The Zulu 3, A20, and DC One-X weigh in at 14.6, 11.9, and 12.3 ounces respectively. The David Clark DC One-X headset features swivel hinge stirrups to disperse clamping pressure. Whether you’re flying your weekend whip or your intercontinental business jet, that comfort level becomes increasingly more imperative in battling fit, fatigue, and focus for any leg over two hours. With eye-glasses, the side pressure was exacerbated. Though the “tapered performance ear seals designed to hug the curve of the jaw for a natural fit,” with cup cavities that allow the entire ear to fit inside, are extremely comfortable, the side pressure in the Lightspeed Zulu 3 was conspicuously greater than either the Bose or David Clark. The Lightspeed Zulu 3 could improve in this aspect. David Clark features a “fully adjustable suspension assembly” system that incorporates a solid, yet flexible, headband coupled with “swivel hinge stirrups to disperse clamping pressure” - which works exceptionally well. Whether you have a large cranium like myself, or a smaller hat size, the pressure will be the same. The Bose A20 has a center pivot spring headband, which provides a constant force of pressure on the head at 450 grams of pressure clamping force. Keeping a seal around the ears is necessary to prevent what Bose senior product manager, Matt Ruwe, refers to as “leak.” Each of the three headsets set about this in very different ways. Admittedly, I have a big head (literally, not figuratively), and the clamp pressure at the ear cups becomes noticeable, very quickly. This is where the Bose, in particular, and the David Clark headsets really excelled. With legs flown between 30 minutes and five hours during this review, comfort was a substantial consideration - especially when flying multiple legs each day. There is a noticeable dissimilarity between these aircraft in cockpit space available, noise, and distance to the jack plugs from the pilot seat. Of course, the operating environment between these jets differs significantly. Over the past few months, I have worn a Bose A20, David Clark DC One-X, and the Lightspeed Zulu 3.įor the most part, I have worn these headsets while at the controls of a Bombardier Challenger 605, but also in a Cessna Citation II and a Citation Ultra, with multiple legs and hours under each headset. It’s flexibility and light weight resulted in far fewer tangles. Fuller said the Zulu 3’s braided cable was refreshing. Each headset carries fond memories of various stages in my career. In the early years of my career - when I could barely afford my mortgage - I purchased an original Lightspeed Zulu, and have also used various Bose headsets in several of the aircraft in Private Air’s current fleet. But the heart of the headset is what will set it apart.įor Christmas in 2000, I was given a David Clark H10-13.4 headset to be used for my ab initio training. ![]() That’s not to say functional isn’t cool, or cool can’t be functional. Conversely, what lies behind the gel or foam-filled earcups and boom microphone is what symbiotically connects the pilot and airplane to the surface dwellers. The cool factor - the style, the look, the name - regularly overshadows the oft-forgotten importance of the “right” headset in the cockpit. Thirty years later, I am the chief pilot of Private Air, a fast-growing charter and management company here in Ontario, experiencing the latest and greatest active noise reduction aviation headsets from Lightspeed, David Clark, and Bose. It was an epiphany of sorts maybe this could be real. Pilot Adam Fuller (left) tested three headsets while at the controls of a Bombardier Challenger 605, a Cessna Citation II, and a Citation Ultra. I could have spotted those earcups and boom microphone from a mile away. It was like a beam of light sent directly from the heavens. He opened the trunk of his dad’s blue Oldsmobile that was backed into our narrow driveway, and there it lay: safely resting on top of the luggage, the unmistakably cool aviation headset. He was several years older and a budding pilot himself. I was about 12 years old when my cousin came to visit from Ottawa for a family member’s wedding. I often kept my dreams quiet because I didn’t want someone to tell me I couldn’t do it. I knew I wanted to be like “Maverick,” but I always thought being at the controls of an airplane was just a bit out of reach. Growing up in Kitchener, I had no idea I could actually make this fantasy a reality. Spending a hot summer weekend at Airshow London, Ontario, every year with my parents and friends sealed my fate. Like most aviators, I dreamed of being a pilot since I was very young, around the age of four. Here are the results! (Find the headset score charts at the end of this article.) Estimated reading time 13 minutes, 47 seconds.Įditor’s note: Private Air chief pilot, Adam Fuller, reviewed three leading aviation headsets over a two-month period - the Lightspeed Zulu 3, Bose A20, and David Clark DC One-X.
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