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The landing signal officer: auditory aspects
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|July 1, 1982
Summary
Landing signal officers (LSOs) face significant noise exposure risks on aircraft carriers. New hearing protection is needed to balance auditory cue access with hearing preservation for LSOs.
Area of Science:
- Aerospace Medicine
- Occupational Health
- Audiology
Background:
- Landing signal officers (LSOs) are routinely exposed to high noise levels during aircraft carrier operations.
- Current practices do not involve routine use of hearing protection by LSOs, posing a risk for hearing damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess noise exposure risks and hearing status of LSOs.
- To identify the need for specialized hearing protection that allows auditory cue access.
Main Methods:
- Collected noise exposure data during carrier qualifications on USS Lexington and USS Forrestal.
- Compared hearing acuity between LSOs and matched non-LSO pilots.
- Surveyed 225 LSOs regarding auditory cue requirements and hearing protection challenges.
Main Results:
- Noise exposure levels indicated a clear risk for hearing damage among LSOs.
- A trend towards poorer hearing was observed in LSOs compared to non-LSO pilots.
- LSOs require access to critical aircraft auditory cues, which current hearing protectors impede.
Conclusions:
- Development of specialized hearing protection for LSOs is recommended.
- Redesign or elimination of the UHF handset, potentially with a noise-cancelling microphone and integrated earphones, should be considered.
- Further hearing studies comparing LSOs and non-LSO pilots are warranted.