What Are the Best Custom Earplugs for Aviation?

Hearing is second only to seeing as the most important sense for attaining and ultimately processing information as a pilot. Over time, exposure to loud noises can damage your hearing, creating a critical situation that could require the use of hearing aids, jeopardize your FAA medical certification—or worse, damage your quality of life outside of flying. 

There are legal occupational limits for noise exposure set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that address allowable sound levels (measured in decibels) and the corresponding duration of exposure to this noise level, to prevent a health hazard. The louder a sound is (the greater the number of decibels), the quicker a person reaches OSHA’s maximum daily recommended dose of noise. The A-weighted decibel (dBA) system adjusts this scale to include audio frequency or the threshold of loudness as judged by the average human ear. 

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, repetitive and/or long exposure to noise at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss. On average, a general aviation airplane can emit 86 dBA in flight while an Airbus A321 generates 80-85 dBA. The sound of a jet engine at close proximity is about 140 dB. 

Even short-term exposure to loud noises (85 dB or greater) can cause permanent hearing loss. 

To safeguard your hearing, experts recommend wearing ear protection such as custom earplugs with or without a pilot headset. 

Whether you’re flying for work, commuting to work, flying for fun, or working in and around airplanes and airports, it’s important to protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss. The following custom earplugs offer the protection that you need. 

Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs are made in the U.S. and offer up to 31 dB of noise reduction. They are easy to mold to a custom fit just for you. Simply heat the earplugs in boiling water for 5 minutes; allow them to cool for 30 seconds, then insert them into your ears and shape. If over time your Decibullz custom earplugs lose their form, there’s no need to worry, they are re-moldable. Just reheat and re-shape. Low cost and low profile, these custom earplugs come in five different colors and black, and include a carrying pouch. 

Best for: Re-moldability and safety

Materials: 

Can Be Worn With Headset: Yes

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): 31 dB

Re-moldable? Yes

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Custom earplugs by Earpeace offer different levels of ear protection that range from 10 dB to 26 dB. There’s also a custom earplug and filter that offers impulse noise reduction, which is ideal for military purposes and construction workers. The Pro-Impulse filter protects against artillery noise, gunfire, and sounds from loud equipment like nail guns and riveters, while also allowing the wearer to determine sound directionality, which is necessary in hunting and combat situations. Earpeace custom earplugs are a special order item. You can select from 20 different colors and five different filters (10 dB, 17 dB, 20 dB, 26 dB, and Impulse). To order these custom earplugs, an impression of your ear canals from an audiologist is required. Upon placing an order, Earpeace will provide detailed instructions for finding a local audiologist and for submitting your ear canal impressions.

Best for:  Loud environments with intermittent bursts of noise (Pro Impulse filter), where you still need to hear directional sound 

Materials: 

Can Be Worn With Headset: Yes

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): Ranges from 10 dB to 26 dB

Re-moldable? No

Special Features: 

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EarzON custom earplugs are made in the U.S. and have a noise reduction rating of up to 26 dB. They are 3D-printed in a digital lab and available in acrylic and silicone materials. Choose from a variety of colors and acoustic filters, based on your needs. EarzON custom earplugs provide “high-fidelity listening,” allowing you to hear voices and other sounds in the workplace, while reducing background noise. The company offers a 90-day fit guarantee. 

Best for: Customized hearing protection 

Materials:

Can Be Worn With Headset: Yes

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): Ranges from 11 dB to 26 dB

Re-moldable? No

Special Features:  

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Pricing: Customized, depending upon the filter and product you select.

Eargasm custom earplugs have attenuation filters that are noise reduction rated at 16 dB. An optional High dB Filter will provide the user with up to 27 dB of noise reduction, according to the Eargasm website. Users report that these custom earplugs are optimal for loud concerts, and musicians working in recording studios, as well as for motorcycle riders, but given their noise reduction, they would be more than adequate for people working on a flightline or piloting an aircraft as well. They come with a leather carrying case and do not require a visit to an audiologist for ear impressions. 

Best for: Hearing high fidelity sounds while blocking out background noise

Materials: 

Can Be Worn With Headset: Yes

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): 16 dB to 27 dB

Re-moldable? No

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Big Ear offers custom earplugs designed for people specifically working in the aviation industry, as well as filtered custom earplugs that are best for pilots who want to wear a headset in conjunction with their custom earplugs for additional hearing protection. The Aviation Custom Earplug offered by Big Ear is made in the U.S. and offers up to 32 dB of noise reduction, according to Big Ear President Stone Hood. The company can send a representative to your work site to outfit an entire baggage handling or ground crew team. It makes the earplugs on-site, while you wait (about an hour). Big Ear earplugs can be worn all day, up to 12 hours, and can also be used for sleeping. The Big Ear Filtered Motorcycle Hearing Protection custom earplugs are ideal for aviators who wear an earmuff-type headset, Hood says. These custom earplugs filter out background noise while allowing the wearer to still hear important voice communication and directional sounds to maintain “spatial awareness.” Big Ear also offers an adjustable filter, so you can switch filters, as needed, from lower to higher decibel protection and vice versa. 

Best for: A range of aviation industry uses

Materials: 

Can Be Worn With Headset: Yes

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): Ranges from 9 dB to 30 dB (Filtered earplugs); and 32 dB (Aviation Custom Earplug)

Re-moldable? No

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Pricing: $95 (Aviation Custom Earplug) to $224.95 (Filtered) 

Custom earplugs are hearing protection devices that are tailor-fit to your ear canals. In order to create this custom fit, the company requires a scan or impression of your ear canals, usually performed by an audiologist; however, with new technologies, some companies have instituted at-home, do-it-yourself options for getting these impressions. This eliminates the extra cost and time associated with visiting an audiologist. 

Airplane engines are loud. According to the FAA, a jet engine at close proximity is 130-160 dB, and the sound created by a single-engine airplane is roughly 70 to 90 dB—when you’re inside the cockpit. Permanent hearing loss can result at levels as low as 85 dB over a one-hour period of time, according to the World Health Organization. Additionally, hearing is a sense that deteriorates naturally as you age; and that deterioration is accelerated when your ears are subjected to loud noises—especially on a continuous basis. Pilots and people who work in and around aircraft need to protect their hearing because aside from vision, it’s the sense most often used to acquire and process information for most people. Custom earplugs, worn alone or in conjunction with a pilot’s headset, provide the necessary protection that preserves your hearing—for today’s flight operations, your future career, and your long-term quality of life. 

Disposable foam earplugs are reasonably priced, but they can quickly become unsanitary and need to be replaced. Reusable custom earplugs are made from silicone or acrylic materials that can be cleaned after each use and utilized for several years. While custom earplugs come at a higher initial cost, they are a more sustainable option for the environment, and the best part—they are tailor made for your ears. This custom fit translates into higher noise reduction and greater hearing protection, as well as improved comfort for the wearer. If you have an abnormally shaped ear or ear canal, custom earplugs are most effective, as disposable earplugs are made for “typically shaped” ears. Reusable custom earplugs can also be customized according to the work/loud noise environment in which you operate with a variety of filter options.

There are a few things to consider when choosing the best custom earplugs for you. Here is what to look for.

There are different materials used in creating custom earplugs, but the two most popular materials are soft silicone and acrylic. Silicone/acrylic earplugs generally last between three and five years but can last longer. 

The noise reduction rating (NRR) is something to pay attention to when selecting the custom earplug for you. Each custom earplug and/or filter (where available) has a different NRR, which means that they provide hearing protection for different levels of sound intensity. Depending upon your need and/or your work environment, you will want to choose the custom earplug that has the NRR that gives you the protection that you need—and allows you to hear other necessary sounds, like voices, radio communications, etc. (if any).

Because custom earplugs are tailor-made for your ears, they provide optimal comfort. They should fit perfectly in your ears with no pressure, contrary to disposable foam earplugs. Sometimes when your custom earplugs are new, applying a thin coating of petroleum jelly will be necessary on the first few insertions, until the silicone is broken in.

Because custom earplugs fit perfectly, there should be no protrusion of the earplug material beyond your outer ears. This allows custom earplugs to fit comfortably under your pilot’s headset. Several companies offer custom earplug adapters, as well, that work in concert with headset electronics. 

The price for custom earplugs is relatively consistent across providers (mid $200s). Some custom earplug manufacturers, however, require an outside examination by an audiologist to acquire ear canal impressions, which can cost up to an additional $150. Disposable earplugs are much less expensive; however, in the long term, if you are using them on a daily basis, the cost may actually be greater for disposable earplugs.

It’s important to pick the custom earplug that works best for you so you can safeguard your hearing for a lifetime, and eliminate the need for hearing aids, now or in the future. If you’re retired and flying a general aviation aircraft on the weekends with sound levels of 90 dB or less, choose a custom earplug that reduces this decibel level to 85 dB or less (NRR of at least 10 dB is recommended). Alternatively, if you’re working on the flight line, look for a custom earplug that offers an NRR of up to 30 dB for maximum protection. Check out this noise meter produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the noise around you and to learn more about protecting your hearing. Any of the above listed custom earplugs would be great for aviators. Choose the one that best fits your needs. To stay abreast of all things aviation, subscribe to FLYING Magazine.