Sunglasses

[Invicta Adam]

Hello,

Long time reader, first time post.

I started my PPL training a few weeks ago and need to get some good sunglasses. My currrent glasses are cheap and the frames rather wide which when wearing the schools headsets upsets the seal and makes the radio rather difficult to monitor.

Can anyone recommend a good pair?

thanks

[dublinpilot]

Not recomonded sunglasses, but these thingys (http://www.flightstore.co.uk/prod/DCSTOP/DEPT-HEAD/HAACCS/) work wonders for ensuring the seal isn't broken. (Especially important when using ENC/ANR headsets.)

dp

[Leap]

How about Serenghetti's they are real nice and the frames are nice and thin.

Why don't you take a trip to the local sunglasses hut and try a few on that you like? could even take your headset and see whether they make a big gap, then again it may look a bit strange in a shop:}

Leap

[wsmempson]

Make sure that whatever you buy are non-polarising; I bought an expensive pair of sunglasses made by Ray-Ban which, when I 1st wore them, made me think that one of my kx155 nav/com boxes had failed. Fortunately, when I took the glasses of, the truth was revealled and I felt mightily relieved and very stupid.

I have found that an old pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers, with the arms bent straight over a hot kettle, works perfectly for me.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Also, perspex itself is polarising, so polarising sunglasses can sometimes create some less than desirable effects within many light aircraft.

There are loads to choose from, the only real way to pick the right sort is to try a few on. Personally I haven't owned an expensive pair for years and not really regretted the lack.

G

[bookworm]

I like Randolphs (http://www.randolphusa.com/products-sunglass.htm).

[Utfart]

I also like Randolph Engineering, I have 3 pairs. Whatever you do, take your headset with you to the shop and make sure the glasses you get are comfortable.

[irishpilot1990]

i have not heard of the problem with polarised lenses before...can some one fill me in:confused:

[Genghis the Engineer]

i have not heard of the problem with polarised lenses before...can some one fill me in:confused:

Simple enough.

Polarised lenses cut down the light into your eyes by polarising it: they cut out lots of light that isn't in the right polarity.

Perspex is quite capable of doing the same sometimes.

If the polarised direction is co-incident, then the sunglasses stop nothing that the perspex didn't, so you get no benefit. If it's not, then it stops most of what the perspex didn't, and you can't see a thing. Either way, perspex + polarising sunglasses can be a bad thing!

G

[Sir Niall Dementia]

I used RayBans for years, until I tried a pair of Serrengetis. Now I have a pair in my briefcase,a pair in my car, a pair in my aeroplane and a prescription pair for other times.

On the polarising bit, my aeroplane was built in 1949 and has old clocks, all the aircraft I fly for work have modern screens as are now being fitted to many GA aircraft, polarising stops you seeing the screens, not good at all.

[isi3000]

I have some Serengeti Drivers, they're photocromic not polarised and they were fine for flying. They also have thin frames so they didn't intefere with the headset :ok:.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Sporty's sell glasses with no side pieces, they clip to the brim of a cap and fold under the peak when not required, also, if you have a favourite pair of sunglasses, and the old age trick starts to bite, most U.S. drug stores, Rite-Aid, Walgreens etc. sell small semi-circular plastic lenses in every useful dioptre value from 1.0 thru 4.0 that you just stick on to the bottom of your sunglass lens, and Hey Presto ! you have a pair of custom made prescription sunglasses for a 100th of the price that the optician will charge, can increase the strength easily too, as age progresses. Have only located them in the U.S. tho.

Beware of the colour, too. Blue-Blockers - those yellow jobs - make it impossible to read the charts ! I find B.B's dangerous for driving, too, they make everything monochromatic, and coloured cars that I never see come leaping out of side roads at me. Like watching an old black and white movie.

[kevmusic]

Never wear 'em, meself. I find that with the abundance of ambient light my eyes are adjusted of their own accord and that nothing less than flight directly towards full sun can be accomplished without discomfort, whilst always being able to see the instruments no problem. Additionally, my age and extreme baldity means I don't need extra coolness enhancement! :} :ok:

[VS-Toga]

I favour Oakleys. I have a pr with non-polarised lenses. They're comfy and light as hell, and the earpiece arms fit are comfortable inside cans.

[Checkboard]

Sunnies again! :) This has been on a few times over the board in various forums, here is a comment I have posted before, most recently in the "Questions" forum, under Serengeti sunglasses in the UK? (http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/Forum57/HTML/001437.html)

There are several reasons to wear sunglasses. It is generally accepted that glare is harmful to the eye and that protection from glare is therefore therapeutic, even though studies show that only 22% of the population reacts adversely to glare. For these people the pupils are nearly pinpoints under such exposure. Diminished retinal luminescence cause measurable visual decrements and sunglasses will improve this visual acuity problem by counteracting the amount of available light. Conversely another 11% are at the opposite end of the sensitivity spectrum, these people actually have improved acuity under high glare conditions and seem to have no need for sunglasses.

It is not necessary to wear lenses inside the aircraft to protect a pilot from the injurious part of the UV spectrum, because canopy or cockpit windows will also block UV-B. (Acrylics, however, will not block UV effects and Ultra light or open-cockpit flyers will need sunnies.) UV-C is absorbed by the atmospheric ozone and is not supposed to reach the earth. Infrared rays (as in a heated cockpit) are not known to be a eye hazard.

Sunglasses are therefore essential for most pilots in order to cope with glare. The most important consideration for sunglasses is that they reduce glare without affecting vision. Lenses should not be too dark and the standards given for pilots is that they transmit at least 15 per cent of incident light. The tint must be "Neutral density" (ND) which means that it doesn't affect colour perception. The recommended tint for aviation sunglasses is therefore ND15. (This is the US military specification standard for aviators sunglasses and tinted visors, and may have its scientific origins in a 'best guess scenario' more than fifty years ago.) Only sunglasses that conform to the Australian standards should be worn . Those marked "specific purpose sunglasses" are recommended.

Pilots who wear prescription sunglasses may either wear clip-on lenses or they can get their prescription sunglasses made with ND15 lenses. Clip-ons have the advantage of being easy to remove when there is a quick change from light to dark conditions.

If you chose to have your prescription lens made with a tint then it is essential to have another pair of untinted lenses for night and low glare flying. Pilots who wear look-overs are advised to use bifocals instead and then wear clip-ons.

There are two main materials, crown glass and a plastic known as CR39. A very tough poly carbonate lens material is also available. All three lens materials are acceptable. CR39 and polycarbonate have these advantages : highly impact resistant; light weight; and low thermal conductivity and thus less liable to fogging.

CR39 is more vulnerable to surface damage than glass and CR39 lenses must be carefully protected from scratching. CR39 can be obtained with an abrasion-resistant coating to reduce its susceptibility to surface damage.

Polaroid lenses should be left in your boat. (Everybody has one right :)) Their chief attribute is that quality Polaroid lenses will completely eliminate glare coming from a flat surface that is of an angle of approximately 53%. A pilot wearing Polaroid lenses sees the world as constantly changing according to his (or her) angle of bank, as the angle of the glare is altered.

Liquid crystal displays work by electrically controlling filtered polarised light, the crystal is orientated by electric current, so as to polarised light to either pass through or be blocked by a polarised filter. All light emitted from LCD screens is therefore polarised, and cannot penetrate a polarised lens if that lens is orientated 90 degrees to the light - so any LCD may appear blank with polarised lenses on, and looking through a polarised window can result in no view at all!

Lens colors are seen in different ways: Green or grey are said to give the least color distortion, and are available in combination. Yellow has the capability of filtering reflected short-wave blue which is found in air contaminants such as fog, haze, smoke or smog. In certain conditions therefore yellow "blue blockers" can improve visual acuity, but not because they protect from glare. Yellow lenses that cut out more than 30% of ambient light can affect color perception and military pilots complain that depth perception is altered. Brown, if it is not too dark, will enhance contrast as well as doing a modicum of blue-blocking. Rose also increases contrast and blue-blocking offering a niche in car use.

In summary, aviators' sunglasses should: be glass or polycarbonate; transmit not less than 25% of available light; not distort colors, distances or shapes; nullify the blurring effect of short-wave reflected blue; have their adverse effect on visual acuity well understood; and not be worn under conditions of diminished light.

As an aside, I bought a pair of glass Serengettis with a brown tint for nearly $AUD300. I didn't like the weight of the glass lens at all, and the brown tint, while it was good for glare, made the green information on EFIS a little hard to see when I transistioned to EFIS. In addition the inside of the lens was highly relfective, so as I was sitting in shadow (in the cockpit) looking out at a bright field (like a cloud deck from above) they gave me a perfect image of my eyes looking back at me (reflected from the inside of the lens). That was difficult to ignore. I now fly with a pair of $AUD15 plastic sunnies I bought from a Chemist and I am much happier with them.

In Australia pilots may claim one pair of sunnies per year at tax time. :)

sources:
-CAA (Australia) Aviation Safety Digest (ASD) 150 (1991)
-ASD 136 (Autumn 1998)
-ASD 133
-CASA's Flight Safety Australia (Sept. 1997)

Copies of all of these articles are available for free if you contact (Australia'a CASA or BASI)

[VS-Toga]

Checkboard- very interesting stuff.

Oakley have been working hard to produce CRT/LCD-friendly glasses

AvShop Pilot Shop - Oakley Crosshair Pilot Sunglasses (http://www.avshop.com/product/ITEM6640/402)

[RatherBeFlying]

My optometrist made up a pair with 30% transmission with a brown tint that takes out some of the haze.

Wispy clouds and haze domes do show up better which is quite useful for gliding. I find that advantageous over neutral grey.

Photochromic takes time to adjust.

It would be nice to try out some of the magic high technology lenses, but when you have a prescription, you either have to put up a whack of money or try clipons which come with their own set of problems.

[cirruscrystal]

Flying in Florida quite alot it is essential to wear sungflasses when flying. The 'macclea', think i have spelt that right, is the tiny patch on the back of the eye that allows you to see detail, it degenerates rapidly with UV exposure and there is alot of that when flying (eating greens provides lutins which protects the macclea). The majority of the eye retina is used for peripheral vision.

Bearing that in mind, despite shortterm blinding headaches, it is really essential for a pilot to protect his/her eyes with good sunglasses.

I spent quite a long time choosing the right pair and have used Randolphs which as other say are great. I have settled on a pair of Oakleys Whiskers which are purpose built for flying as ear piece fits under headset without breaking seal and lens iridium coated to cut out glare. I bought the black frames with darkest lens. They are one of my prized posessions and recomend them fully.

[Gav28]

I used RayBans for years, until I tried a pair of Serrengetis. Now I have a pair in my briefcase,a pair in my car, a pair in my aeroplane and a prescription pair for other times.


Had Oakley & Ray bans before, got a pair of Serrengetis last week. They are head and shoulders abover both, look great to.

Out of interest how do you get a prescription pair of Serrengetis? I suspect i might need some soon.

[Mike Parsons]

I have just purchased some quality Ray Bans (Mirrored) from New York's Canal Street. Anyone been there will know their quality. One lens is like limo tint, the other looks normal...Needless to say I won't be using them!

:/

[Mike Whiskey Romeo]

Thought I'd bring this back to life as I'm looking at buying a pair of sunnies. Does anyone have experience flying with the carbon framed rb 8305 from ray ban?

Ray-Ban RB8305 Tech Sunglasses | Official Ray-Ban Store (http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/rb8305)

I've tried them on, the feel comfortable and look good, but I've heard that the lenses are prone to scratching (plastic) and that there can be blueish reflections on the inside lens. I know if I buy I can always return them but thought I'd get few opinions from you nice folk first.

Thanks!

Mike