PPRuNe Forums - Good sunnies to wear for flying?

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JulieFlyGal, I'm sure this has all been said before.

Stay away from polarised lenses. I've flown with them and found it very hard to see instruments; not glass cockpit either. Mirror lenses are a no-no I'm told, but I forget why. I chose a grade 3, brown-tinted lense because all the greys I tried seemed too dark. Some say brown lenses are rubbish for flying but they work for me.

Choose a pair with thin arms. Better fit under headset earseals (smaller gaps), therefore better noise reduction.

Go to a store to try the sunnies on before you buy them! No good buying what looks good in a photo, only to discover later that you look like a complete pillock with 'em on. :}

But most important of all, spend as much as you can possibly afford on a great pair of lenses. Your eyes take a hammering up there. Shell servo sunnies definitely not recommended. :}

For what it's worth I wear Ray Ban (the poor man's Serengeti's or Maui Jim's) Sidestreets RB3183 and I'd recommend them.

Cheers.

Useful guide to selecting a pair of aviation sunglasses here at Flight Safety Foundation human factors newsletter.

You will need to register (its free) to access. Worth the trouble for this and other articles.

If someone hadn't started this thread I would have started it today. By coincidenceI have a very expensive pair of polarised sunglasses (Mako) that are very convenient for fishing and boat manouvering in coral and suchlike. Very restful to look through - or so I thought.

After reading up on UV and cataracts I decided to use sunglasses more - while driving and flying and I tried the Makos for the last month. Results: Found it difficult to see small numbers on gauges - no problem, just look harder; my landings went from merely awful to terrible - couldn't figure it out. Then three near misses while driving in perfect conditions - I didn't see a cyclist and two motorists - couldn't figure it out.

Then I wore them all day fishing last week and by the afternoon I was getting annoyed - didn't know why. A Snapper broke off my hook and I went to replace it but couldn't seem to align line with hook eye. Took off glasses - result perfect (if glary) vision.

These F^&&*ing overpriced glasses have shocking optics that subtly alter your peripheral vision as well as your focussing ability!

I'm going to get Serengetis tomorrow.

i found some really nice Rudy Project frames, and had Ray Ban 'aviator' tint (green) lenses fitted into them at the optometrist. $50 for the frames, $90 for the lenses. Green is the best colour I reckon - the smoke appears too dark in shadow, and mirror (like Oakley/Adidas etc) don't seem to like swapping from light/dark quickly

wow, thanks for all the responses. i wasn't expecting so many replies. it will take some time to digest all the good oil from these posts. i'm keen to try serengetis based on ppls recommendations here altho its prolly a bit way past my budget. thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunfish (Post 3068771)

I'm going to get Serengetis tomorrow.

Now you're talking Sunfish :ok:

I swear by the grandma string! I used to drop my sunnies every third pre-flight, chipping the glass until I bought my grandma (or sports) string. I have not scratched my lenses since. I wear it all the time. I have never forgotten my glasses after dinner, left them on a seat to get sat on by the LAME, or dropped them on a pre-flight. Fantastic invention.

.....SMITHS.....made in Idaho....glass lense,brown(tan) or green(military) ...great for flying,skiing,biking,sailing and slap and tickle marathons(dont fog up)....they fix em for free,...cost $100-160.....PB

Chaaa....neat eh cuzzy......look deadly in the mug shots eh?

SMITH OPTICS

Forget it, its all about looking good and impressing the hosties when they come to the flight deck, with some kick ass designer sunnies (which you actually bought in Bangkok for 300 Baht).

Serengeti Velocity Titanium, drivers gradient photochromic lenses - $150 at the Bolle Factory outlet - 172 Wellington St. Collingwood. Very restful to the peepers. Thank you! Jobs done!:ok:

Serengeti's Unbreakable!

Just thought I'd add my bit about Serengeti's, I put them through the ultimate test at Chatswood Grace brothers (remember those days before they were Myers!). Coming down on the escalators I thought it was getting rather hot so i took off my jumper, as I did this I managed to send my sunnies 5 stories down under the influence of gravity!

Expecting the worst I was suprised to find them still intact with not a scratch (that I could see anyhow), the frames were just slightly bent out of shape.

I'm on my second pair of serengetis and I know they're expensive but their worth every cent. I'm going to try and look after these ones a little better!:8

I have a similar story with my Serengeti's from a couple of years ago. I had a layover of about 48 hours in Vancouver so myself and the other F/O and S/O decided we would go up to Whistler for the night. Anyway to cut a long story short I got pretty intoxicated that night and while staggering back to my room fell flat on my face on brick pavers. There wasn’t a scratch on the Serengeti’s but my nose and left eye didn’t come off so unscathed. Very battered and bruised for a week or so.:ouch:

Just purchased my third pair of Serengetti Summit 5602 with Driver lenses from Frames Direct in Texas.

AUD $139 Delivered.

Fantastic !

Expensive sunnies..........can't do it anymore!

Have bought (and broken) them all. Now I just go down to the sevo and pay $20.
All tests and surveys say that the cheap ones are as good and sometimes better than the expensive ones. You can buy and trash 15 pairs for one pair of Serengettis. For me, the cheapies last just as long! The last pair of cheap ones I bought, I absolutely hated them as I bought them in a rush but they lasted ages before I finally lost them.
Anyone know how much it costs to make a $300 pair of sunnies? my guess is abou $5, if I am wrong I'll bet the normal mark up from manufacturing costs must be at least 3 to 400%.

If you check the mirror before you leave home in the morning and say to yourself " Gee I look good in my Serengettis" then go buy some, if you are not so vain, take a trip to the servo!

But, if you think all I have said is garbage at least take heed of this....
DO NOT buy Polarised sunnies if you are going to fly an aircraft while wearing them.

CASA has some good stuff on sunnies in the DAME handbook http://www.casa.gov.au/manuals/regulate/dame/index.htm

Quote:

2.1.13 Sunglasses
Glare is often a cause of significant discomfort when flying above cloud or when flying into the sun. Sunglasses may be required in such circumstances.
There are two basic factors to consider when selecting sunglasses, namely the frame and the lenses.
Any spectacle frame reduces the field of vision. Narrow frames that carry large lenses are desirable. The most critical problem with frames arises from the presence of wide sidearms which significantly impair the peripheral visual field.
Sunglass lenses should protect the eyes from glare while not adversely affecting the visual cues necessary for safe flight. Accordingly, lenses should not be too dark, and should transmit at least 15% of incident light. The tint used should be "neutral density" (N.D.), that is, a greyish tint that does not distort colour perception or adversely affect red signal
detection and recognition. The recommended tint is N.D.15.
Lenses of polycarbonate are preferred because of their impact-resistance and ability to absorb ultra-violet and infrared rays. However, these lenses can scratch readily and any scratched spectacles should be discarded.
To ensure that sunglasses provide adequate protection from solar radiation that may damage the eyes, only those sunglasses that conform to the current Australian Standard should be worn.
Sunglasses that conform to the current Australian Standard also meet acceptable standards for lens quality, frame strength and lens retention.
For aviation use, those sunglasses marked "Specific Purpose Sunglasses" are
recommended, provided their frames are appropriate. The lenses of these sunglasses have been specifically designed for use in conditions of intense glare, such as in flight above cloud. At high altitude, atmospheric absorption of ultra-violet radiation is reduced.
Polarising sunglasses should not be used when flying. The polarising filter interacts with the cockpit transparency to produce a distorted and degraded visual field that poses a threat to air safety.
The pilot who already wears prescription spectacles for flying can choose from a number of options for glare protection. Prescription sunglasses with N.D.15 lenses can be obtained, or N.D.15 clip-on or flip-up sunglasses may be worn over prescription spectacles.
Pilots who require correction of their near vision only and who wear "look-overs" are advised to obtain bifocals and a plano upper segment. Clip-on or flip-up sunglasses can then be worn. However, the dangers of flip-ups previously mentioned should be recalled.

I wear prescription sunnies ND15 tint with a graduated focus to read maps

Where is a good stockist of Serengeti Sunglasses in Melbourne. Is there a factory outlet or something?

I will only use Zeiss Dark Umbral lenses set in very thin frames with thin side-wings so they don't get pressed into my temples by the headsset.

The lenses are optical glass and therefore rather soft. Any good frames can be used. Most optometrists can order a set of lenses and set them in a frame. Expect $300-330 Aust for the job. Buy a good case to keep them in when not wearing them. A neck-strap is also helpful.

I find a set of clip on ND15's cut in ~half (at the point where the glareshield meets the sky in the usual ACFT I fly) and clipped to a spectacle frame (even if 0 dioptre lenses) gives the best all round performance.

In VMC, my eyes are protected from the outside glare but I can still see the instruments clearly and when flying IFR in and out of cloud, where it can fluctuate one minute from dead dark to bloody glary (when skimming along through tops) my eyes are still protected and I can still see the instruments despite the fluctuating glare and darkness without putting sunnies on and off. And you can easily flip the clip ons up when you're before the the minima when in poor viz to actually see your landing point!

Ordinary sunnies render it fairly difficult to see some non-backlit LCD displays -especially polarised lenses.

You have to hunt around for an optometrist that stocks non polarised clip-ons or will order them in - they're quite cheap. The set-up works well but looks bloody dorky, though - don't forget to put on a "proper" pair of cool looking sunnies once on the ground!!:O

Only one pair of shades for the true aviator ; Oakley gold iridium. Great low level low vis, and in bright conditions .
Used these bush flying all over the world and in airline flying. They are the most important piece of kit I use, including co's.

Stop this Serrengeti nonsense now