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all three profile modes, with High being my preferred setting. During my flights, I even swapped with my Bose A20s to better analyze the differ- ence in nose reduction. I was expect- ing to find an appreciable difference between the two, but was surprised to find it was marginal in the CJ3. I used a decibel meter to determine the perceived reduction. During cruise, it measured 82 dB and in a low alti- tude descent, 90 dB (for any sound experts reading this, I used type Z frequency weighting).
I have also tested the ProFlight in an Eclipse 500 and Cirrus SR22. The Eclipse is as quiet as the CJ3 and as expected, the headset worked very well. The surprise came when using the ProFlight in our SR22, a fairly loud example of a high-performance
piston airplane. On takeoff, I mea- sured 102 dB yet found the ProFlight still performed exceptionally well. I even alternated between the A20 and ProFlight during the remainder of flight and found them both to be more than adequate for the job.
Bluetooth Connectivity
Like the A20, the ProFlight supports Bluetooth connectivity to an external phone or music device with the con- nection process being the same. The only difference I noted was the lack of an auxiliary 3.5 mm input option. I personally prefer two methods of con- nection for f lexibility, however, most external devices now have Bluetooth so the functionality shouldn’t be an issue for the majority of pilots.
The audio quality while using an external music source on my iPhone
was very similar to what you would find in high quality ear buds you might use on the ground. Bose uses the same audio profile in the ProFli- ght as their other ear buds and head- phones, and streaming various albums showed a good frequency response, whether I was listening to Lady Gaga or Tubular Bells. The bass was full, with good clarity of the higher frequencies, and possibly some attenuation in the vocal bands which might be expected in an aircraft environment.
Conclusion
If you are in search of a super light- weight headset, especially for t•urbine flying, the Bose ProFlight is a great choice. If flying in higher noise envi- ronments, I would recommend dem- oing the ProFlight first and see if it fits your needs in those aircraft. T&T
Since receiving his private pilot’s license in 1977, Rich Pickett’s passion for flight has only intensified. President of Personal Wings, Inc., Rich is the former chief information officer for San Diego State University. With more than 10,000 hours in the logbook he holds ATP, CFII SMEL, AIGI, commercial SES and glider ratings. His type ratings include Citation 500, 510S, 525S, Eclipse 500S, the Aero Vodochody L-39 and L-29, and SIC on the DA-10. He serves on the NBAA Citation Technical Advisory Committee.
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September 2018
TWIN & TURBINE • 29