Ear protection for children at air shows

Mrs_Imp

I guess my question has been well and truely answered. People don't provide ear defenders for their children because they think it'll 'be alright, surely nobody does things that are bad for your hearing' It's a complacency that makes me a bit sad.

Janepig

I'm also of the school of thought that at an air show you would put ear defenders on your children more so that they aren't scared by the noise other than anything else. I went to a yearly airshow as a small child and other than the vulcan (which used to hurt your stomach more than your ears iirc ) I don't remember anything being damagingly loud. Back then, it's my understanding that the planes were alot closer to the crowd than they are now - I remember the vulcan seemed to be almost in touching distance!

We also used to go to the British Grand Prix every year when I was a child and sat as close to the track as we could get. It's a miracle it seems that I'm not as deaf as a post!

We recently took DD & DS to the airshow in Swansea which took place over the bay, so most people were watching on the beach and prom. I didn't think it was all that noisy, even the red arrows. However we weren't there in time to see the Typhoon - but I was waiting outside DD's gymnastics club for her when it was "performing" which is about five miles away, and I could hear it from there!!

Jx

System

Air shows are a lot quieter now that the aircraft use a display line well forward of the spectators.

In the 70s I remeber the Vulcan do a slow fly in toward the crowd with 'everything hanging', pull everything up, hit the reheat and stand it on its tail directly over the crowd. The ground would shake as those Olympus engines gave their all. The best bit of an airshow..

Mrs_Imp

Janepig wrote: »

I didn't think it was all that noisy, even the red arrows.

But the red arrows are not that noisy (a Hawk T1). That's like saying that you went to a car race and the Ford Focus wasn't very noisy, therefore the F1 car won't be noisy! However a Eurofighter is very noisy, as is an F16 (over 100db, and over 110db with afterburner).

securityguy

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

But the red arrows are not that noisy (a Hawk T1). That's like saying that you went to a car race and the Ford Focus wasn't very noisy, therefore the F1 car won't be noisy! However a Eurofighter is very noisy, as is an F16 (over 100db, and over 110db with afterburner).

If it's the case that the SPL at an airshow for spectators is 110dB, then you are worrying unnecessarily. 110dB is a crying baby in the same room as you, or the London underground as a passenger: noisy, but no-one suggests that you need hearing protection.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

securityguy wrote: »

If it's the case that the SPL at an airshow for spectators is 110dB, then you are worrying unnecessarily. 110dB is a crying baby in the same room as you, or the London underground as a passenger: noisy, but no-one suggests that you need hearing protection.

If I'd known that when my kids were born, I'd have got myself a set of ear defenders, just for my own sanity.

Janepig

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

But the red arrows are not that noisy (a Hawk T1). That's like saying that you went to a car race and the Ford Focus wasn't very noisy, therefore the F1 car won't be noisy! However a Eurofighter is very noisy, as is an F16 (over 100db, and over 110db with afterburner).

Yes I know - that's why I said the red arrows weren't that noisy, but the Typhoon could be heard by me from five or so miles away. But had I been at the beach watching it from close range I wouldn't have deemed it worthy of ear protection.

Jx

Gloomendoom

I've been attending air shows since I was little and I've never bothered with ear defenders or suffered any noticeable ill effects.

Pardon?

Ilovesaving20

The only time I have seen people wear those things are whilst shooting.

ClareEmily

Whoops took my 3 year old last year to an air show and he loved it, and never wore ear defenders, we covered his ears for the vulcan.

Lots of children were crying there though with and without defenders, not for every child.