they do or don’t work).

I am unaware of any helmet built for the mechanism of injury encountered in tandem seat, steel tube planes like the Husky.

Keep the lap belt tight and low on your hips, use all 5 straps Husky provides and don’t do dumb stuff.
Especially don’t hit your head.

 

[Tommy2]

I’ve been wearing helmets for maybe 12-15 years. I was flying in Alaska and working as a guide. The only thing easy to get was Navy deck helmets and the white plastic DavidClark ones. Beside those the price was way higher For full helmets.Granted they didn’t give the end all protection but much better than nothing.
As far as putting foam in a cap to protect from the bottom of the Husky wing , the best foam is Sorbothane , made by Limb-saver. They make a pad that has adhesive on one side and is made to be put on the cheek / comb of a rifle Stock.
I guess the bottom line is approx. 50% of the deaths in light airplanes is head trauma.

 

[Don]

I bought the Team Wendy helmet from Sky Cowboy and installed my preferred DC One-X in it. Only flown once but pleased. Comfortable, same performance from the headset. Worried at first about losing some of the DC fit I like but not disappointed. Is it worth it? $599 with visor plus converting a headset I already have seems like a hard to refute safety upgrade at modest cost.

 

[dankozak]