Clear Visor

[rotorfun]

I currently have grey/smoke (inner) and yellow (outer). I never use the yellow (outer) visor. Is there any good reason to swap the yellow (outer) visor for a clear (outer) visor?

I’ve seen a few bird strike posts or videos lately wear they specifically say “luckily they were wearing their helmet with the visor down”. Do you agree that you should always have the visor down?

[SilsoeSid]

Hi Rotorfun, I'd recommend always wearing a visor of any colour down at all times, for the obvious reasons that you'd have seen in the videos & posts.

I've not had a bird come through the screen, although I've speared one on the pitot tube at low speed, had a couple of screen hits and also a couple of blade/mast strikes all 'at speed'. However I know some that have had the cockpit incursion and their visors definitely prevented a wholly different outcome. (If only I could tell the tale I was told of wrestling an injured seagull in a Gazelle as well as it was told to me. Main take-away was that they could still see, thanks to their visor, in order to fight and fly :\)

The clear/yellow visor debate will probably go on as long as the helmet/no helmet debate. Personally I used to prefer the clear visor until one was fitted post a service and I found it gave much clearer definition especially on overcast days, aswell as making the world a brighter place while you pretend to be a Rebel Alliance X-Wing pilot :ok:

[megan]

I’ve seen a few bird strike posts or videos lately wear they specifically say “luckily they were wearing their helmet with the visor down”. Do you agree that you should always have the visor downIt would be nice to protect your eyes, after all the helmet is to protect your head, having vision is what is going to bring the bird encounter to a pleasing conclusion, providing the encounter hasn't introduced other complications. Visor down.

[SASless]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9UgaNUL0eA


If you have a helmet that allows for two visors....make the primary the clear one and wear it down all the time.

I was fortunate enough to have exactly one experience with a bird strike that shattered a chin bubble on a Chinook while flying very low level in the day time.

It was a very large white bird that was no very happy with its involuntary change in duty status to passenger....and having found itself beneath my seat expressed its great dissatisfaction at being kidnapped.

Plastic shards from the chin bubble went everywhere...with some winding up in my legs and arms.

For a movement we thought we had taken a significant hit from some un-friendly forces.

The Chinook had glass windscreens which would mitigate such an impact but a plastic screen is going to be less resistant.



An example of the possible results of replacing glass wind screens with acrylic or plastic versions.


https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=56849

[Nubian]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9UgaNUL0eA

Got to love the commentary:
"the pilot maintains his cool and takes swift actions ensuring the safety of his aircraft and everyone on board......'' a possible case of schizophrenia perhaps? Or how many seats does an Air Tractor actually have....?!

As for the visor I prefer amber over clear lense. Much better in flat or low light and better contrast for snow conditions. I would not swap back to clear.

[megan]

From the link provided by SAS.The impact of the bird on the canopy just above the windshield near the engine control quadrant likely jarred the fire extinguisher T-handles out of their detents and moved them aft, pushing both ECL triggers out of their stops and allowing them to move aft and into or near the flight-idle position, reducing fuel to both engines. A similar incident occurred on November 13, 1999, in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a bird struck the windshield of an S-76C+ helicopter, N276TH, operated by Palm Beach County. The bird did not penetrate the laminated glass windshield, but the impact force of the bird cracked the windshield and dislodged the fire extinguisher T-handles out of their detents; however, in that case, the force was not great enough to move the ECLsOur 76 operation likewise had a bird impact just in front of the engine control quadrant, knocked the fire handles out of the detent which meant they lost both generators and the stabilisation system. Bird then went up into the rotor whereupon a blade threw the carcass down through the cabin roof onto the passengers laps. Crew didn't wear helmets but I always wondered what the result may have been if we had the plastic windscreens, we were blessed with glass fortunately. Don't know type of bird but wedge tail eagles, pelicans and ibis were aplenty.

[rotorfun]

Thanks for the input everyone. I don’t tend to fly in low light very often, so I think clear makes sense for me as I’d use it more often. I wonder if they can be swapped easily if I knew I was flying in flat light.

What height AGL do birds hang around most often? I’m flying in central Alberta for the most part, sometimes in the mountains in BC and out to Vancouver.

[megan]

One birdstrike in the USA was between a Boeing 767 flying at 40,000, highest I know of, impacted top of left windscreen, photo at end of recording, bird type unknown. We recently in Oz had a B206 crash, pilot only on board, fatal due birdstrike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0foHizWAmQ

[Devil 49]

The bird doesn't have to come into the cabin to be a significant proble.
I hit one exactly of the most forward part of an AS355 nose cone. The carcass then slid down and under the belly. Some feathers and guts(?) at the impact site and a disk about 18 inches across still attached at the top but pushed into the cabin behind the instrament panel. The biggest danger was the detritus that blew around with the new vent after impact. Especially the sand, which could have created eyeball problems except that I had my clear visor down.