Aviator glasses.. what do you wear?

My friend wore a pair of Eagle Eyes Eagle Eyes High Performance Eyewear on our recent flight, and while making things look very yellow they sure punched up the contrast to a nice clear view!

Years ago I had a pair of brown tint glasses I had when motorcycling and were brilliant for clarifying black tarmac in bright sunlight.. but I've never found such a good pair again.

I might look at these Eagle Eyes and see how they go but would like to see what other options there might be too.. what do you guys find that work well/designed for flying and/or driving?

 

Standard USAF issue "Original Pilot" 52 mm sunglasses by American Optical. Fit easily under a helmet, although that feature has not been too useful to me lately. Around $25/pair at USAF Base Clothing Store. More for civilians.

Good enough for going to war, so good enough for me for every day use.
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For actual flying I wear these as well. They work better with noise cancelling headsets than any other sunglasses I have had (the seal around the ears is critical to the noise cancelling system).

You can buy them from Amazon, although they are more than $25.

 

Just to be the voice of dissent.... I can't stand the issue glasses, too small for my head and they seem kinda cheap. Off the top of my head I can't think of anybody who wears them though we all presumably have some in a drawer someplace. Most guys wear some variety of Oakleys.

 

the Porsche Design sunglasses work quite well... ( wonder if they still are available )...they came with different colored lens to match various light levels... work quite well

try to avoid the polarized lens, the polarization can distort with some windshields and drive you nuts

 

I used to use regular Aviators, but I found that it let too much sunlight in from the sides. I have a shaded visor on my helmet, and I use that now. No need for sunglasses anymore! Also have yellow visor like the EagleEyes glasses for high contrast viewing.

 

Randolph Engineering HGU-4/P

 

The same pair of RayBan aviators I've had since I was a two striper in 1985. The fist thing I bought on our first trip to the BX in basic training, that and a brief case, still use both of em'.

 

Mark- I am going to resist commenting on the size of your head. Too easy.

May be inexpensive, but the lenses are precision ground, do not distort any kind of instruments, fit under a helmet or headset, are lightweight and work fine at 9 'g's. Good enough for me. In the USAF before contact lenses were authorized, pilots and navigators that needed corrective lenses used the frames for corrective lenses, too.

DOD spent several million dollars on "improved aircrew spectacles" and gave up because they were not as good as the old ones.

20 years of flying fighters wearing them makes the habit hard to break. Plus they have gotten me out of three speeding tickets when the LEO said "You were AF, right? I could tell by your sunglasses."

 

Thanks all for opinions on what you use and like and why.. now have some leads to explore what might be better than my current gear.

 

Terry, thank you. After reading your statements I realized that those are the sunglasses I've been looking for. Nothing too fancy or dear to loose or sit on but work like proper tool should.

Cheers and thanks
Samuli

 

I'm the only person I know that wears a size 8 flight cap. The only clothing sales I have found that stocks them is Lackland

As for getting out of speeding tickets I prefer to use my RWR to avoid the problem

 

Oakley Iridium lens, they have a lighter one & a darker one. Orange tint but enhances contrast & cuts the edge off the brightness, which is their purpose.
Clouds pop as an example

 

Mark- No RWR for me. That would be cheating. Last one I used was an ALR-62 and it was pretty handy back then. Preferred the APS-109, but you had to be able to recognize the radars by sound, so they replaced it with one with little pictures. Helped to be an EWO with the 109.

Yup, that is a pretty big hat. Think mine is a 7 1/4.

 

Wow, does your head have its own weather system?

 

I use the Serengetti Granada, great lenses.
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Ooooh, when we're done with shades can we do hats????

 

I never wear a hat because if you do everybody thinks you are bald headed.

Of course, I am.

 

I never wear a hat indoors.

But, outdoors... that's a different story.

Can't sunburn my bald spot.


And, I have a collection of baseball caps. It's ICONIC for sure.

 

It wasn't too long ago that Oakley was using a pilots' magazine article as promo literature. I looked around and can't find a reference, but their optics at that point were in a league of their own. I can't personally speak to how they are doing now, say, quality-wise. I liked my polarized iridium lenses as much as previous Randolphs and Ray-Bans. In fact they seemed sharper. I didn't know that was possible.

Another thing I like with them is the crazy wide array of lens color and gradient choices. Tune your glasses to your use and preference. That pair of Oakleys was my first foray into higher contrast: I went from the government green-greys (g15 e.g.) to amber-brown ranges. Green-grey is closer to the human eye's perception of color and is rather chill. That's not my preference.

Sometimes poor polarization processes will bother a person while better-polarized lenses will not. I have had some middle of the road sports sunglasses I don't think I'd fly with. So getting a better pair is very much worth the effort if one is in an environment where polarization is appropriate.

I ran into some Rudy Projects last year which were represented as having a way around the polarization issue with digital displays. I could read the couple displays nearby on all axes. Optics were above average and my eyes relaxed in them. Maybe they were for sailing; I can't remember. Overall I was surprised. Does anyone have real-world experience with such an animal?

Also, does anyone know about Scheyden? They have flip-up models but which look traditional, and have prescription options. Titanium. Wire temples to deal with headsets. They seem also to be focused on the pilot, and represent themselves as high-quality.

So, I tend to like polarized wherever mission-compatible. I personally like the higher contrast found in a warmer lens color and its flexibility in changing conditions. And absolutely I buy the best optical accuracy I can find.

 

Polarized lenses will cause some glass displays to appear to smear, so it is always a good idea to try a pair on the ground with your particular instrument display to make sure there is no problem. Great for fly fishing, not always for flying and even some car instrument displays.

 

This ^^

Also be warned that your iPad screen (if you use Foreflight and the like) is porlarized -- portrait (I think) orientation won't work with polarized sunglasses.

 

Got my American Optics, they seem to be very nice glasses and I think I'll order second ones without polarization.

 

American Optics for me as well. $30 at BX.

 

And if you use polarized lenses and fly an aircraft with heated windows, you get this...
(shot with an iphone thru cheap sunglasses on a 747)
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