Greg Arnold wrote:
"The use of polarized sunglasses should be discouraged, since they can
reduce or effectively eliminate the visibility of instruments that
incorporate anti-glare filters or can interfere with visibility through
an aircraft windscreen due to striations in some laminated materials."

I guess it depends upon the glider. I have never had any problem with
polarized glasses -- the instruments are clear (302, Dittel radio, B50)
as long as you keep your head upright, and there has never been any
effect on visibility through the canopy. The polarized glasses sure
make it a lot easier to see clouds, though.

The only time I have noticed a problem is in my car, where I can't read
the display on the radio without tilting my head to the right.

I also use polarized sunglasses, not because of any particular preference
but just because the ones I got with my regular glasses happened to be
that way. I have also noticed no real problems. Sometimes I have to tilt
my head to get a clearer look at the GPS, but I don't do that very often
anyway. Another poster's comment about it masking the flashes off of other
aircraft's wings is has given me some pause though. In any case they don't
seem to be terribly beneficial either, although the added sky contrast is
nice.

Where they're really handy is driving. There's a lot of glare coming off
of horizontal surfacaes there, whether it's your hood, other people's
hoods, or the road, and the polarization stops all of that. They do make
funny colors and shades come off my car GPS but it's still readable.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software