SAFETY CORNER

[ninjabones]

Paul:

Great intro to what will hopefully end up being a long thread on safety issues for the season.  As a newbie to the club and to driving in general, I don't feel many opportunities to contribute anything meaningful to the forum discussions.

However, as a former USAF flight surgeon and public safety officer, I have made a few observations that I thought I'd bring forward. First, I am amazed at the lack of attention to hearing protection at our events.  As someone who unfortunately sustained some hearing loss due to over 1,000 hours in rotary and fixed-wing military aircraft, I've become pretty fastidious about my own hearing protection.

We'll gladly spend $900 on a new Hans device or $600 on a new helmet, knowing that the likelihood of ever testing their purpose is exceedingly low.  However, our hearing is challenged at every DE event (driving, observing, working on our cars) and few have made the 25-cent investment on a pair of earplugs. 

I remember working the tech line at VIR a few weeks ago and I didn't see one other guy wearing earplugs.  Torqueing lug-nuts in that tech line was every bit as loud as working on a flightline... but you'd never see an aircraft mechanic or pilot step anywhere near the flightline without hearing protection in place (actually one of the more successful air force safety programs... primarily driven by huge disability pay-outs for hearing loss). 

I'll admit, it doesn' look too cool... but neither is a sqawking hearing aid, or being that annoying old guy at the movie theatre barking out to his wife, "heh, what did he say".

I'll be bringing a bag of earplugs to the events this season and everyone should feel free to come by and ask for a set at any time.