Here is my prep for GML, not spectacular or even threadworthy pictures but I'm going over every square inch of her to make sure the trip will go swimmingly.
http://jfc17.smugmug.com/photos/174947135-M.jpg
http://jfc17.smugmug.com/photos/174947063-M.jpg
I have to pinch myself every now and again. Sometimes its just hard to believe we get to do this stuff.
Just curious, what kind of ear protection do you use? Custom in-ear otoplastics? Those well-known yellow foam disposables? Non-custom reusables?
For concerts and party/nightlife photography I've got a pair of custom-made Exinore ear plugs (branded as Elacin in the rest of the world) with -25 dB linear filters. The plugs are basically part of my photo equipment, ready to grab from my photo bag.
Ear plugs will be a case of Your Mileage May Vary.
I know that, for me, properly inserted (!) yellow foam plugs would start to itch after an hour or two, becoming thoroughly annoying after three. While those custom made plugs will go for six to eight hours. (Admittedly, even those custom plugs are a pleasure to take out, after prolongued use.)
The tech who squirted the two compoud rubber goo into my ears (to make the moulds) explained to me that ear canals are somewhat like fingerprints, no two are ever exactly identical. That might explain why the foam disposables are comfortable to some, even for long hauls, and not to others.
And I find the linear filtering much nicer. Instead of everything sounding dull, because the high frequency sounds are dampened more than lower frequencies, the sound stays clear, as if someone just turned down the volume.
David Clark is one of my clients and they like me wearing their latest and greatest, so I have several sets of their ramp muffs. They work well and are fairly comfortable. I've gotten really concerned about hearing loss. When I'm flying the T-6 I wear a Gibson Barnes ANR Kevlar helmet which makes everything very quiet. In anything else, I wear DC ANR headsets.
Some guy at a high end stereo shop was trying to sell me $300 cables for my speakers not too long ago, telling me I could hear the difference. I told him I was 58 and have been flying since I was 21, I bought the $40 cables!
I used to play in a band back in the hard rock - made loud to be payed loud - days... once I made a little money, i bought a high end stereo with a Carver amp twice as powerful as our practice PA a which was a Phase Linear 400. The Carver is 800watts. Bought some real nice Mirage bipolar speaks to listen to the definition... blew them out playing guitar along with some great songs... now I run JBL PA Cabs along with my Fender Super Reverb and my JCM900 Marshall - both 100watts - at the same time... monster calbles? are you kidding? I say to the store guys - I'm not listening to the nuances of the cello vs the breeze of the woodwinds... I probably couldn't hear it anyway...
all that being said - a long time ago I bought what was then labeled as "NoiseGates" which work fine to this day - for me and I'm 51 now. Though I only use them at the gun range. "I'm growing older but not up" as Jimmy Buffett says!
Irritation from ear plugs might be due to allergies to latex - check it out.
Hey Buddy... If I miss you before you leave, you take care and have a good trip up and back. Butch is sure spoiling you..lol I'll look forward to seeing all those signature Jim Wilson pictures when you get back
You have a great trip too! We'll catch up when we get back. I am getting used to that 3 hour trip from TKI to Appleton in pressurized comfort above all the crud! Plus, I get another six or 7 hours of King Air time!!
If anyone wants a rare photo op, they are going to be painting the nose art on "Ruff-Stuff" Monday morning around 10, at AirVenture. I'm probably not getting to the field until early afternoon.
Supposedly in the warbird section between 9 and 10 on Monday morning. We're leaving McKinney around 8, dropping off my wife and Granddaughter in Illinois and heading up from there. I'm sure it will be early afternoon by the time we put the Beech to bed, get our rental car and lunch.
