Audio response Zulu v DZ no ANR

Other features

DZ comes with another new (to aviation headsets) function, Carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring and alarms. I tested this with my old 1965 MG sports car. Firing it up in the garage DZ’s CO alert went off before I even smelt the exhaust (image 9). It also records the level for a whole flight so you could spot an intermittent problem (pic 10). A valuable feature if your aircraft doesn’t have one or you rent.

There is a flight audio recording function. It will record up to six hours of com and intercom on your tablet or phone. It only records aircraft audio-in, not Bluetooth. If for example you are using its Bluetooth interface for SkyDemon messages, you would hear them on the headset but it would not record them. The recording quality is excellent. It has Bluetooth connectivity (one channel) for the app, phone, music etc. I didn’t manage to check if a Nav app, music and DZs functions work together simultaneously. It’s a question customers may need to ask.

Not all the auxiliary features worked properly e.g., custom EQ profiles and remote recording control seemed to be inaccessible or ‘coming soon’ on the version I tested, and there is no sign yet of software update capability on the Lightspeed DZ support site.

Conclusion

The combination of DZ’s superb ANR and HearingEQuity functions make it the most effective aviation headset I have flown with. The EQ feature was a distinct benefit for

Zulu

Zulu + aids

DZ basic DZ + EQ my older ears, but did less for younger ones (Image 11). Noticeably, to me, engine noise almost vanished while taxying and in slow flight.

08 A graph of my hearing response as frequency increased. With my Zulu, (the blue line) I was clearly struggling with tones around 4kHz, whereas with aids (brown) it was good. DZ without aids or EQ (grey) was better than the no aids Zulu, and with EQ good up to at least 5kHz (yellow).

09 Shows a Carbon Monoxide warning on the app (my MG). More importantly, DZ issues a two-stage voice warning. Pressing the multifunction button cancels the alarm.

10 It also records the alert time history for display later on the app. On the graph, blue indicates CO and yellow is cockpit temperature. This illustrates recovery to normal after pic 9 alert.

In normal flight, conversation with female passengers was easy to hear and understand. One concern is that with DZ’s excellent ANR my stall warner (3kHz) was very much a background noise rather than the attention getter it should be.

I leave you with one thought: You won’t know what you don’t hear until you’ve tried one in the air.

Glossary

· ANR. Active (electronic) Noise Reduction.

· Hertz or Kilohertz (Hz or kHz) is a measure of the tone or frequency. Higher the tone, more kHz.

· Decibel (dB) is a (logarithmic) measure of loudness. The more dB, the louder the tone or noise.

For more information on headsets and my test methods search Google for Light Aviation magazine February 2020 in the archive for my article.

Thanks to Ruth Kelly and Amy Whitewick for their vocal and flying support for this review. ■

Newton Sprl Retrofit 65mm Aluminium Locking Fuel Cap

$78.50 each – www.newtonsprl.co.uk

Newton Consulting, based in Chalford, Stroud, is a long-term UK success story when it comes to making fuel caps and fuel selectors for the light aircraft world. Founded by LAA’er Robin Voice, the company, now run by Rob Selby, supplies parts to a wide array of homebuilt kit manufacturers and parts suppliers like Light Aero Spares and Aircraft Spruce.

Newton’s Lightweight SPRL 65mm fuel cap moulded in a glass/ Acetal mix is a common fit on many modern homebuilts, and for a few years now, Van’s Aircraft has supplied this cap as standard item on all its aeroplanes using a curved tank flange fitting.

In response to customer demand, Newton now offer a version of the cap with a smart aluminium top with a locking function.

A straight swap, having tried a pair on a friend’s RV-14, I can say they are very fine bits of kit. EH

The General Aviation Handbook

Simpson/Longley/Swain – £49.50 www.air-britain.co.uk

This edition of the General Aviation Handbook picks up where the 2005 edition with the same title, left off, and once again is a vital resource if you want to keep your finger on the dynamic pulse of the General Aviation manufacturing world.

Because of the expansion in the numbers of light sport aircraft manufacturers and types, this new edition covers current manufacturers since January 2000, whereas the earlier edition covered from 1945 to 2000.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one covers mainstream companies producing traditional type-certificated aircraft, and part two covers Ultralight and Light Sport manufacturers and aircraft which have been built in production quantities in factory-complete ready-to-fly form, including those offered as kits to amateur builders.

It’s an extremely useful reference in what’s definitely a vibrant and well-populated segment of aviation, so treat your bookshelf to a copy and enjoy browsing its pages. And the good news is, if you’re member of Air Britain, you can save £15 on the cover price. EH