Sunglasses for Pilots

infotango

Line Up and Wait
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Dec 18, 2005
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Seattle, WA
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Display name:
rob!
Folks,

After working for a year to find the perfect pair of sunglasses for pilots, I gave up and decided to start my own company.

Presenting: Cloudbase-Optics!

I worked with lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss for over a year to produce a non-polarized high-quality lens designed to deal with the intense lighting conditions pilot experience, and provide 100%UVA and UVB protection.

The lens material in my sunglasses blocks certain components of the blue spectrum to increase contrast, and help cut through haze. As a result, weather, terrain, and other traffic will appear sharper. It's the ideal lens for North American pilots.

The frames are super-lightweight, stylish, and flexible to fit comfortably within a headset.

All the sunglasses are made in Italy, and feature a lifetime warranty against defects in materials or workmanship.

Check out my site!

www.cloudbase-optics.com
 
I'll check it out.
Will you have any at EAA to try on? (Booth)
 
Do you have any gradient lenses?
 
They look nice. Have you ever considered making clip ons?
 
I'll check it out.
Will you have any at EAA to try on? (Booth)
Thanks! I'll probably be exhibiting at Oshkosh this year. If you like, shoot me a PM, and I'll let you try a pair risk free.
 
The length of time I hang on to sunglasses is inversely proportional to the price I pay for them. These would disappear within an hour or less!
 
Good luck on your new venture! The glasses look spiffy, if I didn't hate brown and have two other pairs right now I'd be all over it :)
 
Finding non-polarized sunglasses is a bit of a challenge. Finding non-polarized clip ons is much harder in my experience. There was a vendor at the Sport Aviation Expo when I went in 2012 that had them. I bought a pair which lived in my flight bag until they mysteriously disappeared maybe 6 months later. They're probably hanging out with a bunch of my mismatched socks somewhere...

Anyway, after two pairs of prescription sun glasses which the coatings began to bubble off of I went to clip ons. I couldn't justify the cost if they were only going to last a year. (The optics technician told me "Don't leave them in the heat." Um, I do use them in the sun, right? It wasn't like I was leaving them on the glare shield in the sun. Sorry, rant off.)

John
 
Nice looking glasses! I have a pair of Serengeti driver's gradients. The lens color is similar. Frankly, I don't like the looks of the brown lens either, I much prefer the classic black/smoke grey lens color. However, once you try these types of lens (yours are likely similar or better), you never go back. This color lens destroys the classic black lens in every way, except looks.
 
The last time I bought non polarized sunglasses the sales person asked me if I was a commercial pilot, I said yes, he told me there's a 20 percent discount. He also said only pilots ask for the non polarized.

At the checkout he asked for my airline employee number. I told him I don't work for an airline. He asked for proof that I was a commercial pilot, I handed him my faa certificate, he picked a major airline on his computer and typed my pilot certificate number in as the employee number.
 
Nice looking glasses! I have a pair of Serengeti driver's gradients. The lens color is similar. Frankly, I don't like the looks of the brown lens either, I much prefer the classic black/smoke grey lens color. However, once you try these types of lens (yours are likely similar or better), you never go back. This color lens destroys the classic black lens in every way, except looks.
Thanks!
I agree 100%, once you try the brown/amber you don't go back.

The eyes have a lot of trouble focusing on blue light. Looking at blue Christmas lights in the dark really demonstrates this phenomenon. The brown/amber lenses block parts of the blue spectrum, and it's incredible what blocking part of the blue spectrum does for your vision on a bright or hazy day. Also, some gray or green lenses may not block all of the damaging UV rays.
 
I've had good luck with polarized, just something you got to try on the ground first.

My spys, ray bands and oaks did just fine.


I like your shades, nice styles, if I wasn't stocked up on shades I'd order a pair.
 
Why not have Transition lens instead of clip-ons? My glasses are Transitions and work quite well though might not be as effective as a proper sunglasses.
 
Congrats on your new venture and good luck.

I don't see prescription options, so they're "right out for me" as the Brits would say.

If you add that later on, be sure to let us know.
 
Why not have Transition lens instead of clip-ons? My glasses are Transitions and work quite well though might not be as effective as a proper sunglasses.

Transitions react to UV. The windshields of both planes and cars block UV so transitions don't darken near enough.

Conversely, they'll get far too dark when outside on cloudy days because clouds block very little UV.

I wear transitions, I like my transitions, but they are far from the perfect solution. Many times they leave me wanting...
 
I've had good luck with polarized, just something you got to try on the ground first.

My spys, ray bands and oaks did just fine.


I like your shades, nice styles, if I wasn't stocked up on shades I'd order a pair.
Thanks James!

The biggest problem with polarized sunglasses for pilots, is not the morie patterns on the windscreens or the blocking of the LCD displays, but the blocking of the glint from distant aircraft. Sometimes the fastest way to see other traffic is from the glint of sun off the wings as distant traffic turns, or changes angle to the sun. Since this glint is caused by glare, the light is polarized, and a pair of polarized sunglasses can suppress this glint.
 
I agree 100%.

It does seem like all polarized shades are not the same, I've had pairs before where I couldn't see my GPS at most angles and I had some issues with my windshield, other pairs I haven had much issue.

If I didn't already have enough nice sunglasses I'd just buy one polarized and one non, only problem I have is I like polarized for everything but flying so I often would end up flying with my polarized or driving and hiking with my non polarized since I didn't carry both pairs everywhere.
 
I agree 100%.

It does seem like all polarized shades are not the same, I've had pairs before where I couldn't see my GPS at most angles and I had some issues with my windshield, other pairs I haven had much issue.

If I didn't already have enough nice sunglasses I'd just buy one polarized and one non, only problem I have is I like polarized for everything but flying so I often would end up flying with my polarized or driving and hiking with my non polarized since I didn't carry both pairs everywhere.
The quality control of sunglasses are all over the board. Lens orientation is really critical on polarized sunglasses, and the orientation can dramatically effect whether LCD screens are visible or not.

Polarization is awesome for anything done on the water where you have a consistent glare source from below. Most polarized lenses attempt to knock out the polarized glare from below. For nearly anything else where you don't have a consistent source of glare, the polarization is unnecessary.
 
. They're probably hanging out with a bunch of my mismatched socks somewhere..

John

Check your belly button and if they are not there, check the "crack"..... Most of mine end up there.
 
Transitions react to UV. The windshields of both planes and cars block UV so transitions don't darken near enough.

Conversely, they'll get far too dark when outside on cloudy days because clouds block very little UV.

I wear transitions, I like my transitions, but they are far from the perfect solution. Many times they leave me wanting...

An awful lot of people don't know there are different "formulas" for transitions also. I talked to my eye doc about what I do and be customized mine for faster transitioning to dark (which also slows up their return to clear, especially when cold) and made them darker overall (which can add a tiny bit of tint to them when "fully clear" that some people don't like).

This fixed the "in the car" problem of UV being blocked by the windows these days and I prefer them really dark when they really get after it.

Only downside is overcast bright winter snow days, and they work great outside for that, but when I come inside for a break and a glass of water, they are pitch black and don't change back for a long time. I usually notice right after I trip over something or can't see to fill the water glass. Haha.

But anyway, you can have them customized. Talk to the eye doc. Some don't use labs that offer much in the way of customization.

Same lenses are also customized in their cut for the progressives which is wider in the center for "mid-range" work at the computer. This means for really really sharp extreme far distances I have to peer through the top of the lenses a little bit. Took a few weeks to get used to and now I don't even notice tilting my head forward a tad to peer into the distance.

Also means they work great for instrument work while still having a good close-up range at the bottom for charts and things in my hands or lap.

Learned a long time ago not to go to the cheap glasses places. Started with a conversation with a ham radio acquaintance who worked at a lab and even he had to shop around to find a doc who would write the prescription and lens customizations exactly the way he wanted to set them up for himself in the lab making his OWN pairs.

He explained to me some differences over the air on the radio one night, in what he did in the lab for himself for different things, and why... And admonished me to "find a real eye doc who knows what they're doing and isn't just cranking out patients for $99 glasses in bulk." Haven't heard Ben on the air in years, but I'd thank him if I did.

It's important to have a good eye doc and also to tell them exactly what your activities you'll use the glasses for. There's so many cool things they can do.

Thinking about having a pair specifically made up for target shooting next. The only downside to knowing you can get them customized is that you'll be spending some bucks for all the pairs.
 
Transitions react to UV. The windshields of both planes and cars block UV so transitions don't darken near enough.

Conversely, they'll get far too dark when outside on cloudy days because clouds block very little UV.

I wear transitions, I like my transitions, but they are far from the perfect solution. Many times they leave me wanting...

Well, I learn something new everyday. Well, the next best option is sunglasses with prescription lens available (Clip ons may look a bit dorky).
 
They have a 'new' transitions lens they call XTRACTIVE, I don't know if they work behind glass, but that is the selling point.
 
They have a 'new' transitions lens they call XTRACTIVE, I don't know if they work behind glass, but that is the selling point.

They work "better" but not perfect... all depends on how much UV the glass lets pass. Or you can just roll down the window like days of old before air conditioning. :)

Keep in mind also that "Transitions" is a registered trademark, and there's other companies making photo-sensitive darkening lenses besides that particular manufacturer. Any GOOD eye doc can order from anywhere, unless he's stuck in a contract with one particular conglomerate.

There's ONE company that's been buying up most of the eyeglass business worldwide... and most of the "name brands" you know and love are all part of that one big "family" nowadays. Many of them have seen significant down-turns or experiments done in lowering their overall quality, Oakley being one I know has suffered.

Oakley held out for years on the takeover bids, but finally gave in. Now some of their stuff is good enough to have their branding still on it, and some of it is total garbage with their name printed on it by their corporate overlords.

Buyer beware. There's very little left in the glasses world that isn't owned by one big WalMart-style company.
 
There are actually two major players in the world of sunglasses and eye wear. Luxottica, which owns oakley, rayban, sunglass hut, lenscrafters and many other brands, and Safilo, which owns carrera, smith, and several other brands.

Cloudbase, on the other hand, is completely independent, 100% pilot-owned. :)
 
I am definitely in the lunatic fringe on this, but I have tinted my own plastic-lens sunglasses to suit my needs. It is actually not difficult. Both the dyes and the bleach (called "neutralizer" in the trade) can be bought on the internet and are quite cheap. These must be heated to near boiling, then the lens is dipped as necessary. The tinting or bleaching happens over a number of minutes. The biggest hassle for gradients is to have the patience to slowly lift the lens from the dye, bottom section first, so that the bottom is the lightest color and the top is the final density desired.

I figured out how to do this because on the gradient lenses that I could buy, the lightest portion was close to the bottom. What I wanted is to have the lighter portion begin much higher, so that I had sunglasses when looking outside over the glare shield and near-clear lenses when looking at the panel. I have a couple of lenses that I bleached from the bottom to get what I wanted and another couple of lenses that were originally clear where I added tint to the top.

The argument for red/orange/brown "driver" lenses is that dust and moisture particles in the atmosphere stop and scatter shorter wavelength light (towards the blue end of the spectrum) while longer wavelengths "wiggle through." That's why sunsets and sunrises are red/orange; the light is coming through so much atmosphere that the filtering becomes apparent. Thus, filtering out the shorter wavelengths gives better vision in haze. My favorite flying tint is reddish enough that I don't like to use the sunglasses when driving. Red traffic lights stand out nicely, but green is very attenuated and difficult to see from any distance.
 
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