When must you wear your headset?

• A. Only During Flight
• B. Above 18,000 feet pilots may remove headsets at discretion
• C. From block out to block in anytime below 18,000 feet
• D. On the ground

Answer: (C)

Wearing the headset is about ensuring clear radio communication with ATC and the crew, and protecting hearing in the noisy cockpit. The rule emphasizes using the headset from block out to block in for operations below 18,000 feet. That means from engine start/pushback, through taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, approach, and landing, as long as you’re in the air below 18,000 feet. This keeps you connected and aware during all flight phases where communication with ATC and between crew members is essential.

The idea behind the “anytime below 18,000 feet” qualifier is that below this altitude you’re typically in more active, tightly coordinated airspace with ongoing radio instructions and intercom communications. Above 18,000 feet, the policy allows more discretion, but during ground operations and the lower-altitude portions of a flight the headset should remain in use. On the ground is covered because taxi and pushback are included in block out to block in.