A good video of NVGs invaluable benefits.....on the most perfect night one can imagine! On a bad night you would not have seen the hill in the foreground until youre about 30-50m away. (and even then it would be smooth like a sand dune)
The reflective glare is 'standard' for NVG ops, even with a compatible lighting system.
Im 100% convinced that NVGs should be available to the civil helo population but I am also convinced that training in their use must be mandated to agencies/operators who can monitor & evaluate their safe usage.
These are excellent devices that have very serious pitfalls.
Knowing when not to use them is just as important and having NVG compatible cockpit lighting system is essential.
Having an advanced level of understanding of how your eye 'perceives' images (ie: how you brain sees them) and most importantly how the brain processes monocular vs binocular cues is very important. There are things you learnt as a child that just do not hold 100% true on NVGs.
NVGs are an aid only...and not the holy grail of night flying. The mere fact 20yrs on still say "they turn night into day" shows that education on NVGs hasnt come far enough.
Ex military guys are not trying to put you off. Its just that we've all been scared to death at some point on NVGs.
As an NVG instructor all my students went through these phases:
1-4hrs: Amazed & a touch scared.
5-10hrs: Loving it
11-25hrs: Bullet proof
@25hrs: 1st big fright (due over confidence)
25-100hrs: Treading carefully but loving it
100hrs: The slow realisation that things things are going to kill you eventually.
200hrs: Only doing it because you have to.
300hrs: Id rather call in sick!