What's the deal with wearing ear plugs during free fall?

[danornan 79]

Been wearing them for years starting with the old DC3's. Wear them on the motorcycle too. If you want to protect your hearing as you get older, I'd suggest you wear them too.

Your head won't explode in freefall, you'll actually hear conversations in the plane and I find it is not necessary to remove them until I'm on the ground.

Tinnitus is a result of loud constant noises, i.e., noisy airplanes. You don't get it until you do and then there is no cure, only prevention.

Dano

[cloudwlking 1]

Have been wearing them in the plane and in freefall, no issues,

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Skyvans are noisy airplanes. I always try to remember to wear mine, but a Skyvan will remind you immediately.

The skyvan is so loud it just isn't fun. The caravan also seemed loud, though it's been a few years since Skydance swapped their's for a PAC, so I don't recall it well. The King Air and Otters are definitely easier on the ears.

Freefall time exposure is so short, that I wouldn't worry about the risk there. Your ears can tolerate the 1 minute exposure. It's the plane ride that is very bad. Though the pressure difference from exit to opening shouldn't be that big, you got one poster who did experience it. I'd be afraid of anything that is air tight interfering with equalization.

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

[joke]
Ahhh!

All that stuff about wearing ear plugs during the ride up in the aircraft and/or in freefall is a bunch of bunk!

Think of it this way... if you want your muscles to get bigger and stronger, you lift weights, right? At first, you cannot lift a lot of weight for long periods of time, but the more you do it, the stronger your muscles get and if you keep at it, pretty soon what used to be a difficult lift becomes easy.

Translate the same thing to your ears... expose your ears to loud noises and at first it hurts and you want ear plugs... but continue to do so, and pretty soon, it doesn't hurt and you don't need those pesky ear plugs anymore... see... your ears got stronger...


[/joke]


But seriously folks, if you're around airplanes a lot, wearing hearing protection is a good thing.

With the caveat that someone up thread pointed out that if you're still on student status, being able to hear the radio may be reason to skip the ear plugs for those jumps... with the further understanding that the radio is just a "back-up" / not to be relied upon exclusively to make a safe student landing.

[Kynan1 0]

haha, So much for the "helmets don't reduce the sound enough" theory.
Maybe a Pro-Tech helmet with open ears, but something enclosed, works fine...not like this is news to most people.

[diablopilot 2]

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The skyvan is so loud it just isn't fun. The caravan also seemed loud, though it's been a few years since Skydance swapped their's for a PAC, so I don't recall it well. The King Air and Otters are definitely easier on the ears.

Interesting, I find KA's and TO's to be much louder than a single like a Caravan.

Anyone have a DB meter.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[scottjaco 0]

I wear musician’s earplugs. They take everything down about 10db, which is just enough to be comfortable while still being able to communicate. Sometimes I feel the pressure change in my ears after deployment but it's not painful. It's just a little squeaking noise as the air pressure is balancing out.

[chrismgtis 0]

I'll stick with jumping without ear plugs. You guys go right ahead.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[460 0]

this is what happened to me after i took out my ear plugs on the ground.

Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174