Maritime_Ev Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I was wondering if anyone here has any experience flying a light aircraft with infants/babies on board. My son is now 4 weeks old, and I reckon in a few months I could easily fit the baby capsule on the back seat of the Cessna to go to visit granddad out on the farm. The POH for the C172 even has a note about an optional baby seat in the luggage compartment but I think his mom won't approve My main concern is the noise, a headset is not an option yet, so how do you protect those sensitive little ears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmccarthy Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I started my daughter flying at 3 months in a Cherokee. Now 40 years old, it didn't hurt her. I don't remember noise being an issue, we didn't use headsets in those days but had a hand mic and overhead speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Don't fly them if they have any type of head cold as they can't equalise the pressure in their ears when they descend. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetjr Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I thought they had to be able to exit by themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 I thought they had to be able to exit by themselves? There's a CAAP on the carriage of children and infants (235-2) that has some info on how to fit a child restraint, it's mostly focused on RPT but it does mention GA. It doesn't mention the ability to exit, which is precluded by using a CSR anyway even for a child that can walk. Maybe the RAAus ops manual has something like that in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guernsey Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Google Dangerous decibel levels for babies. Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDQDI Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 There are ear muffs available for littlies. Make sure that you try them on a few times at home before you take them up though just to get them used to the feel. And as Nev said be careful that they haven't got a blocked nose, bursting the eardrum of a baby would be extremely cruel. In a quieter plane you might get away with woollen ear warmer thingys but proper muffs will ensure no damage to their little ears. I fly with my 4 and 2 yr olds regularly but they wear a Full size headset, it wouldn't be suitable to any younger than that as it does move occasionally requiring them to readjust. On a camping/shooting trip when our youngest was only 1 I used the baby earmuffs for him and they fitted perfectly and he didn't complain at all (actually when we were finished he wanted to keep them on) So IMHO a set of baby ear muffs would be well with the investment, they aren't expensive. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz3g Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I used to take my dear old Kelpie everywhere with me in the Auster and she had her own mutt muffs to protect her ears. I also used to fly in those pre-headset days of hand microphone and speaker. Probably part of the reason I have attenuation deafness now. Kaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slb Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Maybe the RAAus ops manual has something like that in it? Nothing in the RAAus Ops Manual except that there is only 2 seats allowed therefore, I would think only 1 passenger allowed not 1 + 1/2 Interesting that there doesn't appear to be a minimum age either, although some of the seat belts we use in the aircraft may have one. Does anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Had a look online and found that the noise levels in a 172S is avarages around 86dB(A), whith a maximum of 101 dB(A) which would be enough to justify wearing hearing protection for an adult so I wouldn't want to expose the baby to it either. Got quite a few hard-hearing people in my family, mostly from industrial noise exposure back when it wasn't considered much of a problem, so I do take it serious. Considering ordering a pair of these, don't seem to be any shops on the coast that stock them, but I guess they're not that expensive so worth the try. http://www.earmuffsforkids.com.au/ems4bubsbabyearmuffs The clogged nose thing is definitely something to keep an eye on; he can't complain about ear pain yet... (and it's only a very small nose too!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nothing in the RAAus Ops Manual except that there is only 2 seats allowed therefore, I would think only 1 passenger allowed not 1 + 1/2Interesting that there doesn't appear to be a minimum age either, although some of the seat belts we use in the aircraft may have one. Does anyone know? A kid under 18kg can't use the normal seatbelt, might have a look if there's anything in the ops manual about CSRs in RA-Aus aircraft? I will be flying a GA aircraft though, so we have someone who can monitor the baby without interfering with flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andys@coffs Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 If your flying a C172 then the RAAus Ops manual while interesting reading is in fact for that aircraft redundant. You could check out here http://www.earmuffsforkids.com.au/aboutus or if you search ebay for hearing protection baby there are stacks of things to consider Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Shove the dummy in before descent. Chewing helps open the eustacean tubes. I burst an eardrum on descent once Pretty painful...Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 If your flying a C172 then the RAAus Ops manual while interesting reading is in fact for that aircraft redundant.You could check out here http://www.earmuffsforkids.com.au/aboutus or if you search ebay for hearing protection baby there are stacks of things to consider Andy Do you (or anyone else here) have experience with those Em for bubs ear muffs? And yes the RA-Aus manual is of accademic interest only here :) as said, I don't think having to deal with the baby and flying at the same time is safe, especially as a low time pilot, so a two seater is out of the question. I had a look at the applicable CAAP and there's nothing in there about a minimum age but there is some interesting stuff about the use of car seats in aircraft. Australia has it's own standard that is different from the rest of the world (which uses ISOFIX) in that it has a top strap which needs an anchor point that Cessna (and Airbus/Boeing) doesn't supply, but apparently some seats have a separate 'mode' for use in the air without the top strap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andys@coffs Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nope sorry....when my kids were that age I couldn't afford to fly, instead I was wrecking regularly RC models (which in retrospect was probably not that different to the cost of flying if you consider rental and not owning....) Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Shove the dummy in before descent. Chewing helps open the eustacean tubes. I burst an eardrum on descent once Pretty painful...Nev Yes, and I'll be doing a reeeeaaally slow descent too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akromaster Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Re: earmufffirkids.com I bought a set for my little guy so we could take him to my other children's school concert. It's basically a soft elastic headband with valcro at each end. The ear muffs themselves are clipped on so it slides along the headband for you to adjust (or fumble with). It seemed to work at the concert for noise coz the little guy slept like a charm, although babies will probably sleep through a metal concert if they're tired enough. Definitely need to fit them on at home and perhaps try it out in the car on a trip first. They're a soft fitting (tighten with valcro as you feel comfortable for bubs), so it's pretty easy for bubs to pull them off. It took a little while for my kid to get comfortable enough to leave them on 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maritime_Ev Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Just received the bub's ear muffs, I'll leave a review once I've caught up on enough sleep to be safe in the air again :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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