1. Pressure equalisation
Almost every air passenger has suffered an unpleasant feeling of pressure or even pain in the ears occasionally during landings – the airplane ears. Sometimes hearing is affected even days after the flight.
At cruising altitude there is only one constant air pressure in the plane cabin corresponding to that on a mountain at about 2000 meters. The air pressure in the cabin again increases very quickly during the landing.
Without FlightSafe ear plugs: The increasing air pressure bends the ear drum in the direction of the middle ear
Even the ear has to react in this situation. The Eustachian tubes, a tube like connection between the nasopharyngeal region and the middle ear, must ensure that the air pressure in the middle ear increases again through a so-called active opening. If this does not happen quickly enough, it leads to a painful bending of the ear drum called ear barotrauma, airplane ears or ear popping.
2. FlightSafe
FlightSafe ear plugs were developed with the express objective of protecting the ear from quick and major changes in the air pressure, such as can be experienced in airplanes or cable cars and elevators of skyscrapers. Inserted in time before the landing or the trip down to the valley, the ear protection forms a small chamber in the auditory canal in front the ear drum. A special, high precision filter delays the increase in air pressure in this small chamber alleviating pain and discomfort.
Even if the Eustachian tubes can perform an active opening to the middle ear for the pressure balance it is only with a delay that the FightSafe filter provides a buffer effect in the chamber prevents the ear drum from bending painfully.
FlightSafe ear plugs protects from quick changes in air pressure
This relatively simple principle requires a high precision filter which limits the air flow in the chamber so extremely that the desired buffer effect can actually come into effect.
This differentiates FlightSafe ear plugs from simple noise protection plugs, which some manufacturers unfortunately offer with instructions for use during flights. These simple devices are highly ineffective against changes in air pressure and the pain that results.
3. Use
If you have felt pressure in the ear and pain even at the start of the flight and during ascent we recommend inserting the ear protection before the start and to remove it only after approx. 30 minutes after the start of the flight. The pressure conditions in the cabin normally do not change at cruising altitude till the aircraft begins to descend. During flights of less than an hour and half duration, we recommend wearing FlightSafe ear plugs during the entire flight, especially since the ear protection additionally works to reduce noise.
You should always insert the ear plugs 45 minutes before the planned landing because the air pressure in the cabin rises rapidly as soon the aircraft leaves cruising altitude and starts to descend. We recommend removing FLIGHTSAFE only on reaching the airport building, to allow the Eustachian tubes sufficient time to equalise the pressure.
Children in particular, often suffer from pain in the ears while landing. The little ones receive a very special present, to make holiday travel not just pain-free but entertaining as well.
4. Information
Charité Study
The effectiveness of FlightSafe ear plugs was scientifically verified in a pressure chamber in a study at the ENT clinic of Charité in central Berlin with a group of test subjects who routinely suffered from ear pain during flights (airplane ears). It was proven that the ear pain caused by changes in pressure, such as those arising in the aircraft cabins reduced significantly (Jumah et al., Pressure regulating ear plug testing in pressure chamber, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, June 2010).
Leibniz University Hannover – Study
A user acceptance study and a practical test were conducted on over 500 passengers by the Institute for Marketing and Management of the Leibniz University, Hannover, for Hannover Airport, TUI fly.com and Innosan GmbH:
- Over 90% of the participants reported an improvement in their condition
- Around 80% of the user group with medium severity ear pain had no pain at all
- Over 80% of all tested persons stated that they would recommend FlightSafe to their friends
5. Testimonials
ÖMER
14.04.2016
I wanted to say a very big thank you in this way. Too bad that I did not know about your product all these years. Your product is truly wonderful. I always had great pain when…
ERIKA
28.09.2015
After I’m not flown for years due to unbearable pain in the ear on the approach I have read on the internet about FlightSafe and this year the same times tried. I flew…
RONJA
08.04.2015
Last week I your FlightSafe earplugs used for the first time and am thrilled
If you have problems with pressure compensation in the airplane you will be…
6. Where are they available?
Pharmacies, Newslink Airport stores, WH Smith Airport stores, audiology clinics.
FlightSafe ear plugs
- prevents ear pain when flying
- protects the ears against changes in pressure
- easy to use and comfortable to wear
FlightSafe ear plugs are available in two standard sizes:
Adults with narrow ear canals can use the childrens size for better fit and comfort.
Brand New: Do you need a customised size for the ear protection? We now present SkyComfort ear molds! The SkyComfort ear molds contain a FlightSafe ear plugs pressure equalising filter and are manufactured individually for your auditory canal by hearing aid acousticians.
Pressure regulating ear plugs against earache when flying
Around half of all air passengers know the uncomfortable feeling of pressure in the ear, or even pain that occurs during landing. Sometimes these problems last for days after the flight which can negatively impact your holiday or business meeting.
So use FlightSafe ear plugs
After reaching cruising level the cabin pressure corresponds to an air pressure on a mountain to approximately 2000 meters above sea level. During descent and landing the air pressure in the cabin rises again very quickly. In this situation, the ear must respond. The Eustachian tube connecting the nasopharynx with the middle ear must ensure through a so-called active opening that the air pressure in the middle ear rises too. If this does not happen fast enough, there is a nociceptive curvature of the eardrum. Used 45 minutes before landing FlightSafe ear plugs form a tiny pressure chamber in front of the ear drum. The ear plugs for flying, equipped with a specially designed micro-filter, ensure that the air pressure in the ear canal increases much slower than in the cabin thus alleviating pain and discomfort.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of FlightSafe ear plugs
The effectiveness of FlightSafe ear plugs were proven in the Charité in Berlin and in a large study of more than 500 passengers from TUIfly:
- 90% of all subjects reported a significant relief of symptoms.
- 80% of them were completely pain-free (group A)
- over 80% of subjects would recommend FlightSafe ear plugs to their friends.
Questions and Answers about FlightSafe (FAQ)
Why do the ears ache usually while landing and not during takeoff?
The air pressure in the cabin reduces quickly during takeoff and climb. This leads to relative higher pressure in the middle ear. It is easy for the ear to balance it, since this just requires a so-called passive opening of the Eustachian tubes, i.e. the excess pressure can be balanced easily.
During landing, the air pressure in the cabin increases quickly. To now balance the relative lower pressure that occurs, the Eustachian tubes must have a so called active opening and release the air pressure to the middle ear.
Why is it limited to 3 roundtrips using FlightSafe?
In order to achieve the pressure-regulating properties of the patented filter, a specially shaped bore of a few 1000th of a millimeter is required. It may for earplugs sound a little weird, but this material processing is high tech “Made in Germany”. Due to the minute size of the filter FlightSafe can not be cleaned, as even the minerals in water could block the filter. Also air pollution or pollen can do that. For proper operation, we recommend therefore, FlightSafe after 3 return trips you replace with a new pair. The length of the flights and the number of stopovers are irrelevant in between flights please use containers provided for safe keeping.
How does FlightSafe function?
FlightSafe is an ear plug with an integrated filter element or technically speaking a pressure reducer. A small chamber is formed before the ear drum by inserting the plug in the auditory canal. The filter element allows the pressure there to build up considerably slower and continuously as compared to the cabin. This gives the Eustachian tubes more time to take care of the ventilation to the middle ear.
Are there scientific studies on FlightSafe?
In a first systematic preparatory study at the HNO-clinic on the Charité Mitte campus in Berlin a small group of people with known ear problems while flying (airplane ear or ear popping) were studied in a pressure chamber. The delay in the change in pressure due to the filter and a significant improvement in the perception of pain could be proved during this study. The study was published in an internationally recognized publication for the medical profession.
Over 500 passengers participated in a user acceptance study conducted by the Institute for Marketing and Management of the Leibniz University, Hanover for Hanover airport, TUIfly.com and the manufacturer Innosan GmbH.
- For the group of people that were particularly severely affected by ear pain when flying, the use of FlightSafe resulted in an average reduction in pain of 6.2 points on a 10 point scale of pain.
- 2/3 of these subjects noted that they were completely free of pain.
- Over 90% reported an improvement in the complaint. Around 80% of all participants of the study were completely free of earpain after flying with the use of FlightSafe.
- Over 80% of all subjects would recommend FlightSafe to their friends.
Where is FlightSafe manufactured?
FlightSafe was developed in Germany and is manufactured in Germany.
