Flash Blindness

[CoffmanStarter]

I've just been reading an interesting article on Aircrew Flash Blindness and the measures taken to counter the problem during the 50's/60's.

Initially the only means of protection was a very dark visor combined with a monocular eye shield/pirates eye patch.

I understand the Americans improved the protective capacity of their visors by applying a very thin layer of gold to the visor lens. The gold layer reduced the light transmittance of the visor to only 2% compared to approximately 15% for a standard neutral visor. The same sort of gold layer was applied also to astronauts’ helmets to protect them from the damaging ultraviolet rays in the 200 to 300 millimicrons range.

Needless to say the gold-plated visor lenses were very expensive. It therefore turned out to be less practical to install them for daily use where they would be easily scratched.

So my question ... most probably aimed at our ex V Force chaps along with the sqipper community ... how did we approach the problem in the early days ? Did we train Pilots "patched" up like Long John Silver ? How effective was this if we did ?

Cheers ...

Coff.

[Pontius Navigator]

Coff, I acquired sufficient black eye patches from sick quarters. As far as I know they were never used in training in the air or the sim. We tended not to do practice bleeding in the early 60s.

Now really the hard skin coloured patch would have given protection against the heat pulse but I guess black was better against light. Although it had been suggested I was not aware of any high level guidance.

Now as far as flying with one eye covered it was said that beyond about 150 feet binocular vision was not essential thus it was not hazard at low level.

All blinds would be up, the one in front of the safety pilot would be open. The pilot flying would be looking in with the eye nearest the unscreened window covered. In the event of a flash the blinded eye of the lookout would be burnt and he would switch to flying and the other pilot would take over the flying. After the 4th burst . . .

Obviously by night all blinds would be up.

Something I just remembered. On the nav crate was a floodlight switch. The idea was that the navigators secure in the dark could switch on the floods which would drench the front cockpit with light and help them recover some vision more quickly. One boring flight, at night, a nav rad wondered what the gated switch was for. He toggled it on but nothing seemed to happen. meanwhile, up at the front, night turned to day!

There is a little experiment you can try.

Look in a mirror with bright light on one side and dark on the other. You wil see the iris are different sizes. Now cover the bright side eye. The dark side iris will open more. Now cover the dark side eye. The bright side iris will open more than when both eyes were uncovered.

It seems to me possible therefore that covering the dark side eye increased the vulnerability of the bright side eye.

[Wholigan]

In the "little jet" variants of nuc delivery, we also had eye patches and, in addition, we had markings on the map that said "look left", "look right" and quite scarily "look down", to avoid looking at the known impacts on your route.

[Tashengurt]

I recall fitting gold visors but they weren't anti flash.


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[oldmansquipper]

Were all the rage when I got to my first posting, Waddington, in 63. All pilots were issued them for "saving the other eye" when the buckets of sunshine were dispensed (allegedly).

Interesting that the Station Commander at the time (who also flew the Vulcan) was one Gp Cpt "Cyclops" Brown. He was called that because he only had one serviceable eye...

:ooh:

I wonder how that would sit in our modern elfinsayftee climate :E Not that it would matter in a nuke flash, I guess.


Hey Ho..:)

[Lightning Mate]

In the "little jet" variants of nuc delivery, we also had eye patches and, in
addition, we had markings on the map that said "look left", "look right" and
quite scarily "look down", to avoid looking at the known impacts on your route.

You forgot the mirrors Wholi.

[t7a]

The 'little jets', post the V force era benefitted from the deconfliction computer programme run at SHAPE which looked at all NATO and US SIOP bursts - hence the look left/right etc. Prior to that, as far as I can remember, there was not much deconfliction done.

[Pontius Navigator]

t7a, for the deep strike there was some deconfliction. We were told if there was a previous missile strike but for our own forces things were a little different.

Routing was designed to exploit the confusion from near by burst. On one target for which I had knowledge of 5 aircraft the TOT was so close that probably only one would have got through with the others suffering fratricide. On another target two aircraft were scheduled to attack with 10 minutes between strikes. Given the TOT +/- 3 minutes the second aircraft might have only been 24 miles out when the previous bomb detonated. Crews were not briefed on this.

I guess it was assumed that both would not actually get through.

[CoffmanStarter]

Thanks PN and others ...

All quite chilling really. Given the scenario back then, that we had launched a retaliatory strike with incoming on it's way toward the West ... then under the premiss of MAD ... it seems a bit, if you'll forgive me, academic after dropping the "sunshine" to be able to continue flying. I have great respect for you guys on the V Force and Bucs as the prospect of returning to "anything" let alone the base you launched from under the ensuing Armageddon requires great mental strength (and that's very likely understating the fact) ... but you stood ready to do it.

Perhaps that's why not too much serious effort was expending on counter measures.

On the other hand our America cousins seemed to explore options ... here are a few pics from the early gold film through to electro-optic ceramic technology deployed on the F-111 in the 80's

http://www.flightgear.dk/pic/g635_01.jpg

The MIL-G-635 flash blindness goggle kit

http://www.flightgear.dk/pic/eeu2ap_01.jpg

The PLZT goggles

For those interested ... here is the full article.

Aircrew Flash Blindness Protection (http://www.flightgear.dk/flash.htm)

Best ...

Coff.

[Lightning Mate]

We always assumed that base would not be available for recovery.

As for the long climb north to sanctuary after weapon delivery, that looked a little far-fetched as well.

edit: I'm not ex-Buccaneer.

The little jet to which Wholi referred was something else.

[Pontius Navigator]

Coff, one of our targets was a rug making factory about 2,500 miles from the UK. During one of our escape and evasion lectures the lecturer had great difficulty in getting us to take E and E with any serious intent.

Our plan was quite simply to continue heading east.

[CoffmanStarter]

Thanks PN ... sure would have made those carpets fly :ok:

Best ...

Coff.

[oldmansquipper]

Tasch.....What you fitted were probably anti-laser. I remember them being introduced post Gulf 1

[TheWestCoast]

Always thought those PLZT goggles looked like something out of Star Wars.