Curious about headset recommendations and needed materials

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flying-ModTeam@reddit

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Ipad74@reddit

At some point you will need to send any expensive headset in for service, and you will still have your fine, works well enough spare headset you purchased when you started training to use.

It’s probably not worth getting a bottom of the barrel headset, but something name brand but low end of the line up. (Off the top of my head, something like a David Clark 13.4, but I haven’t shopped for passive headsets in a long time.)

Later you will upgrade to a nice ANR headset.

I have been out of the training environment for awhile, your CFI should know which self study ground schools worked well (or not) for his previous students. I wouldn’t discount an in person ground school as well, check local community colleges, or the local pilot community.

Check with your cfi about a tablet. They didn’t exist back in my day, but I am sure even student pilots use them now.

There is a lot to be said about old school charts paper, E6B, as you learn much better the process such as chart reading, magnetic variation, wind triangle, true airspeed while an iPad will just give you the answers with less understanding as to how it calculated those.

Be prepared for the iPad failure during your checkride as well, be able to revert (iPhone? Paper?)

As far as tablets, while there is android tablets, aviation is dominated by the iPad, with foreflight and Garmin Pilot as the two main electronic flight bag apps. I would start with using what your instructor wants you to use. I think an iPad mini is a safe bet, and I personally would get the cell model because of the included gps receiver.

Be prepared to not be allowed to use the iPad, until your instructor knows you can fly/navigate/calculate old school and would be fine if it failed during your solo flights.

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pilotshashi@reddit

🎧: start w/asa finish with bose

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Prestigious-Elk-9061@reddit

David Clark is a solid brand for headsets, and if you want noise-cancelling (I recommend if you can afford it, makes it easier to hear ATC and protects your ears) the DC One-X is a great and less expensive option to the Bose. iPad Mini with basic ForeFlight subscription is probably what you want when you get to XC flying. I’ve heard that Garmin Pilot is getting better and offering discounts as an alternative to ForeFlight. I tried flying with a larger size iPad and it kept getting in the way of the yoke while flaring to land. Good luck!

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Ok-Money2811@reddit

Buy the headset and ground school you can afford. Flying is stupid expensive enough, no need to make it unnecessarily more.

Look at the used market too. Headsets decently cared for can last decades. I still have my A20 I bought a month after it came out in 2011 and it still serves me for GA flying just as good as it always has That headset lived through some flight instructing, several years of regional life, and still the occasional GA flying I do today. A20s can be found for several $hundred less than the shiny new $1300 headsets out there now. If you can find a decent shape Bose Aviation X that’s even better. People like those so much they started 3D printing replacement parts for it, it’s a great headset and it’ll likely to be had even cheaper used.

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ltcterry@reddit

There are lots of used expensive headsets available on eBay because people bought them way too early and were part of the 80% that will drop out before finishing Private Pilot.

Buy a basic headset. If you finish treat yourself to a nicer one. The cost will be a lot less than the hit if you end up selling the high dollar one.

I accidentally ripped the cable out of my Bose A20s. (A friend's airplane had the jacks in the ceiling and I sat on the cable when I got in. Ooops. $$$.) I was glad I had an older spare set so I didn't have to turn down a nice ME pilot services job.

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Fast-Government-4366@reddit

I’d spend on a good noise canceling headphones, and yeah I bought an iPad once when I got to the cross country phase of learning.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

Hello I am currently working on my PPL at a local pay as you go place, I have done two lessons and was just curious what people recommend to buy for a headset as well as what online ground school is the best. I was looking into sportys and a few other options. Also, is it common to buy an ipad for this? My friend with a PPL and my instructor both have one to look at the radar for other planes and to write down info for the flight. Thank you in advance

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