Plantronics

Plantronics is a hardware company based in Santa Cruz, California, that specializes in lightweight headsets. In the early 1960s, airline headsets were so large and clunky that many pilots had switched back to the use of handheld microphones for communications. The speed and complexity of jet airliners caused a need for the introduction of small, lightweight headsets into the cockpit. In 1961, United Airlines solicited new designs from anyone who ... more

Plantronics is a hardware company based in Santa Cruz, California, that specializes in lightweight headsets. In the early 1960s, airline headsets were so large and clunky that many pilots had switched back to the use of handheld microphones for communications. The speed and complexity of jet airliners caused a need for the introduction of small, lightweight headsets into the cockpit. In 1961, United Airlines solicited new designs from anyone who was interested. Courtney Graham, a United Airline pilot, was one of the many who thought the heavy headsets should be replaced by something lighter. He collaborated with his pilot friend, Keith Larkin, to create a small, functional design which was robust enough to pass airlines standards. (Larkin had been working for a small company called Plane-Aids, a Japanese import company which offered spectacles and sunglasses that contained transistor radios in their temple pieces.) The final design, incorporating two small hearing aid-style... less