Sunglasses

[marts]

When I had a trial 1 hour flight, the Pilot who took me out asked if I had a spare pair of glasses, which I didnt. He said I'd need a spare pair if I intended to do my PPL.

Would prescription sunglasses count as a spare pair?

If so, would it cause any problems ie looking at the instruments?

[RichyRich]

I don't have a definitive answer as to the requirement for a spare pair, but I would imagine that the sunglasses would be your primary pair: I recall one lesson where I forgot my sunglasses (non-prescription as I don't need.... yet....): never again!

[Engine overtemp]

If, when you take your first medical for flying, the Doctor decides that you need to wear glasses for flying, then he will mark your medical certificate with the restriction that says just that. In addition you will be required to carry a spare pair.

Legally you could possibly argue that your prescription sunglasses are your spare pair, however, if you really need to use the spair pair and the light is fading, you could regret the decision not to buy a spare normal pair.

If you are about to invest several thousand pounds on a PPL, why not invest in a cheap pair of glasses to keep with you when flying?

[BEagle]

As far as I'm aware, only the prescriptions have to be identical. The question of tint is nihil ad rem. But I use a photochromatic pair as 'normal' and take a spair pair of dark-tinted ones by day or - if I have to go night flying - a spair pair of plain tinted ones then.

Incidentally, for those who may not be aware of the fact, varifocals are now OK if you have become 'accustomed' to wearing them.

[Max AirFactor]

I have a pair of prescription :cool: as the normal flying and clear prescription :8 as the spare. (And a different pair of prescription :cool: for the beach and contacts :rolleyes: for sport.)

The :cool: are not a problem with the instruments but remember to switch back to clear if its getting dark or overcast.

MAF

[Evo]

Would prescription sunglasses count as a spare pair?


According to my AME, they do (but I must admit he wrote the wrong expiry date on my licence so he may not be the best reference).

Worst thing about them is that you're doomed to wear Dollond & Aitchison's geek-specials when the rest of the flying world gets Oakleys... :8

[FNG]

Geek shades? Would it were true, Evo. My wife has discovered that she can get Gucci prescription sunglasses. Hence my knowledge of credit cards as displayed on another thread.

[Windy Militant]

EVO do what I did when age induced myopia struck. Get yourself a set of Randolph frames and have prescription lenses fitted. Cheaper than buying frames from a certain chain opticians who told me if it aint on the shelf you can't have it. Even after postage from the USA.
How people can drive with the current trendy letter box lenses is beyond me!
Oh yeah bayonet arms as well so they fit nice and comfy under the headset or into the bonedome/skidlid.
:ok:

[NinjaBill]

If you get a copy of your prescription, you can order oakley prescription lenses for quite a few of the different oakley glasses from their website in the US. Ive never tried it myself, but know someone who has prescription lenses in their oakley waterjacket shades that they use for kayaking


regards


NB

[mazzy1026]

What about variable tint lenses? Ones that get darker the more light outside there is. My mate has a pair of these - I personally wouldnt buy them because when you have been outside they are great, but as soon as you step back inside it takes about 15 mins for them to go 'clear' again. Whether or not these would be good for flying I am not sure.

Regards

Maz

[221B]

It is possible to get Oakleys with prescription lenses from UK opticians, without having to order from the US. I have some with variable tint lenses which are great - never had any problems going in or outdoors, they seem to change very quickly.

[Skylark4]

s long as your prescription doesn't change drastically, Use last years glasses as your spare pair. If, like me, you put your specs on when you get up and take them off after putting out the light to go to sleep, they wiil be worn out for regular wear after a year so you replace them in the January Sales. You could well end up with a 'Twofer' anyway.

Mike W

[Skylark4]

Further to my post above, the following is effectively a repeat of a post I made a year or so back regarding Varifocal Lenses.

I use varifocal, photochromic glasses and they work fine but you must get the very best quality. The ones I use cost about £300 from Boots, can't remember the name but any good optician will tell you. I once tried a 'cheap' pair, only about £200 from Vision Express or one of the clones. The lenses were Kodak, I think , and they were useless.
Good, properly fitted varifocals give undistorted vision in focus at all times, without thinking about it. If you are working under your car, you may need to tilt your head back awkwardly to focus on something close and above you but in normal use it is automatic. I have no impression of anything within the frame area being out of focus. The cheap lenses were an abomination. The area which 'worked' was in a vertical strip down the middle of the lens, quite narrow too, and anything off to the side was weird. As you walked along you could see things wavering in your peripheral vision. It made me feel quite nauseous. It may take a while to get them set up properly. The worst case I had took three attempts to get it right. If the vertical positioning of the lens is not spot on, you will find that you are holding your head at an unnatural angle to get perfect vision. The best way to check this out is to go for a drive in the car. I could detect it easily on my 15 mile drive to work. If they are correctly set up, they are great. If not, not.
I used to wear bi-focals but found that I couldn't read the numbers on my radio in the Glider. Neither lens was any good. Varifocals got around that and I wouldn't go back now.

Mike W