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I wonder how much of the cost is

bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,664 ✭✭✭✭
edited August 2015 in General Discussion
Lawyer proofing or insurance.

I will be soloing next week and hope to fly my plane by Labor Day weekend. I have already purchased and use an ANR (Automatic Noise Reduction) headset for radio and cockpit communications.

I have been looking at helmets that will fit the headset and protect my noggin if I do something stupid and crash my plane, safety is no accident.

These little suckers cost between 350 and 1,000 bucks for a lightweight helmet! They are not like racing or motorcycle helmets where the impacts are expected. They are light weight, designed to hold your head together if you bump into the ground too hard.

The lawyers and insurance companies must get a huge chunk of that money for them to cost that much. They are not even made from carbon fiber!!

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    bullshotbullshot Member Posts: 14,371 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What's your head worth? I agree on the lawyer thing however.

    Of all the fatal ultralight/experimental aircraft crashes that I can remember, none would have been saved by a helmet.

    If your plane doesn't have one already, invest in a ballistic chute (and a helmet).
    "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"
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    pulsarncpulsarnc Member Posts: 6,280 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    congrats on the upcoming solo Getting and learning to fly an ultralite is number 1 on my bucket list
    cry Havoc and let slip  the dogs of war..... 
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    austin20austin20 Member Posts: 35,057 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by pulsarnc
    congrats on the upcoming solo Getting and learning to fly an ultralite is number 1 on my bucket list
    having an ultra lite looks like lots of fun
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    onepopperonepopper Member Posts: 1,825 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Make sure that your plane has shoulder harnesses. Never fly in an aircraft without shoulder harnesses. Doesn't matter weather an ultralight, or general aviation aircraft. With thousands of hours in US Navy aircraft as aircrew, and with over a thousand hours as a civilian pilot I can tell you the shoulder harness is a life saver. As far as insurance goes if you love your kids and wife pay for insurance before you pay for fuel. If you want actual incidents of accidents here in Arkansas at our small grass airport I can send you copies. You will remember every second of your first solo for the rest of your life. You have taken the first step toward safe flying by taking flying lessons through a certificated instructed. In civilian flying there are no short cuts to a license. Many have tried and failed. Good luck and follow the rules for safe flying.
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    reloader44magreloader44mag Member Posts: 18,783 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    They probably figure if you can afford to own/operate an aircraft...you can afford a $1000 helmet[:)]
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    OakieOakie Member Posts: 40,519 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/nyregion/14mbrfs-009.html

    This is Donna's brother Todd Good. What the newspaper didn't tell you was, My brother in law died twice that day. Once upon impact and once in the trauma center at cooper hospital. He crashed into a nurses tree in her back years, 100 feet up in the air. Her husband got his bucket truck up there and she revived him. He had another heart attack at the hospital. He ended up with six broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken leg, broken arm and a puncture heart from his ribs. This was his first solo flight and he was wearing a seat belt and had a parachute. He killed the ignition by accident and could not get it started. We watched in horror as he came down like a ton of bricks. By the time we got in the truck and got to him, he was hanging upside down, 100 feet in an old pine tree. At the trauma center, they said he would not make it through the night. This is the 7th time he was declared legally dead. He has two more lives left[;)] He is the rider for the Grave Digger beach drag race bike. Pure 100% out of his mind, nuts. The guy he bought the plane from, crashed and rebuilt it three times prior. He said at 80 years old, that was enough. No joke, the guy was 80 and still flying ultralights. Be careful Bruce, those things can be dangerous. Oakie
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