U Fly Mike Update
With all of this downtime, it's time to catch up a little. The U Fly Mike has generated a lot of interest here and I've received a bunch of emails with questions about how it has held up over the last 2 1/2 years. So here's what I have to say about the U Fly Mike/QC2 combo since it was purchased...
After about 1200 hours of use, I can say that the QC2/U Fly Mike combination is still performing flawlessly. Both the QC2's and the U Fly Mike have stood up to the rigors of heavy duty part 121 flying. Some days, the set would be put together, taken apart, plugged in and unplugged as many as five times. After a 14 hour duty day, no fatigue from the headset.
Cosmetically, they're a little worse for the wear but that hasn't affected performance whatsoever. Considering the amount of abuse they receive, they look pretty darn good.
Battery life has remained constant. I can usually count on about 22 hours before the indicator light begins flashing. Never once has the battery died while in use.
The only issue I've had was my own fault. One day I was in a hurry to catch a deadhead home. Instead of unplugging by pulling the plugs, I hastily yanked the cord. This was a bad move and caused an intermittent short. After a week of intermittent noise and having the play with the plug to get it "just right", I called U Fly Mike to set up a repair. Unfortunately, they were at Airventure in Oshkosh and wouldn't be back for a week.
It just so happened that I was flying with a captain who has a headset business on the side. He offered to do the repair for me when we got back to base. He replaced the plug set with a set from David Clark. It works great and I have to say that the David Clark cord is much sturdier than the cord that is sourced by U Fly Mike (I think it's Sigtronics). However, the short was my fault and it would probably still be working fine with the original plug had it not been yanked out the way it was.
I've also heard from some people that say the U Fly Mike is not legal to use because it isn't TSO'd. All I will say is that I have had feds on the jumpseat while I was using the combo, one who even had the U Fly Mike, and have never been violated for it. From what I can determine, there is no regulation or requirement under part 91, 135 or 121 or part 25 FAR to use a TSO'd headset in any aircraft, by any crew member.
The best feature? The ability to disconnect the mic and just use the headphones while commuting or deadheading. Even without listening to music, they're great. After hearing "shouldn't you be up front/who's flying the plane?" jokes 1,001 times, it's nice to just put the headphones on and enjoy the silence. Nothing says, "I'm really not interested in talking right now" more than wearing headphones with no wires attached.
So after all is said and done, would I buy the U Fly Mike again? Most definitely. Everyone I've flown with that owns the combo has felt just as strongly.
3 comments:
I guess you saw where UFlyMike has received a TSO certification as of October 6th, 2008? No more arguments from haters?
So, Now we are five years later... How long did the QC2 and/or U-fly Mike last? Is it still working flawlessly? I'm very interested in purchasing but want some assurance that it'll hold up for a while.
Thanks!! AC
I haven't touched this blog in a while and need to get back on board!
Still use the U-Fly Mike. Using it exclusively right now, but also have a Telex Airman 850 that I have used on short term contract work and while the Bose are awaiting replacement.
The U-Fly Mike still works great. No complaints about it whatsoever. The only other modification I have made is a better windscreen, which is sourced from Bose. It comes with a rubber o-ring which keeps the screen in place. The stock one tends to fall off and get lost.
The U-Fly Mike is actually sturdier than the Bose QC headphones. Granted, they have been to every corner of the world and used for thousands of flight hours, plus regular use for music.
A positive comment for Bose, whose customer service is second to none: When your QC-2 or 15 ear cups start to wear, simply take them to your nearest Bose retail store. For $100, they will replace them with a brand new set. I just did this for the second time, so am now on my third set of QC's.
All in all the combo is a worthwhile investment, especially if you use them professionally and are a commuter.
The company I work for now provides brand new Bose A20's and I still prefer to use my Bose QC-15's along with the U-Fly Mike.
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