The Gear for Flying the Great Lakes Biplane

After flying the Great Lakes for the last ten years, I have realized some important pieces of equipment and what does and doesn’t work.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a David Clark Headset with a Gibson Barnes leather helmet. You can rent a headset / helmet from me or buy yourself one. The only game in town for the leather helmets are Gibson Barnes which you can order online or drive down to El Cajon to save shipping.
=Bose and ANR helmets don’t work real well. Do not buy the Gibson Barnes pre-made headset helmet, they are horrible.

A leather helmet is optional, but it really holds your headset down and reduces noise.

Goggles are not very comfortable or effective for good visibility. They look good in selfies and on the GoPro though. I suggest wearing a nice pair of UV protectant Sunglasses.

Sunblock is very important. Put some on your face about 20 minutes before we takeoff.

Bring your phone and camera, no problem.

Seat Cushions: Before the flight, get in and see how your visibility is in the cockpit. Depending on your sitting height you may need a cushion or two for the best visibility. If you are too low, you won’t get as much out of the lesson. If you are too high, then you will have an extra face full of wind.

Sweat shirt or jacket: In the winter, in can be a little chilly, but the summer, fall and spring are shorts weather. We have a heater in the airplane and it really does a great job warming up the front cockpit. You may need a jacket in the back though. The heat doesn’t make it back there all the time.

Parachute is required if we are doing aerobatics. We have a parachute you can rent or you can use your own.

Shoes are very important for your tail wheel dancing. I use Merrills, a thin sole running shoe, which give me very good feel for the heal brakes and rudders. Be careful wearing clunky heals on boots and running shoes, they may get you caught up in the pedals.