Hearing aids?

[justinbuss 0]

I have a friend who would like to do the first jump course (static line) at our DZ. She wears hearing aids and is apparently not comfortable removing them under ANY circumstances.
Do you think she could jump with her hearing aids still in? What would you all recommend we do to try to ease her concern on the subject?
Quite obviously the best course of action would be to get her to chat wit the CI or someone like that, and this is what I have recommended, but I would still like to hear your opinions.
His eyes seem so glazed As he flies on the wings of a dream

[MarkM 0]

Do they cause problems for her on a commercial flight? If not, there's zero reason not to wear them skydiving. She'll be wearing a helmet, they shouldn't fall out or anything.
The instructors will be using a radio to communicate with her from the ground, so she'll need them in to hear the landing instructions anyway.

[freeflir29 0]

Wear a helmet and I don't think it will be an issue. In fact....don't they cut off at a certain decible level? Works as an ear plug at the same time.
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[cobaltdan 0]

a student protec helmet might not be best, i am guessing that 120mph wind
blowing into the mic port of the hearing aid could be a problem, resulting in hearing aid damage or user discomfort.
ask your friend if they could comfortably stick their head out the window of a speeding car for a minute
without problem...
perhaps a closed face helmet would be better?
-dan

[MarkM 0]

She won't hit 120mph on a SL jump, just about 80 from the plane as she exits.
The car test is a good idea though.

[freeflir29 0]

"ask your friend if they could comfortably stick their head out the window of a speeding car for a minute
without problem..."
Of course....always keep in mind the entertainment value of driving around with your friends head out the window.....throw in some beers and you have a wonderful Friday night of laughter...."I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[TheMarshMan1 0]

"...throw in some beers and you have a wonderful Friday night of laughter..."
hehe, that will be a fun one to explain to the cop that pulls you over

[billvon 2,991]

>Do you think she could jump with her hearing aids still in? What would
>you all recommend we do to try to ease her concern on the subject?
My concern, based partly on being a SL-I and partly having grandmothers with hearing aids, is that hearing aids are terrible at separating noise from voice. Any noise at all seems to make voice unintelligible, a big issue under canopy. In addition, some hearing aids saturate at high noise levels, making all sounds unintelligible. A second concern is that we sometimes lose earpieces (which is one reason we have two) and losing her hearing aid unexpectedly may make her panic or become extremely distracted.
If the DZ uses earpiece radios, mention that this is just like a hearing aid, and the volume can be cranked up to compensate for her hearing loss. If they use visual means of landing (like an arrow or paddles) point out that she doesn't need to hear well anyway to make the jump.
If they use only pager type radios, then the use of the hearing aid may be neccessary, but I would mention to her that using it puts her at higher risk than an "average" student. At the very least, the JM should ask her a question in the plane with the door open - and if she can't understand him, she probably shouldn't jump.
-bill von

[QuickDraw 0]

Maybe a tandem or tunnel work would help just for the experiance of the noise...just a thought..

[billvon 2,991]

>Maybe a tandem or tunnel work would help just for the experiance
>of the noise...just a thought.
Well, except freefall noise isn't the problem, it's under canopy where she has to hear the radio. Perhaps a tandem would work, since the TM can talk to her under canopy and see if he can be heard.
-bill von

[FallinWoman 1]

"What problems have been associated with wearing hearing aids while skydiving?
Q. I recently made two tandem jumps and would like to do AFF. Although I wear hearing aids, I took them out for the jumps. Have you heard of any problems with wearing hearing aids while skydiving, providing I kept them from falling out.
A. We checked with another jumper who wears hearing aids full-time. He told us he's worn them jumping, although sometimes they turned themselves off in the aircraft during the climb to altitude - apparently that response helps protect both the wearer and the devices themselves. That created the problem of being in the line-up and not being able to hear the exit count. But as far as experiencing other problems, such as any caused by rapid changes, he reported none. But after jumping with his for a while, he stopped wearing them at the DZ."
I got this from August's Skydiving Magazine ( I think it was august!)
Seems to me that if there is a chance that the hearing aids may cease to function properly, a tandem would be the best bet for a first jump. Then she would know what to expect in terms of the hearing aids and make an informed decision then.
Blue skies,
Anne
"It's not the heights that I am afraid of, it is the impact that bothers me."

[Kirils 1]

A buddy of mine jumps with 2 hearing aids. He uses a full face
helmet and has no problems. Years ago when he started jumping static line he didn't have a problem. It was when he
advanced to AFF when the wind bothered him. The problem was resolved with a full face helmet. The instructor wired the radio in his helmet for him.
Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability...

[justinbuss 0]

Thanks Bill.
That's the best advice I've heard on the subject. I think I'll show her this and then see if she wants to go.
Our DZ uses paddles (no fancy radios here in South Africa ;)), so she need not worry about not hearing that. Her major problem is that she is terrified of removing the hearing aid. Period. I think we'll try the car test, with one of our own helmets, not the student pro-tec, and see if she feels OK with that.
His eyes seem so glazed As he flies on the wings of a dream