And headsets, eyeglasses and ear-based pulse oximeters. In the photo below, Scott Ashton from Aerox and I are wearing all six. We forgot our hats, otherwise they would be in the mess. And wearing that mess is not easy to pull off with precision. I’ve done a handful of flight demos and product evaluations while attempting to mask up properly with mediocre results. In the YouTube comments for our recent video productions, some viewers have ridiculed me for even wearing a mask in the first place. “Forced authority,” one said. “Wearing a mask in a small airplane cabin is about as ridiculous as the people I see masked up in convertibles,” said another.
In our work, masking up in the cockpit is the expected thing to do. Call it the new corporate etiquette that replaces the firm handshake with face coverings and elbow bumps. That’s fine. I have a germ OCD, anyway—not quite as bad as my paranoid obsession with midairs while fiddling with all the gadgets—but a close second. I’m just glad I finally figured out a way to make it all work, even with my big Italian honker in the mix. Some pilots have told me they struggle with radio communications while masked up, so by request I’ll share my success, which starts with plugging into an exceptionally good audio panel. Late-model PS Engineering and Garmin units are both proven winners, but only in the hands of good installers.