Glasses for pilots
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Glasses for pilots
I currently wear a pair of prescription bifocal sunglasses for flying. They need replacing and I am thinking of moving to progressive (multifocal?) lenes. Does anyone have any experience with progressives or an opinion? Are bifocals better for flying? Note I am a PPL flying single engine GA aircraft.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
Started with 'lookovers' 15 yrs ago, just so I could read maps, panel etc but moved to 'progressive' glasses about 8-10 years ago. My sunnies are now also progressive and it's the way to go.
happy days,
happy days,
So they're called progressives now, are they? Well I guess that's progress.
When I first got mine they were called multi-focals. Anyway I've never had any problem with them when flying or driving. I find the biggest difficulty when flying is adjusting from the bright light outside the cockpit to the relative darkness of the interior.
When I first got mine they were called multi-focals. Anyway I've never had any problem with them when flying or driving. I find the biggest difficulty when flying is adjusting from the bright light outside the cockpit to the relative darkness of the interior.
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I wear single vision lenses and my experience has been that transitions lenses don't go dark enough for flying use. I highly recommend the anti reflective treatment for which I can't remember opsm's brand name, but it does make a difference when driving or flying at night. It's worth spending the extra money on the lenses to get the good hd polycarbonate ones that are thiner and lighter.
Multifocals.
Been wearing them for flying for about 3 years with no problem (after years of using tri focals with no problems). Seems to be a matter of personal choice, some folks just don't like or can't aclimatise to multifocals.
As for transitions, I understand that as they never get dark enough quick enough (or completely clear) they are not recomended for aviation.
Rob.
As for transitions, I understand that as they never get dark enough quick enough (or completely clear) they are not recomended for aviation.
Rob.
Last edited by SaltAsh; 9th Feb 2011 at 02:17. Reason: Typos
I am thinking of moving to progressive (multifocal?) lenes. Does anyone have any experience with progressives or an opinion? Are bifocals better for flying? Note I am a PPL flying single engine GA aircraft.
I wear graduated power transition lenses normally (not flying), and for night flying. I wear graduated power sunnies in the CASA favoured ND 15 tint for day flying. I find the transition lenses don't tint dark enough in a high wing, or in a car, the ND15 sunnies are much better.
When I renew my non-sunny glasses I will go for clear graduated power lenses as I think they will be better at night, transitions in the darker varieties dont go completely clear at night. Transitions are slow to react when flying in and out of cloud - the ND15 sunnies are better.
The DAME handbook Section 2.1.13 is worth a read.
Last edited by bentleg; 9th Feb 2011 at 08:26.
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Section 2.1.13 is worth a read...[tinted lenses etc.]
As a practicing optometrist , a CASA appointed DAEE and a CPL [admittedly non-practicing but 3700tt], I guess I should add my 2 cents worth.
Although 2.1.13 says V.3 approved in 2003, I think much of it was written 20yrs ago , especially the bit about photochromic lenses...I'm sure it was written about the first gen.' photogray' glass lenses of the dinasaur age.
And while ND[neutral density]15 is a excellent general purpose tint I defy anyone to get them made in polycarbonate [as suggested in 2.1.13] in Australia.[Our lens suppliers say they can't tint polycarb.]
I am not particularly sensitive to glare and wear my'transitions' tinted progressive multifocals with a high quality antireflection coating 90% of my time flying in GA conditions.
They are clearer than untreated glass lenses indoors or at night, have about 10-15% tint in the cockpit in daylight ,as they react to UV and a large % is filtered out by the perspex..and when I land and disembark they get to maximum darkness in 36 seconds.
Without mentioning brand names make sure any anti refection coating has a 2yr warranty...or they will probably craze before they should be expected to.
In very glarey situations like directly into sun, or in and out of bright Cu I am currently wearing a 'yank' brand of polarised tinted progressive multifocals that I discovered trout fishing.
If I tilt my head over 45% my remaining LED diplay blacks out but the G430 is fine and I can see sheds on the ground 15nm away that are invisible without them.There is no such thing as X-ray glasses but there is some seriously good science in them....don't even like the company much...just like the product.
A Dash8-400 skipper tried mine and now wears them too ...he says the FO's screens black out if he tilts 45%...but not if he just turns his head....[who flys with a 45% head tilt anyway?!!]
My main advice is get any progessive lenses fitted carefully by a competent person and checked on collection..not just handed to you.
Best of luck
Flopt
Although 2.1.13 says V.3 approved in 2003, I think much of it was written 20yrs ago , especially the bit about photochromic lenses...I'm sure it was written about the first gen.' photogray' glass lenses of the dinasaur age.
And while ND[neutral density]15 is a excellent general purpose tint I defy anyone to get them made in polycarbonate [as suggested in 2.1.13] in Australia.[Our lens suppliers say they can't tint polycarb.]
I am not particularly sensitive to glare and wear my'transitions' tinted progressive multifocals with a high quality antireflection coating 90% of my time flying in GA conditions.
They are clearer than untreated glass lenses indoors or at night, have about 10-15% tint in the cockpit in daylight ,as they react to UV and a large % is filtered out by the perspex..and when I land and disembark they get to maximum darkness in 36 seconds.
Without mentioning brand names make sure any anti refection coating has a 2yr warranty...or they will probably craze before they should be expected to.
In very glarey situations like directly into sun, or in and out of bright Cu I am currently wearing a 'yank' brand of polarised tinted progressive multifocals that I discovered trout fishing.
If I tilt my head over 45% my remaining LED diplay blacks out but the G430 is fine and I can see sheds on the ground 15nm away that are invisible without them.There is no such thing as X-ray glasses but there is some seriously good science in them....don't even like the company much...just like the product.
A Dash8-400 skipper tried mine and now wears them too ...he says the FO's screens black out if he tilts 45%...but not if he just turns his head....[who flys with a 45% head tilt anyway?!!]
My main advice is get any progessive lenses fitted carefully by a competent person and checked on collection..not just handed to you.
Best of luck
Flopt
Last edited by Flopt; 9th Feb 2011 at 11:57.
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Transitions lenses and flying
Mr. Hat- I work for Transitions Optical and have recently fit a few pilots in Transitions lenses. Our original Transitions lens are activated by UV so any windshield (plane or car) that blocks UV will keep the lenses from activating/getting dark. Indoors and at night, these lenses are as clear as your ordinary lenses.Last year we introduced a new product, Transitions XTRActive lenses, that are activated by visible and UV light. The lenses have a slight tint indoors, get moderately dark behind windshields (even those that block UV) and dark outdoors. Back in June we fitted a pilot (Cessna type planes) with the XTRActive lenses and he LOVED them. You can ask your eye doctor about them or, visit transitions.com for additional info.
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Non-pilot but progressive lens wearer
Be aware that there are two facts about progressives, which optical dispensers don't exactly foreground:
1. The area of max sharpness is a figure-8, so that while fine for reading and distance, at intermediate ranges there is a rather narrow zone of sharpness. This might, or might not, be significant for instrument scanning. I use a dedicated pair of bifocals for working at a computer.
2. My latest Zeiss lenses give a wider zone of sharpness, but at the cost of very significant distortion. This was initially quite disconcerting when looking at flat, rectangular surfaces, but I adjusted quickly.
These drawbacks probably vary with the power of the prescription: I have a lot of astigmatism, so at a pinch you could use my lenses to project Cinemascope.
Photochromic is a problem, though I note that there's now a solution. Fitovers are OK in the car, but prescription sunnies are more elegant.
That said, I've worn progressives in my few attempts at flying a glider, and they by no means added to my problems.
1. The area of max sharpness is a figure-8, so that while fine for reading and distance, at intermediate ranges there is a rather narrow zone of sharpness. This might, or might not, be significant for instrument scanning. I use a dedicated pair of bifocals for working at a computer.
2. My latest Zeiss lenses give a wider zone of sharpness, but at the cost of very significant distortion. This was initially quite disconcerting when looking at flat, rectangular surfaces, but I adjusted quickly.
These drawbacks probably vary with the power of the prescription: I have a lot of astigmatism, so at a pinch you could use my lenses to project Cinemascope.
Photochromic is a problem, though I note that there's now a solution. Fitovers are OK in the car, but prescription sunnies are more elegant.
That said, I've worn progressives in my few attempts at flying a glider, and they by no means added to my problems.
Last edited by FlightlessParrot; 9th Feb 2011 at 22:05. Reason: Omitted important word.
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I wear transitions and progressive. Best thing I ever did. I never used to wear sunnies at all, people thought I was weird. It was just a personal thing. The Transitions go just dark enough for me and work a treat.
I live and work predominently in the tropics and find when I go down South to say Melbourne for Sim the glasses go really dark, 50% darker than up here above the 16 degree parallel. Not sure why must be something to do with the suns strenght down South, who knows?
The DAME I see reckons they are fine for flying. Be aware though if you like the super dark sunglass effect then they won't be any good, not dark enough.
They are very expensive mine cost $800.00, with nice frames.
Che
I live and work predominently in the tropics and find when I go down South to say Melbourne for Sim the glasses go really dark, 50% darker than up here above the 16 degree parallel. Not sure why must be something to do with the suns strenght down South, who knows?
The DAME I see reckons they are fine for flying. Be aware though if you like the super dark sunglass effect then they won't be any good, not dark enough.
They are very expensive mine cost $800.00, with nice frames.
Che