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CO Detection on Lightspeed Delta Zulu Proves Its Worth

The company reports having heard from approximately 100 people who say the headset's carbon monoxide warning feature may have saved their lives.

The Lightspeed Delta Zulu innovates with a built-in CO monitor. [Courtesy of Lightspeed Aviation]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A fatal aircraft accident, caused by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and drowning, underscores the dangers of this odorless, colorless gas in general aviation.
  • The NTSB has repeatedly called for mandatory active CO detectors in aircraft due to CO poisoning leading to numerous fatal accidents, but the FAA has not yet implemented this requirement.
  • Lightspeed Aviation has introduced the Delta Zulu headset, which features an audible carbon monoxide warning system designed to alert pilots to dangerous CO levels, and has reportedly saved many lives since its release.
  • The Lightspeed Delta Zulu is currently the only ANR headset on the market with built-in active carbon monoxide detection, offering a significant safety enhancement beyond traditional hearing protection.
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A man I had met at the flight school the previous Saturday was missing. He flew a Cessna 170. He was one of those lucky folks who lived at an airpark, but on Saturdays he stopped in at the municipal field for the coffee and company.

On February 29 around 3:45 p.m., the aircraft owner and a friend launched from the airpark with the intent of heading to a nontowered airport about an hour away. The route entailed a flight over the Puget Sound. They did not make it. I am not mentioning his name because his family doesn’t need to relive that experience, but suffice to say they reported him missing, instigating a search.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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