![]() When combined with the Zulu PFX, FlightLink allows users to set a variety of personal audio and operational preferences, as well as record communications to their devices and more. FlightLink is the free, proprietary app developed by Lightspeed for the iPad and iPhone that adds enhanced functionality to Lightspeed headsets. Of special note is the unique mobile device application called FlightLink. The PFX will interface with Bluetooth devices, making wireless cell phone calls and music listening a snap. In another brilliant move, Lightspeed made the PFX’s firmware field upgradeable, which means new enhancements can be uploaded into the PFX through a USB cable (provided). The module houses stereo volume controls, a power switch, Bluetooth switch and four AA batteries. This and a handy metal hanging clip (included) makes it convenient to attach the control module to a map pocket, flight bag, seat belt or other location near the pilot. Kudos to Lightspeed for placing both the “in” and “out” cables on the same side of the control module. How it does this isn’t evident from using the headset. Lightspeed tells us their “acoustic response mapping” also measures your noise environment, and adapts the resulting audio to your ear shape and size. The unit does this some one million times per second, changing the amount of noise cancellation-as well as the frequency range of that cancellation-throughout the flight. What Lightspeed has trademarked as “Streaming Quiet⢔ is active noise reduction (ANR) that continuously adapts to your environment using tiny-but-efficient internal and external microphones to sample the sound environment around your ears. The defining characteristic of the Zulu PFX is that it creates a uniquely personal flying experience by actively conforming to your ears, your environment and your preferences. But, as Lightspeed says, this control box is the “nerve center” of the unit. It’s one of the few things pilots have noted in online blogs and forums. That’s a good-sized brick to have attached to your headset. The control module measures seven inches in length, and nearly two inches in both width and height. Just writing that sentence impresses me with the fact that this headset needs a CPU at all. To be fair, Lightspeed says the control module is large because it houses the CPU that controls the headset. ![]() Ergonomics has always been a hallmark of the brand, and with the Zulu PFX, it seems the company went all out on its design. On this headset, a great deal of attention to detail and usefulness is evident. Admittedly obsessed with “relentless product evolution,” Lightspeed introduced a lot of “firsts” to the aviation headset world (for example, they were the first to switch from six batteries to two, among others). But, before diving into the technical traits of this impressive headset, a few words need to be said about the unit’s design.Ī very young company, Lightspeed introduced their first product (the K-Series ANR headset) at Oshkosh in 1996. The “P” in the model name is the marketing department’s way of reminding you that this is designed to be like a custom headset created just for you. The crux of Lightspeed’s new PFX headset is that it adapts itself not only to your noise environment, but also to the physical characteristics of your ears. It’s amazing to admire complexity of today’s aviation headsets, and the PFX leading the “gee-whiz” parade with a host of intriguing technological features. A headset like this could only be dreamed of as science fiction years ago, and its feature list reads like a tech-nerd’s dream. ![]() The computing power in the new Lightspeed Zulu PFX headset (PFX stands for “Personal Flying Experience”) rivals that of the Apollo missions’ guidance computer that took men to the moon.
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