Good sunnies to wear for flying?
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: aussie land
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I need a new pair of sunnies now. Has anyone bought from United Shades? If so, are they reliable and how long does it take for Fed Ex delivery?
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JulieFlyGal, can't remember where you're from (Syd I think) but try Oakley directly if there if they have an office/showroom close by. Here in Melbourne they provide generous discounts for pilots, 40% off the top of my head which definatly makes it cheaper than buying from the states.
The DFO at Moorabbin Airport also passes this discount on to pilots.
Oakley is the Australian distributor for Serengetti if that happens to be your preference.
The DFO at Moorabbin Airport also passes this discount on to pilots.
Oakley is the Australian distributor for Serengetti if that happens to be your preference.
1. Rayban Outdoorsman with the grey lense, must be good because somebody decided recently they needed them more than I did. Purchased them in Darwin in the late 80's, one of the best investments ever made. Although during a tax audit the following year, the ATO auditor desperately wanted to knock them back as he stated they might be worn outside of work hours!
2. Randolph Engineering Standard Issue is the replacement for the trusty Rayban's.
2. Randolph Engineering Standard Issue is the replacement for the trusty Rayban's.
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Join Date: Dec 2006
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I'd rather not order from overseas because I'd like to try them on. tmpffisch, do they sell RayBans with the 40% discount at DFO?
Stationair8, thanks for the recommendation. My first pair were RayBans but would you believe it, I lost them last week and need a new pair. I had a look at the RayBan Outdoorsman but they're not quite my style.
I was thinking of getting these RayBans instead. Any thoughts?
Stationair8, thanks for the recommendation. My first pair were RayBans but would you believe it, I lost them last week and need a new pair. I had a look at the RayBan Outdoorsman but they're not quite my style.
I was thinking of getting these RayBans instead. Any thoughts?
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Somewhere that looks a lot better when I close my eyes
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Definitely an enormous pair of gold-rimmed traiditional 'aviators'. Probably with a flight suit and leather jacket if you can afford them...and don't forget to get some nice big gold wings to complete the ensemble. 
In all seriousness, I've found that anything will do, even $12.00 servo sunnies. If you've got money to spare, I recommend some Serengetis or Ray-Bans. Provided you don't lose them, like I always do, they'll serve you well.
In all seriousness, I've found that anything will do, even $12.00 servo sunnies. If you've got money to spare, I recommend some Serengetis or Ray-Bans. Provided you don't lose them, like I always do, they'll serve you well.
Join Date: Aug 2007
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The best sunnies that my old man has come across in his 30years of gliding are Eagle Eyes: Eagle Eyes High Performance Eyewear with the brown tint. EXCELLENT for cloud definition. Though looking at their website, the designs look pretty radical (read little odd!) compared to the originals.
I fly with the boring old Serengetties with the rose tint. I find them too excellent for cloud definition.
go_soaring! instead
I fly with the boring old Serengetties with the rose tint. I find them too excellent for cloud definition.
go_soaring! instead
Definitely an enormous pair of gold-rimmed traiditional 'aviators'. Probably with a flight suit and leather jacket if you can afford them...and don't forget to get some nice big gold wings to complete the ensemble.
Actually, honestly, not taking the p!ss. I do wear Ray Ban Aviators. Smaller ones, 56mm (I think) gold rimmed, green glass. I reckon they're fantastic. Just don't wear them after you've shut down if you're flying a 152, or an instructor (unless instructing on Hawks, PC-9s etc)
Join Date: Sep 2007
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That's right J3, it's not the sunnies you wear, it's how you wear them.
Wearing fashionable, understated sunnies doesn't help if you're still a w#nker underneath, just as wearing massive, outlandish Elton John sunnies doesn't change a thing if you're totally freaking awesome.
I like to hedge my bets and wear something that sits nicely in between.
Wearing fashionable, understated sunnies doesn't help if you're still a w#nker underneath, just as wearing massive, outlandish Elton John sunnies doesn't change a thing if you're totally freaking awesome.
I like to hedge my bets and wear something that sits nicely in between.
Join Date: Aug 2009
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On the polarized lenses. May just depend on the shape of the lense. Had two pairs now. Both polarized, both Oakleys. First pair great for general flying if maybe a little dark, so in low light conditions they had to be placed on top of the head. Also, they were cheapies ($300, I wasnt working in aviation when I bought them) and I experienced the optical illusions when landing.
Second pair are also Oakleys (way more expensive and also bought when working outside aviation) and polarized and in 1000hrs of flying haven't caused any problems (VFR and IFR), with no optical illusions on landing, nil complaints and many compliments from passengers. Both pairs have good eye coverage and thin arms but are a little to big to fit under a headset, solution, put the arms on top of the headset. No problems with the reading of instruments with those ones either.
I have experienced the 'blacking out' of LCD screens with them though. Solution to this is to keep the head level. When my head is tilted sideways the polarization must line up (or whatever it does) and causes the screen to go blank or black. Never had any problems with picking up other aircraft or peripherals.
I must say that my newer glasses aren't as dark, and I think this an important consideration and they maybe good for outside or high light environments, but look back into the cockpit and you cant see or they are to dark to wear in low light conditions, not good as there can still be lots of glare then.
Just my experience.
Second pair are also Oakleys (way more expensive and also bought when working outside aviation) and polarized and in 1000hrs of flying haven't caused any problems (VFR and IFR), with no optical illusions on landing, nil complaints and many compliments from passengers. Both pairs have good eye coverage and thin arms but are a little to big to fit under a headset, solution, put the arms on top of the headset. No problems with the reading of instruments with those ones either.
I have experienced the 'blacking out' of LCD screens with them though. Solution to this is to keep the head level. When my head is tilted sideways the polarization must line up (or whatever it does) and causes the screen to go blank or black. Never had any problems with picking up other aircraft or peripherals.
I must say that my newer glasses aren't as dark, and I think this an important consideration and they maybe good for outside or high light environments, but look back into the cockpit and you cant see or they are to dark to wear in low light conditions, not good as there can still be lots of glare then.
Just my experience.
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Havnt had time to read the whole thread yet to see if this is included, but I am about to buy 2 new sets of prescription glasses, one of which i was going to get with the "Transition" lenses, or possibly even the "DriveWear" lenses, which is basically transition lenses with the photochromatic layer in them.
Does anyone use either of these lenses and if so do they affect your vision through heated screens or black out your LCD equipment?
Does anyone use either of these lenses and if so do they affect your vision through heated screens or black out your LCD equipment?
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Transistions won't affect LCDs, they aren't actually polarising. I quite like them for general use, but mine don't really get dark enough for flying (for my money). Not sure if you can get darker ones.
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Serengetis
I'll have to throw my recommendation in for Serengeti. Got mine from this place in MEL Sunglasses contact lenses spectacles buy discount sunglasses online - best names at the best prices
Good prices and they arrived in three days.
Good prices and they arrived in three days.
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Back when I didn't need reading glasses, I worked in a country that had malaria. Didn't want it to affect me so took the anti-malarials daily. Went from brands Niviquin, Paludrin, Maloprim etc, whatever was available and effective at the time. Noticed that when I was above cloud that my sunnies weren't as effective, so when I was out on leave bought a darker pair. Then I read an article about the long term effect that continued use of anti-malarials (they didn't actually stop you getting the 'bug', they just suppress the symptoms) could do to your eyes. So I went off the tablets. Later I noticed my new sunnies were now too dark, so went back to the old ones for a while. Seems the iris had been dilated letting in too much light, but over time again it came good, luckily I never did get malaria (touch wood for the future) while in that environment.
Requiring reading focus after age 41, I initially had small look-over lenses as the outside vision was still sharp, but it complicated the sunnie arrangment. One solution was to have a top section shaded but not magnified, graduated to a clear bi-focal prescription segment at the bottom for reading charts and small print. The really important thing I found, was to sit in the aircraft that was mostly flown, and note where the top of the glareshield cut your line of vision in the normal head level position. If you get the position of the segment wrong when drafting the prescription, then you may have hours of neckstrain, just tilting your head forward or back that little bit to get the outside/ inside reationship right, if you can't adjust the glasses just right.
The trouble with prescription, as always, is that after a year or three, you have to go through the exercise all over again for another set as your eyes change.
One last thing, that has been mentioned, - is the fit of the frame under the headset for long periods. Annoying if you get it wrong there.
Requiring reading focus after age 41, I initially had small look-over lenses as the outside vision was still sharp, but it complicated the sunnie arrangment. One solution was to have a top section shaded but not magnified, graduated to a clear bi-focal prescription segment at the bottom for reading charts and small print. The really important thing I found, was to sit in the aircraft that was mostly flown, and note where the top of the glareshield cut your line of vision in the normal head level position. If you get the position of the segment wrong when drafting the prescription, then you may have hours of neckstrain, just tilting your head forward or back that little bit to get the outside/ inside reationship right, if you can't adjust the glasses just right.
The trouble with prescription, as always, is that after a year or three, you have to go through the exercise all over again for another set as your eyes change.
One last thing, that has been mentioned, - is the fit of the frame under the headset for long periods. Annoying if you get it wrong there.
Bump time...
Been a while since this thread was busy so a brief recap of the previous 4 pages:
Most people's recommendations were the Serengeti Velocity glasses... photochromatic lenses... people seemed very happy with these...
Also people recommending to avoid using polarised sunnies...
SO............. I was googling around and came across this pprune thread: http://www.pprune.org/medical-health...unglasses.html regarding photochromatic lenses in the medical-health forum and noticed pretty much every post on there was against the use of photochromatic lenses (which most if not all serengeti sunnies are? at least I think the popular velocity type are...)... I think there are a few references to some theory books in the UK and some CAA advisories that recommend not to wear them while flying (just search "photochromatic" to make skimming through the threads easier).
Just thought it was interesting as none of the aussies / kiwis in this thread seemed to mention any bad things regarding photochromatic lenses while the thread posted above had a tonne of it...?
Been a while since this thread was busy so a brief recap of the previous 4 pages:
Most people's recommendations were the Serengeti Velocity glasses... photochromatic lenses... people seemed very happy with these...
Also people recommending to avoid using polarised sunnies...
SO............. I was googling around and came across this pprune thread: http://www.pprune.org/medical-health...unglasses.html regarding photochromatic lenses in the medical-health forum and noticed pretty much every post on there was against the use of photochromatic lenses (which most if not all serengeti sunnies are? at least I think the popular velocity type are...)... I think there are a few references to some theory books in the UK and some CAA advisories that recommend not to wear them while flying (just search "photochromatic" to make skimming through the threads easier).
Just thought it was interesting as none of the aussies / kiwis in this thread seemed to mention any bad things regarding photochromatic lenses while the thread posted above had a tonne of it...?