Reviews on New Arrow Dynamics Aviator Helmet

[andybr6 0]

I have been looking at the new Aviator helmet but have been put off by some unfavourable posts in a thread on DZ. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has bought one of the new ones and what they think of it. I live in England so once I import it I really do not want to be sending it back across the pond.

Thanks in advance.

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[LloydDobbler 2]

Hey, Andy -

I don't own one of the new Aviators...but I wanted to chime in with a thought: from my experience, if you're going to have to import the helmet (or pay a lot for shipping), I would think twice about buying one that you haven't gotten to try on yet. It can get really costly.

Reason I'm saying this is that I did own one of the new Aviators (briefly). Problem was, I couldn't find an Aviator that fit me quite right. The M was too loose, and the S was too small to even get over my ears (even though I wear an XS in Bonehead helmets - go figure). Luckily, I was able to go down to Square One and deal with them directly, so I wasn't out a lot on shipping.

& for the record, I believe that Arrow Dynamics no longer has an interest in the helmet - I think Square One bought the patterns and the rights to the helmet from the OM, and has revived the line. (Which is one of many things that kinda makes you wonder if the DZ.com Reviews section is ever going to be updated with current gear...)

Anyway, on the review side, a close friend of mine owns one, and she loves it. She's only put about 50 jumps on it so far, but hasn't seen a problem. Of course, that's secondhand knowledge...

Regardless, you might give a thought to the fitting thing - if someone around has one, try that sucker on before paying for shipping. Knowing how much the sizing varies (and how loose a helmet can be even if the size chart says it'll fit you), I won't buy a helmet I haven't tried on again.

Signatures are the new black.