riggerrob 643 #26 December 3, 2009 As a young soldier, I did a lot of damage to my hearing by working around loud machine guns and loud helicopters. Seventeen years ago, a boss noticed that I was talking louder than usual in the factory and suggested that I wear ear plugs while skydiving. Since then I have always worn foam earplugs while riding in jump-planes and in freefall. The easiest ear plugs have cords, but I always keep a spare - or three - in my jump suit pocket or in the lining of my helmet. I tired fancy Sonic 2 ear plugs for a while, but they were a nuisance to install and remove. Mind you, if I shove simple foam plugs in too deep, I need hemostats to remove them. I rarely have difficulty clearing my ears ... only when I have some sort of sinus congestion. If I forget my earplugs, I feel a lot more fatigued by the end of the day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freefalljason 0 #27 December 3, 2009 When I jump the Twin Beech or the Cessna 195 I use them till about 9000 ft when I begin my exit prep. When I jump Mullins' King Air I don't have time to use them! (For those that may not know, it's 7 min. to 14,000 in that plane) Blue Skies, Jason Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,110 #28 December 3, 2009 >One time I forgot and I thought my eardrums were going to >explode. It was like jumping with the worst head cold ever.. Never >again! Hmm. Done it going on 2000 jumps now - no problems yet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 38 #29 December 3, 2009 I just wonder whether the people who do it regularly and have no problems have bigger "ear holes" or something than those whom it bothers. I often have to take mine out briefly even on the ride to altitude to let my ears adjust - just wonder whether my ear plugs plug up the ear more solidly than other people... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tetra316 0 #30 December 3, 2009 I've worn the fancy dancy ear plugs (aka hearing aids) for almost 2000 jumps. The only time I have a problem is when I'm congested, and then I shouldn't be jumping anyways. If you have issues then either the ear plugs are not properly fitted or you need to learn how to manipulate your jaw. If the ear plugs are too tight then you won't be able to clear your ears at all. If they fit correctly you should be able to feel them moving simply by moving your jaw. Try closing your mouth, pinching your nose and blowing like you were clearing your ears. You should still be able to clear them on the ground with ear plugs in. If you cannot then they are too tight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #31 December 3, 2009 QuoteI just wonder whether the people who do it regularly and have no problems have bigger "ear holes" or something than those whom it bothers. I often have to take mine out briefly even on the ride to altitude to let my ears adjust - just wonder whether my ear plugs plug up the ear more solidly than other people... Different people have different ear anatomy. My 26 year old step daughter gets ear discomfort in a car going up/down hills and in commercial airliners. I, OTOH, never get ear discomfort unless I also have a severe cold. I wear earplugs both in the plane and during freefall.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 38 #32 December 3, 2009 I just wear the standard green foam ones with the yellow string. They don't feel particularly tight by any means I can't imagine looser ones blocking much sound. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearless_chris 1 #33 December 3, 2009 They have different ratings for how many decibel's they block. I think we use NRR 32's at work, meaning they reduce the noise level by 32 db."If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane. My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iopenhi 0 #34 December 3, 2009 FWIW... My dad was a pilot for 19 of his 21 years in the service. "Back in the day" little or no consideration was given to hearing protection. He quit flying in 1970 and retired in 1972, and at the time his hearing loss was hardly noticeable and, I suspect, un-documented. Fast forward 40+ years... hearing aids in both ears, and he's still very, very frustrating to communicate with. He does not enjoy wearing the hearing aids, they don't appear to help very much, and it is very distracting to speak with someone whose head is whistling half the time. I'll never log the time he has in aircraft, but 10-20 loads pretty much every weekend is considerable time to be exposed to elevated noise levels. I'll not chance it. Not for me, not for my children, not for my friends. I keep a bag of disposable EARS NRR 29 foam plugs in my gear bag, and always have a handful in the truck, as I'm often required to use hearing protection in the facilities our company works in. I insert them as I'm gearing up, and they stay in my ears until after the jump when I reach the first convenient trash receptacle back in the hangar. I've never had a problem with pressure equalization in free fall unless I'm jumping while congested. Another consideration: Several years ago we stopped supplying "corded" hearing protection to our employees. We had a couple of comp. cases (as did other contractors in our area) where the employee(s) were treated for ear infections, apparently caused by re-using ear plugs. Our policy now clearly indicates that foam plug type hearing protection is "one time use only". Most of our work environments are not as benign as small aircraft, but if it comes out of my ear, it ain't going back in.You can't make chicken salad out of chicken manure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tetra316 0 #35 December 3, 2009 Using the foam plugs then if you are only going to use once seems extremely wasteful. Why not buy a pair of customer ear plugs and use those? They're pretty cheap and would fit better. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #36 December 4, 2009 Quotethe employee(s) were treated for ear infections, apparently caused by re-using ear plugs. Was this a lot of in and out use, or leaving them in for the whole shift? I wonder how things factor in: the ear itself building up with bacteria over time vs. transfer to the ear plugs, and the effect of continuous time in ear vs. in and out. (Eg., in 30 minutes, out an hour.) I don't know the answer but I wonder if the skydiving application is less hazardous. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #37 December 4, 2009 QuoteQuotethe employee(s) were treated for ear infections, apparently caused by re-using ear plugs. Was this a lot of in and out use, or leaving them in for the whole shift? I wonder how things factor in: the ear itself building up with bacteria over time vs. transfer to the ear plugs, and the effect of continuous time in ear vs. in and out. (Eg., in 30 minutes, out an hour.) I don't know the answer but I wonder if the skydiving application is less hazardous. I don't know, but I will leave "foamies" in my ears for significant periods of time, or pop them in and out for short periods. It depends on how many people are at the range. I usually keep a pair in the watch pocket of all my jeans. The earplugs go through the wash with the jeans, although I will replace them every so often. I've never had any problems. YMMV"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearless_chris 1 #38 December 4, 2009 QuoteAnother consideration: Several years ago we stopped supplying "corded" hearing protection to our employees. We had a couple of comp. cases (as did other contractors in our area) where the employee(s) were treated for ear infections, apparently caused by re-using ear plugs. Our policy now clearly indicates that foam plug type hearing protection is "one time use only". Most of our work environments are not as benign as small aircraft, but if it comes out of my ear, it ain't going back in. We stopped using corded ear plugs for the same reason. It was another plant that had the problem so we got rid of them before it became an issue. I'll keep my foam plugs for the whole shift, unless I drop them on the floor, or get them dirty. I don't like the corded plugs anyway, the cord rubbing on stuff bothered me."If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane. My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awagnon 0 #39 December 4, 2009 During the ride up, the pressure outside of the ear drum gets less than the air pressure in the middle ear. This is fairly easy to clear by manipulating the jaw, chew gum, etc. However, during free fall, the pressure in the outer ear (outside the ear drum) increases relative to the middle ear cavity. So you need to blow to get air through the eustacian tube into the middle ear to equalize the pressure. For some reason that's more difficult for some people than letting the air out on the ride up. Probably has something to do with the anatomy of the eustacian tube's opening inside the nose, and for them it acts like a one way valve making it easier to let the air out than in. I wear foam ear plugs all night as I'm a light sleeper and all day if I'm on my motorcycle. No problems. However, I'm an inexperienced jumper and I'm afraid I'll miss something if I have in ear plugs. I guess I'd better start wearing them.Alton "Luck favors the prepared." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brucet7 0 #40 December 4, 2009 I said no, but I am going to start. Just got the ear plugs and ready to when the weather cooperates.POPS #10623; SOS #1672 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendor1369 0 #41 December 4, 2009 It depends if I am jump mastering static line I use it because I will be in the C-130 for a while. If it is just freefall I don’t, my full face has enough padding for the short ride. JohnJohn - D.S 1313 "I'll jump it, Np. It's all good" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
