AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2023 - 42

BRIEFING
PRODUCT REV IEW /
Nflight Nomad Pro
Hybrid headset
BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
THE BEST VALUE in aviation headsets
may not be an aviation headset at all. The
Nflight Nomad Pro is an aviation-grade
microphone that clips onto a mass-market
consumer headset to create a low-cost,
lightweight, noise-cancelling headset that
works well in a wide variety of aircraft.
I attached an Nflight Nomad Pro ($350)
to a Bose QuietComfort ($329) and tested
the combination in several piston airplanes,
a turboprop, and two jets, and I was
astonished by its comfort and versatility.
The Nflight Nomad shines on long
flights in the relatively quiet cockpits
of turboprops and jets. It's lighter (13.6
ounces) than even the lightest new aviation
headsets (a Bose A30 is 14.2 ounces).
There's less clamping force, and the sound
quality is excellent.
The noise-cancelling system in the
Nflight/Bose Qc35 gets overmatched by the
enveloping, concussive sound during fullpower
takeoffs in some piston airplanes
such as the Cessna 185, Piper PA-18 Super
Cub, and Van's Aircraft RV-4 and that
creates a crackling sound in earphones. But
in fairness, that sometimes happens with
aviation ANR headsets, too.
The noise-cancelling in the Nflight/
Bose Qc35 operates normally during
cruise and descent, and the sound and
transmission quality is indistinguishable
from other high-end aviation headsets
in those phases of flight. The Bose Qc35
internal battery lasts up to 20 hours when
connected wirelessly via Bluetooth and up
to 40 hours when music is piped in via an
audio jack.
The Nflight/Bose headset still works
when the battery runs out, but without
noise cancelling it's severely compromised.
For professional pilots whose work requires
an FAA-approved, TSOed headset, add
$100 for the Nflight Aviation Pro technical
standard order version and you're legal.
42
AOPA PILOT / December 2023
My gripes with the
Nflight/Bose are the mic
attachment doesn't pivot up
or down so it takes some doing
to move it away from your
mouth when you want to eat
a snack or sip a drink in flight;
you've got to detach the mic to put
the headset into its slim carrying case,
and you must remember to recharge it from
time to time (via USB port).
Its positives are the Nflight/Bose costs
less than high-end aviation headsets that
typically top $1,000; it's lighter and more
comfortable than any over-ear headset
I've ever worn, and it comes with a 30-day
trial period as well as a lifetime warranty.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the Nflight/
Bose is that when you're not in the cockpit,
you can remove the mic and use the
Bose Qc35 as it was originally intended-
to simply relax and listen to music or
podcasts. (Beethoven's Ode to Joy is playing
in my ears right now.)
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
Nflight Nomad Pro Aviation: $350
Bose Qc35li: $329
Total price: $679
nflightmic.com
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dec23
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2023

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