Folks,
Any pilot who uses cheap sunglasses is not smart enough to be a pilot -- you need to do everything you can to protect your eyes.
Do NOT use "glass" sunglasses, they all splinter under impact, some worse then others, but CR-8 never will.
CR-8 or similar polycarbonate ONLY, and they will be more scratch resistant than optical glass.
Likewise, only ever use polycarbonate "safety" glasses (including playing squash), never "glass". Never use the "glassless" glasses often promoted by Squash "experts", when playing squash, you can still lose an eye all too easily, as a mate of mine found out the hard way, terminating your aviation career is a huge price for a moment's neglect --- but you can lose an eye in that moment.
"Sun" glasses made for ground level use (including ASA Kite marked) will not necessarily have the correct tint for flying, either density or colour.
Undoubtedly the best are right here in Australia, Martin X Hogan, 14 Collins St., Melbourne. They have been leaders in the business of "professional" aviation, military and civil (as opposed to "fashion"), including supplying their products to NASA for the Apollo program, specialist visors (with correction, to the USAF and US Navy) and so on.
They have cockpit dimensions for all common civil types, and can make tailored glasses of all tints, including bi and tri focals, including being able to see the overhead panel, either right or left hand seat. They are aviation experts, and way ahead of designs that haven't really changed since WW11.
As users of RayBan and Randolph (they are glass, dummy) will know, lens can relatively easily fall out --- the design of the flying range from Hogan eliminate this problem ---- scrabbling around the cockpit floor looking for a lens is no fun, and doesn't do the lens much good, either.
I have trialled Serengeti, a whole bunch of us did did, for the manufacturer, a "new model" "optimized" for flying, they were good, but I went back to my Apollos, even though I use the Serengeti sometimes for driving.
If you intend to stay a pilot, your eyes are too precious to treat with other than the greatest care and respect.
Tootle pip!!
Last edited by LeadSled; 27th Feb 2010 at 06:26.