Sunglasses

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superdad

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jun 16, 2013
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superdad
What's everyone use when they fly? I heard polarized suck.
 
Depends on if you need a prescription.....
 
I've been very happy with my Serengeti sunglasses.
 
I have the same question. My few pairs of sunglasses are not great for flying.
And I want to know if the haze busters work.
 
superdad said:
What's everyone use when they fly?
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I wear glasses I had made special by the optical shop at WalMart. As I am old and presbyopic, I need both sunglasses for UV/glare, and reading glasses to see the charts/instruments. I found that standard reading-insert sunglasses were too dark at the bottom for in-cockpit vision. The ones I had made are dark in the upper half, with -1.5 diopter reading inserts in the clear lower half. They look a bit odd, but they work great.

BTW, try to get sunglasses with thin wire temples -- your headset will fit and seal much better over them, giving you better noise reduction and greater comfort.

Note that I am a contact lens wearer. I have multifocal contacts for general use, but even though I test 20/20 with them both near and distant, I'm not satisfied with my distant vision with them. For that reason, I wear single-vision distance-correcting contacts for flying, but with my age-induced presbyopia, I need reading glasses for near vision when wearing my distance vision contacts. Hence, the problem and solution described above.

I heard polarized suck.
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They do. In our Cougar, we had three polarized screens (KMD-150, KLN-94, and JPI EDM-760), all in different axes. I bought a pair of polarized sunglasses, and on the first flight with them, found I was cocking my head back and forth like a confused parrot (or maybe Vincent D'Onofrio as Det. Bobby Goren questioning a suspect) trying to read them all. End of polarized sunglasses for me.
 
I wear non-polarized Ray-Bans with contacts. I might look into a pair of prescription sunglasses as well.

I'm surprised that Ron neglected to mention the FAA document on the subject.
 
superdad said:
What's everyone use when they fly? I heard polarized suck.
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Cheap pair of frames from Pearl Vision with my prescription. I got the tint as dark as possible. Don't get polarzied. You won't be able to see the instruments
 
superdad said:
What's everyone use when they fly? I heard polarized suck.
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A Maui Jim pair that I bought on - wait for it - Maui. Around 1995. Still using the same pair. They are polarized and that affects the use of my iPad (have to orient it in landscape mode on my leg.)

One complaint I've read about polarized glasses is that the thing they are good at - reducing glare from reflected surfaces - is a detriment to safety since glints of sunlight off another aircraft would be reduced and more likely to be missed. While that may be true, I'm willing to pay for the loss of such rare opportunistic alerts in exchange for reducing the glare from aircraft windows and anything else reflective in the cockpit.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Nice doc.

I wear non-polarized Ray-Ban's because I use my iPad in flight. Polarized worked fine when I used them.
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Ray-Bans for the last 40 years.... I am an old fart and don't want to learn to tricks...:no::no:.......:D
 
Prescription sunglasses from Zenni Optical. I am not a big fan of expensive sunglasses. They inevitably get damaged or destroyed and that drives me nuts.

Edit - and I prefer to take care of the sunglasses/headset issue by using QT Halos.
 
I wear a pair of Oakley Plaintiff Round. Not polarized. I've been very happy with them. I also wear contacts.
 
Because I wear RX, I have the basic clip-ons. They happen to be polarized and I have seen the disadvantages.

My lenses are not overly large, so I can look underneath. My near vision is such that I do need readers for fine work, but I can see the instruments well enough from underneath the lenses. The big advantage of that is that inside the cockpit, with shadows, a dark tint can sometimes be too dark. So, if I were to get the "perfect" sunglasses for me, I think that Ron makes a good point - a darker tint at the top, and a lighter tint at the bottom (gradient lenses), non-polarized. I prefer the gray tint.
 
Interesting thread.

I am near sighted and wear corrective lenses.

When younger, I found that I could get away with a lot of sub-optimal sunglass solutions. Now, not so much. Which for me means:
- I don't fly with contacts though I prefer to drive with them, so I fly with Rx glasses.
- No polarization, ever again. Though I only fly one plane 100% of the time, you never know what you can't see if you can't see it (on the panel or your lap that is).
- I strongly prefer a brown-yellow tint (haze busters). They seem to improve contrast on grayer days, work fine on sunny blue days, and they generally improve my mood over neutral gray or green lenses. :dunno:
- Rx glasses do not need to be replaced at every change in my Rx. Since I wear sunglasses when it's bright out, I find that my eyesight is considerably better and sharper on such days, making up for a less than current Rx. I've even recycled a pair from 20+ years ago... I guess my Rx went 'backwards' or something.
 
No shades for me when flying...I'm waiting on clarification from the FAA Chief Counsel as to whether or not my Oakleys are approved for flight in my Six.

Just kidding Ron...couldn't resist! :D

Actually I don't usually wear shades while flying. Restricts my vision too much and my favorite sunglasses (Oakleys) are too large to fit comfortably under my headsets?
 
Archammer said:
Flying Eyes all day long, period. That's not a pitch, I actually love them. Indestructable, very very light, and the swappable strap is the best thing ever.
Flying Eyes Aviation Sunglasses

I just ordered a pair for father's day I hope they work out, its tough finding a set that work well with a glass panel and have bifocals.
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Oakley Flak Jacket XLJ

The Polarization doesn't bother me, however if you fly glass cockpits it could be an issue. Both kinds work, try on a few and get which type fits you best
 
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I checked my plane and displays before I bought 'em. No problems with the tablets, the 430W or the windshield.

The ATM I use the most, otoh....
 
Mistake Not... said:
I checked my plane and displays before I bought 'em. No problems with the tablets, the 430W or the windshield.

The ATM I use the most, otoh....
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Ya got me there.... I have NEVER used a ATM machine so I have no experience with them..:no::no:
 
Well if you run a pair of water heaters in series, the downstream one is indeed a hot water heater.
 
EdFred said:
Well if you run a pair of water heaters in series, the downstream one is indeed a hot water heater.
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Well, There is that....:yes:..

And out here where the ground water runs 45f year round, dual water heaters in series is quite popular...
 
N801BH said:
Well, There is that....:yes:..

And out here where the ground water runs 45f year round, dual water heaters in series is quite popular...
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I figured you would have some sort of homemade water heater harnessing the power of the sun. ;)
 
EdFred said:
I figured you would have some sort of homemade water heater harnessing the power of the sun. ;)
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Yeah......... Me Too...

If I were 10 years younger, I would have a fancy, homemade, liquid to liquid heat exchanger set up using Glycol as the medium.. But, I am too damn old to play anymore....:redface:....:(
 
If the OP is interested.....I need readers. So I found sunglasses with clear lower reader lens was perfect when looking down into a shaded cockpit. Most don't have that option but Airplanethings.com does.....
 
flyingriki said:
If the OP is interested.....I need readers. So I found sunglasses with clear lower reader lens was perfect when looking down into a shaded cockpit. Most don't have that option but Airplanethings.com does.....
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I bought a pair of those at OSH a couple of years ago.. They do work nice, but.. I got spoiled by the color of the Ray-Bans over the years and my brain could not adjust....:no:....:redface:....
 
Ryanb said:
Oakley Flak Jacket XLJ

The Polarization doesn't bother me, however if you fly glass cockpits it could be an issue.
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Nope, it isn't. I have the same and can see the G1000 from all angles. The ipad on the other hand...
 
N801BH said:
I bought a pair of those at OSH a couple of years ago.. They do work nice, but.. I got spoiled by the color of the Ray-Bans over the years and my brain could not adjust....:no:....:redface:....
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Airplanethings.com doesn't go to OSH that I know of.
Actually they don't advertise much at all......
Have visited ALL the sunglasses vendors at OSH and they all want to ignore the need for clear lenses at the bottom for better visibility in the shaded cockpit. Maybe, by now, some have figured it out....
 
Chris Mitchell said:
I might actually order a pair of these and give them a try...especially for the price!
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They aren't bad for the price. I picked up a pair in the darker lens and another in the light smoke lens. The clear bottom bifocal makes a huge difference in the cockpit.
 
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