No one has mentioned Randolph Engineering yet, they make fantastic sunglasses, specially designed to fit under headsets or helmets and are very comportable.
http://www.randolphusa.com/GWW-Rando...spx?pageid=181

Polarized
 

SoCal, my memory was that they were not allowed, but you are, in fact, correct. I would, however, still advise against using them. See below from the FAA:

What he is saying is true. Your ip matches identical with cockpitferret and this all ties in with what 'vrotpiesanguk' has posted, simple really, you have been sussed. We don't like multiple personalities.

Does not look like that to me. Looks like someone just giving an opinion on them. Even if he owns the company that makes them, he is not exactly spamming the forum with links is he and he has not registered as someone else to make defamatory remarks about a product.........

Agree with Galley Teapot...I had a pair of Randolph aviators and they were great (until I lost them!).

As I posted before, got some classic Italian Persol sunglasses now in an aviator style...if they're good enough for 007, they're good enough for me! (although haven't tried them out in the cockpit yet...but they look cool).

On the subject of polarized lenses, I opted for non-poloarised due to flying.

I second that! I've had a pair for almost 19 years, still going strong. Tan-tinted aviators.

The only reason I've been able to keep them so long is that they are on a "string" - you know the sort of cord that attaches to the arms and goes around your neck, to avoid losing / dropping them. Best £1.50 I've ever spent!

SD

Also have Randolph's Concorde one with Tan lens which is great for days when it's a bright day and one needs a light shade to take the brightness out; and second pair is AGX grey-green lens - a darker lens for sunshine. Light, comfortable and strongly made, also not too expensive - very pleased with them. Glare reduction is top. Restful on the eyes.

Also have classic Ray Ban - good lens, a bit on the heavy side for long wearing, also hinges need careful handling. But a good product.

flyme

Another vote for Serengettis from me - hands down the best flying glasses I've ever had.
I used to have a pair of Randolphs and they were good.
Before that I had Raybans. They were ok, not as good as the Randolphs, but ok.
Then I tried my mates Serengettis with the drivers gradient lenses and what a difference......they really are the dogs preverbial.
I flogged the Randolphs to a friend and went straight out and bought the Serengetti velocity frames with drivers gradient lenses.
Can't praise them highly enough really - the world is a sweeter place when you look through them........cloud contrast is excellent........colour clarity seems unchanged..........I seem to be able to visually spot other traffic sooner.......I find my eyes get less tired.....all good stuff.

Randolph aviators
 

The Randolphs were the thing to have 15 years ago. Surely they can't still be the best out there? My darling wife doesn't allow me to wear mine anymore - says I look like a tw*t in them, which of course must be the case if she says so ;)

Somerfield's £3.90 sunglasses - buy a dozen pairs, break 'em, who cares.

Having just sat on my Oakley A wires and broken them (doh), I've taken the recommendations on here and gone for a pair of Serengeti Argosy Drivers; ebay, £53 new and delivered. Looking forward to trying them!

I just wanted to thank WhiskyKiloWanderer again for mentioning the stick-on reading segments. I've been using them now for a couple of weeks and they're excellent!

Also, I said earlier that I didn't like the fit of my Pilot1 frames but having tweaked the curvature of the wires the problems are solved. The Serengeti drivers gradient lenses are superb.

HFD

The Serengeti Argosy Drivers look just like my Animal agressor 2 sunglasse (Circa £60-70), i find mine great when flying (have a grey lense)they have a bayonett fitting too so fit well with the headset on. I find them on par with the ray ban flight pande they replaced. Also have some randolf aviators - never wear them though as i look a tw*t in them.

What sunglasses do you wear?
 

As per the title, just wanted to gather some recommendations on which sunglasses you guys wear for flying.

I'm quite keen on Oakleys - are any of their models suitable for use with a headset?

Thanks

I have a pair of Oakley A wires which I bought 6 years ago. Wouldnt swap them for anything else. Perfectly comfortable with both my bose-x and my old DC headsets.

Serengeti 6691 Velocity Driver gradient, great for glass cockpits!

Serrengeti for me

Mile High for me

Cheap, wrap-round and multiple lenses. Had no problems with headsets.

I look at every stand with cheap sunglasses and if I find a pair I like, I buy it. They may fall apart in 6 months, but hey - they work and definitely worth their price of 5-10 euros. No more worries about lost, misplaced or broken glasses - I just grab another pair. No worries about quality, either - since 1997, all sunglasses in the EC have been subject to mandatory certification under EN 1836.

Oakley A-Wires (grey lens) with the rubber socks removed.

If it is very bright and hazy, I have a pair of Serengetti which seems to cut the edge off things very well.

Serengeti tint?
 

Right then, tis nearly the time of the year for a present...yes a Serengeti present :)

I went into the shop last week to try the Velocity on and was exceptionally pleased with the pair ( having all the other brands there too gave me an immediate & useful comparison). The only thing was that they only had the 'Espresso' drivers gradient in stock, and I was thinking about getting the 'Gunmetal' drivers gradient lens.

Does anyone have an opinion on which colour lens is the best or rather, preferred?

I have the espresso version. They are better for flying with in my opinion. In bright sunshine thet are excellent, and in poor light conditions they seem to give better clarity through the lens.

If you want them to improve your ability to spot targets in hazy conditions you want something that blocks blue light, that means orange or tan. Pretty obviously the worst colour for aviation use would be blue.
I have a pair of Serengeti Pilots with a tan drivers gradient - excellent for spotting other aircraft and very little colour distortion. Initially I didn't like the wire frame but it was fine once I formed it to fit my head/ears; there's no chance of them falling off in neg g and they don't affect the effectiveness of the earcup seal.
Cheapest place I found was http://www.sunglassescheaper.com - good service and a good price.

HFD

Ray Bans were almost universal a few years back,but I stopped wearing them after watching a documentary on the TV.
The parent company that own(ed?) ray ban were formost a cosmetic company and single handedly wiped out an entire species of monkeys to use for testing .The scenes were horrific, large groups of monkeys were trapped and only the ones of certain age were taken to be used,the others being clubbed to death or the old/injured ones just being left to die.

just a word of warning
 

I went for a medical and was told by my AME that I had to use glasses for flying. Off to the eye specialists and they said no your vision is fine maybe a tiny fraction for poor light reading but hey the AME is the boss.

No way did I want to wear glasses so had the glasses tinted so they looked like sunglasses.

Back to the AME and out comes the book for the colour test "failed" !
But How can I fail as I have had loads of colour tests over the years without a problem.

Then it struck me! Put on blue glasses look at yellow and you will see green etc. I protested. " You have to wear the prescription glasses for the eye tests". was his reply.

That was it " so every pilot wearing sunglasses is colour blind and hence illegal" ?

The Ame stuck to his guns, I had to go and buy a pair of clear glasses resit the test before he would issue my medical.

I was livid as I had to buy a third set of glasses when my eye specialists said I didnt need them anyway and that medical cost me a fortune.

I never used that AME again but beware.

Pace